KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs start the final day of the NFL Draft with five selections on Saturday with general manager Brett Veach looking to check off more items on his shopping list.
Veach checked off the team’s top four needs during the first two days, picking up offensive tackle Josh Simmons, defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott, edge rusher Ashton Gillotte and cornerback Nohl Williams. The Chiefs would also like to add a wide receiver and running back on Saturday, possibly with their first two selections.
The club also holds three seventh-round selections. Veach normally uses seventh-round selections on players the team will be unable to sign as undrafted free agents or as trade resources for an upgraded pick or possibly swapping for future seventh-round selections.
Fourth Round, No. 133 overall: WR Jalen Royals, Utah State
The Chiefs flipped the switch back to offense starting Saturday’s fourth round, selecting the 6-foot, 205-pound Royals. He was a two-year starter at Utah State after transferring from Georgia Military College. He put up big numbers in those two seasons, playing in 20 games with 126 catches for 1,914 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Royals’ 2024 season was cut short after a right foot injury but he took part in the Senior Bowl and posted a 4.42-second 40-yard time at the NFL Combine. Chiefs West Regional Scout Greg Castillo says Royals is fully healthy after the injury.
“Just from our interactions at the Senior Bowl, he is so coachable,” Castillo said. “He really loves football and he wants to get better. You saw that there his whole path, Georgia Military to Utah State, each and every single year. He improved a ton, and he’ll do that here.”
Royals focused primarily on basketball in high school and wasn’t ranked by recruiting services. He went to Georgia Military College to play football and boost his academic record but still didn’t draw any attention from FBS programs. In June 2022 he traveled to Utah to attend Utah State’s Elite Camp. He impressed the coaches enough that a week later he had a scholarship offer in hand.
“Making the NFL has been a lifelong dream,” Royals said. “Just playing though from JUCO and then grinding there, and then getting off at Utah State and grinding there. Now I’m a Chief, just grinding. It’s really just been my why, right there.”
Fifth Round, No. 156 overall: LB Jeff Bassa, Oregon
Linebacker wasn’t an obvious need for the Chiefs but when Veach saw Bassa fall into the middle of the fifth round, he couldn’t wait any longer. The Chiefs made a deal with Pittsburgh, sending the fifth-round pick they acquired Thursday from Philadelphia (No. 164 overall) along with a seventh-round choice (No. 226) to the Steelers to move up eight slots.
The 6-foot-1, 228-pound Bassa was a four-year starter who committed to the Ducks as a safety but transitioned to linebacker midway through his freshman season. He played the weakside linebacker on the outside before later moving to middle inside linebacker, providing him with experience in both pass coverage and run defense. He was also a full-time special-teams player for Oregon.
“He’s ready day one,” Chiefs National Scout Jonathan Howard said. “This guy’s been playing good football forever. We were pretty shocked that he’s available at this point in the draft. This is a very good player.”
Bassa knows plenty about the Chiefs’ defense under Steve Spagnuolo, and he’s ready to play any of the the three linebacker positions.
“Everybody knows Coach Spags is crazy when it comes to defense, of being a great defensive mind,” Bassa said, “With the blitzes and zone coverages and zone dogs that he draws up? So with them just having elite defense, I feel like I’m a guy who takes a lot of pride in watching a lot of film, when I’m not playing football or at practice, I’m always watching football. When I have the opportunity to see the Chiefs on the field, just seeing all the linebackers flying around, how much of an impact they have on the success of their defense, I’m so grateful to be in that position.”
Seventh Round, No. 228 overall: RB Brashard Smith, SMU
The Chiefs ticked off the final remaining item on their wish list with Smith, a speedy and elusive runner who transferred from Miami to SMU last season and moved from receiver to running back. After Smith entered the transfer portal following the 2023 season, Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee sold Smith on coming to SMU and switching to running back to become the team’s Isiah Pacheco.
“He was telling me how I could be just a dynamic back coming out the backfield,” Smith said. “A starting running back, but coming out the backfield, going out to receiver, moving around here and there. So we kind of had an agreement, and we were all locked down since day one.”
The Chiefs moved up to No. 228 to land Smith. They sent two seventh-round selections (Nos. 251 and 257) to New England for the rights to Smith. He was only FBS player in 2024 with 1,300 yards rushing, 300 yards receiving and 300 kick-return yards. He ranked No. 4 in the nation with 1,977 all-purpose yards, behind only Ashton Jeanty, Cam Skattebo and Omarion Hampton.
Smith believes he will fit in well with the Kansas City offense.
“I feel like they’re already dynamic, and I feel like I’m a dynamic player also,” SMith said. “I feel like I’m gonna bring a lot of juice to the offense and special teams, just anywhere, anytime I’m on the field. I’m going to bring some juice for sure.”
