KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs selected Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons with the final pick in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night, giving quarterback Patrick Mahomes the blindside protector he was so sorely lacking last season.
Simmons missed the majority of last season after tearing a patellar tendon in his knee, and he didn’t work out at the scouting combine, which may have left some teams wary of using a high draft pick on him. But the Chiefs were comfortable after several checks on him, and they wound up using the No. 32 overall pick to finally shore up the tackle spot.
“I figured there might be a chance coming off the injury (to get him), but I think as you get to know him a bit and the time you get to study and talk to people around him, you’ll find out he’s a really super athlete,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “That’s where we were a little bit nervous whether he would be there or not.”
Mahomes was clearly happy with the pick, tweeting a sunglasses emoji moments before it was announced.