Chiefs continue trend of giving trusted assistant coach a firsthand look at potential first-round NFL draft pick
One of the Kansas City Chiefs' most trusted defensive assistants remains involved in the pre-draft process. For the third consecutive season, the Chiefs have sent DL coach Joe Cullen on the road for a major college football program's pro day. Last year, Cullen was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to put LSU Tigers DL Maason Smith, Jordan Jefferson, […]
One of the Kansas City Chiefs' most trusted defensive assistants remains involved in the pre-draft process. For the third consecutive season, the Chiefs have sent DL coach Joe Cullen on the road for a major college football program's pro day.
Last year, Cullen was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to put LSU Tigers DL Maason Smith, Jordan Jefferson, and Mekhi Wingo through their defensive line drills. He was in Athens, Georgia, the year prior, to put players like Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith through their defensive line drills.
Ahead of the 2025 NFL draft, the Chiefs sent Cullen to the Texas A&M Pro Day on Thursday.
Chiefs' DL coach Joe Cullen brings the juice to Texas A&M Pro Day
Cullen ran on-field drills for DE Nic Scourton and DL Shemar Turner at the Aggies Pro Day. Scourton is a projected first-round draft pick who could fall in the range where Kansas City is picking in Round 1. Turner is projected to be a Day 2 pick and could be on Kansas City's radar with pick No. 66 or even No. 95.
Fellow Aggie defensive lineman Shemar Stewart sat out of timed drills and on-field work, so he didn't get as much time with Cullen. Given that he could go as high as the top 15 picks, that's probably not the worst thing.
Cullen put Scourton and Turner through bag drills and pursuit angle drills.
At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Scourton weighed 6 feet 3 inches and 257 pounds, and Turner weighed 6 feet 3 inches and 290 pounds. Both prospects didn't run a 40-yard dash or do any of the timed testing at the combine or their pro day on Thursday, which makes it all the more important for a coach like Cullen to get a first-hand look.
Scourton earned First-team All-SEC honors in 2024 after leading the Aggies with 14 tackles for loss and five sacks in 12 starts. He had a 17.1% pass rush win rate last season, playing at a significantly higher weight. At 20 years old, there's a lot of untapped potential here, which will be very appealing for NFL clubs.
Turner's tape shows a smooth athlete who is powerful against the run and brings some juice in the pass rush. Over his four-year career at Texas A&M, he had 10 sacks and three forced fumbles.
Both players are on Kansas City's radar for good reasons. Should they make a good impression on Cullen, he'll surely bang the table for one or both. Hopefully, they'll actually get a chance to select one of these two prospects this time around.
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