Louis Riddick praises Chiefs for landing "steal of the draft" after swapping first-round pick with Eagles

The Kansas City Chiefs' hopes for a three-peat were dashed when they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX in February. The two teams were connected once again when they made a swap for draft picks in the first round.

Instead of selecting at draft selection No. 31, Kansas City selected at 32 and selected former Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons. On Wednesday, Kansas City was praised for its draft selection by ESPN's Louis Riddick.

On NFL Live, Louis Riddick said that he believed the Chiefs got the 'steal' of the draft and addressed their issues surrounding the offensive line.

"Look, I think getting Josh Simmons, um 32nd overall, obviously they swapped picks with Philadelphia, that could end up being, and look I've used this term a couple different times, but I'm going to use it one more time. That could end up being the steal of the draft, you arguably have the best offensive lineman in the draft."

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Josh Simmons played the last two seasons at Ohio State University. Prior to that, he played two seasons with San Diego State.

Chiefs signed Josh Simmons ahead of rookie mini camp

The Kansas City Chiefs announced that they signed their first-round draft pick, offensive tackle Josh Simmons. The rookie offensive tackle signed his first NFL contract just days before he reported to rookie mini camp.

Josh Simmons signed a four-year deal worth $14,675,353, a fully guaranteed contract.

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The offensive tackle position has been a weak spot for Kansas City and the team acknowledged that this offseason. Before drafting Josh Simmons, Kansas City signed former San Francisco 49ers tackle Jaylon Moore to a two-year deal.

The likelihood that Simmons will start Week 1 is slim at this point, but with the NFL anything can happen between now and then.

The additional time that Simmons will have before getting the starting nod will not only help him grow in the NFL, it will also allow a torn patellar tendon that he suffered in October 2024 to fully heal and rehabilitate.

About the author

Bethany Cohen is an NFL writer at Sportskeeda, with a rich prior 15-year experience in the sports writing industry, primarily covering the MLB and MiLB. She majored in Communications from the University of South Florida and has previously worked for top companies such as Examiner.com and Legends on Deck.

Bethany owes her NFL allegiance to the Pittsburgh Steelers owing to their long-standing tradition and competitiveness. She is a fan of old stalwarts such as Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris and would love to watch them in the 1970s if she manages to get her hand on a time machine. She also acknowledges the greatness of modern icons like T.J. Watt for his desire to continuously improve despite being on top. She admires coaches Mike Tomlin and Andy Reid for their longevity and success.

The ace reporter credits her knowledge and love for the sport to be her biggest reporting strengths. Prior fact-checking is a big component of her process and she always scours through additional sources to ensure complete accuracy in her content.

Super Bowl XLIII, when the Steelers won the the grand prize after Santonio Holmes’ epic catch in the end zone with just seconds left on the clock is etched in Bethany’s memory forever. When she is free of her professional commitments, she likes to attend sports events and music concerts.

Know More

Chiefs Fans! Check out the latest Kansas City Chiefs Schedule and dive into the Chiefs Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Rajdeep Barman