The first round of the NFL 2025 draft is over. Most teams shocked the football world with surprising picks. And Patrick Mahomes‘s Chiefs were one of them. They drafted a young offensive tackle from the 2024 national champion team, the Ohio State Buckeyes. But it’s not just a simple addition to Matt Nagy’s offense, but a message to two players from Mahomes’s offensive squad.

The Chiefs’ GM has sent a direct message to the current OTs of the Chiefs, Jaylon Moore and Jawaan Taylor. According to NFL insider Charles Goldman, Chiefs GM Brett Veach said, “When Pat Mahomes is your quarterback, you can never have enough of those guys (tackles)… It’s a long season. Jaylon Moore has to stay healthy. Jawaan (Taylor) is doing a good job now with rehab from his knee, but he has to stay healthy… You have him under contract now for five years, and these guys are so hard to find.” Both players were injured during the 2024 season. 

Taylor was out for week 18 of the season due to his knee injury against the Texans. When he suffered an injury, the Chiefs had to think about starting with rookie tackle Ethan Driskell, but they chose an experienced one, hopefully. And in the case of Moore, he was out due to a concussion. But after Josh Simmons’ drafting, are the Chiefs sending a message to these two tackles about their future? Let’s see. 

Any team must have a reliable, strong, and promising offensive line. In Super Bowl LIX, an unbelievable six sacks fell upon Chiefs’ Superstar Patrick Mahomes. Though Patrick took all the blame on himself, it’s also a shameful thing to Matt Nagy and the Chiefs’ O-line. What if the Chiefs had a great offensive line to protect Mahomes? The picture would have been different. The Chiefs would have made history with a three-peat. Yes, it is that serious business. 

That’s why Brett Veach didn’t hesitate to call out two important offensive tackles as the franchise chose Josh Simmons. With Josh Simmons’s pick, the Chiefs‘ strategy is clearly visible. 

Josh Simmons is now officially with the Kansas City Chiefs

Andy Reid broke down how his team drafted Josh Simmons. “We had a chance to bring him here. We met with him at the combine, so we had that visit with him. And we brought him up here for one of the 30 visits, and had a good visit with him there. Had a Zoom visit with him a couple of times, as late as yesterday. Again, just to make sure we’re doing our homework.” This is what Andy Reid said to SI’s Dominic Minchella. 

6’5” 317 lb Josh Simmons has played college football for San Diego State and, of course, Ohio State, where he won his first national championship with Will Howard. To talk about his qualities, according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, Josh has the ability and experience to start on both sides. He’s a consistently fluid mover both inside the box and when asked to play in space, and he has the slide quickness to compete against NFL edge speed. 

Reid also beautifully described how Josh Simmons’s style of tackling players is unique. He said, “I think he’s good in the run and the pass game. But obviously, you’re looking for guys that can anchor down in the pass game. That becomes important, especially on the left side with a right-handed quarterback.” And also added that he was looking for such a guy in the offensive line, and now also waiting for a defensive player to dominate the line of scrimmage. How effective is this move? We need to wait for the season to begin.