The rich got richer last week when the winners of the last two Super Bowls drafted seven players, with the first three selections joining the team’s well-established offense. The Chiefs expanded their rookie class to 24 players by signing these 17 undrafted free agents:
- Emani Bailey, RB (TCU)
- Miles Battle, CB (Utah)
- Swayze Bozeman, LB (Southern Mississippi)
- Phillip Brooks, WR (Kansas State)
- Reggie Brown, WR (James Madison)
- Baylor Cupp, TE (Texas Tech)
- Ethan Driskell, T (Marshall)
- Curtis Jacobs, LB (Penn State)
- Fabien Lovett, DT (Florida State)
- Griffin McDowell, T (Tennessee-Chattanooga)
- McKade Mettauer, G (Oklahoma)
- Derrick Miller, CB (Kent State)
- Ryan Rehkow, P (BYU)
- Christian Roland-Wallace, CB (USC)
- Carson Steele, RB (UCLA)
- Nick Torres, G (Villanova)
- Luquay Washington, LB (Central Connecticut State)
The Chiefs return their top three rushers in Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and La’Mical Perine, but after finishing a middling 19th in the league in rushing yards, Kansas City may be taking some flyers on potential upgrades at the backup positions behind Pacheco. Bailey comes in after two seasons at Louisiana and two seasons at TCU. At each school he had a season in which he scored eight touchdowns, and he racked up 1,209 rushing yards in 2023. Steele arrives after two years at Ball State and one at UCLA. He led his team in rushing yards all three seasons and was first-team All-MAC in 2022 after leading the conference with 1,556 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Driskell was a surprising prospect to end up undrafted. He’s raw and needs NFL coaching to develop a role with the Chiefs, but his towering 6-foot-8 frame was expected to land him somewhere in the fifth or sixth round of the draft. Lovett was likewise expected to land in the fifth or sixth round but slipped out to an undrafted position unexpectedly. He has the ability to flash as a rotational defensive lineman, but a lack of consistency could cost him a spot on the 53-man roster.
After trading away L’Jarius Sneed in the offseason and drafting Kamal Hadden in the sixth round out of Tennessee, the Chiefs bring in three more prospects including Roland-Wallace. Roland-Wallace spent his final season with the Trojans after four years as a starter at Arizona. His quick twitch helped him rack up four interceptions and 29 passes defensed in college.
Even Rehkow was expected to get drafted after four years with the Cougars. The four-year punter saw his punting duties skyrocket in 2023 as BYU’s offense struggled mightily in their move to the Big 12.