The Kansas City Chiefs hold the 31st pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but what if they traded up? While the Chiefs aren’t typically a team that trades up in the first round, it has happened during Brett Veach’s time as the general manager (most noticeably in 2017 when they moved up for Patrick Mahomes and then in 2022 to snag Trent McDuffie).
In other words, a trade up for the Chiefs, especially after losing Super Bowl LIX, could make perfect sense for Veach. The Chiefs have plenty of needs to address too and the latest draft trade proposal from Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated actually has them going in a different direction than many would expect.
Rather than going with what a lot of people think will happen and drafting an offensive lineman, Verderame has them flipping the script and selecting someone on the defensive side of the ball. Verderame proposed that the Chiefs swap first-round picks with the Pittsburgh Steelers, which would move them from the 31st pick to the 21st pick and from there, they snag Walter Nolen of Ole Miss.
Proposed Chiefs draft-day trade would fire up fans
Verderame’s official proposed trade involves the Chiefs trading the 31st pick along with their second-round pick to the Steelers for the 21st pick and a sixth-rounder. If all the Chiefs had to surrender to move up and land Nolen here was their late first-rounder and a second-rounder, that’d be a massive win on their end.
The Chiefs’ pass-rush wasn’t as lethal as it could have been last year, finishing in the bottom half of teams sacks with 39. This was a disappointment considering they finished second in total sacks the year before. Chris Jones had his lowest sack total since 2017 (his second year in the league), only notching 5.0 in 15 games.
While Jones signed a five-year contract last offseason, K.C. has a potential out on his deal in 2027. If Nolen comes in and balls out right away, perhaps the Chiefs would be okay with cutting bait on Jones’ deal early on (he’ll be 32 years old entering the 2027 season as well). It’d be a difficult decision and one that would hurt Chiefs fans to see happen but the NFL is a business.
Nolen would be a dream addition for Steve Spagnuolo and the Chiefs because, as Verderame notes, the Ole Miss product “can play both inside with the occasional move outside”. Spags would love having Nolen to work into his defense and it’d hopefully ensure that the Chiefs D became ferocious again, much like it was in 2023.
This would be a huge trade for Veach and the Chiefs but if it happened, fans would more than likely be psyched because it’d bring a game-wrecker to the defense. Defense wins championships after all.