So The Chiefs Missed Out On Your Draft Crush.. Now What?
Five "discount" versions of popular potential Chiefs' draft picks in the 2025 NFL Draft
The 2025 NFL Draft is less than a month away at this point and that means all the hype is starting to pick up. Mock drafts, interviews, top thirty visit, etc. are all coming out every single day. This often leads to fans starting to develop “crushes” for the upcoming draft. These are players that people like for their favorite team at a level that would be considered “above consensus”.
One of my favorite mental exercises to do during draft season is to look at these common Chiefs’ draft crushes and look into what makes them so coveted. Focusing on early round players — first round to top 50 type of picks — and then seeing if there prospects who could be found later in the draft with similar skill sets. The scenario sets up as “bargain shopping” for a similar player archetype.
It’s a pretty basic premise so let’s dive into it and do some discount shopping around the 2025 NFL Draft.
Prospects on a Discount
CJ West | DT | Indiana
A common mocked pick for the Chiefs is Tyleik Williams — a defensive tackle from Ohio State — because of his run stopping ability and plus athleticism to develop into a complimentary pass rusher. The only hold up is that Williams is projected to be a top 50 type of pick which would put the Chiefs taking a nose tackle in round one most likely.
If they wanted a skill set similar to Williams with similar upside but later in the draft, they could look to Indiana’s CJ West. Like Williams, West is a nose tackle that checks in over 300lbs with fantastic athletic testing that shows up on tape. West isn’t as clean of a run stopper in terms of eating and splitting double teams, but in terms of penetrating gaps or working laterally with zone concepts he’s similarly effective.
West has a slight head start as a pass rusher over Williams due to tying his hands and movement together when attacking a blocker. Both players are violent with their hands and have the strength to move players against their will while not being stuck in mud when forced to move. West may not be as steady of a run defender as Williams is but he is similarly NFL ready to offer some three down ability as a nose tackle early in his career.
