KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After an official confab at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, a top-30 visit in Kansas City, and a series of virtual meetings culminating on Wednesday, the Chiefs finally found the player they hope will serve as the blindside protector for the prime years of Patrick Mahomes.
Josh Simmons, the 6-foot-5, 317-pound offensive tackle from Ohio State, seemed destined for the upper echelons of the NFL Draft until he suffered a torn patellar tendon in the Buckeyes’ 32-31 loss to Oregon on Oct. 12.
That injury was bad luck for Simmons but good fortune for the Chiefs. A player of his caliber wouldn’t be available at the end of the first round if not for the setback.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said the top-30 visit Simmons made to Kansas City was crucial. Rick Burkholder, the club’s vice president of sports medicine and performance, along with the team’s orthopedic specialists, were able to perform extensive exams on Simmons’s surgically repaired patella tendon. Those examinations backed up rechecks by the NFL following the Combine tests that showed the surgery went well.
Simmons offers the Chiefs versatility for both the short- and long-term. With Jaylon Moore signed to play left tackle in 2025 and Jawaan Taylor in the tail end of his contract, Simmons could easily serve as a swing tackle this season if healthy. He started 13 games at right tackle at San Diego State in 2022 before entering the transfer portal and heading to Ohio State. He started 19 games at left tackle for the Buckeyes and put together the best performance of any tackle in the 2025 draft class before the knee injury.
