'I don't understand what Kansas City saw' – ESPN's Mel Kiper doesn't love the Chiefs' decision to draft Tennessee's Omarr Norman-Lott
The Kansas City Chiefs selected Tennessee Vols defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott with the No. 63 overall selection (round two) on day two of the 2025 NFL Draft. Norman-Lott is a versatile defensive lineman that impressed at the Senior Bowl with some truly dominant reps against top tier competition. Some analysts viewed the former Vol as […]
The Kansas City Chiefs selected Tennessee Vols defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott with the No. 63 overall selection (round two) on day two of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Norman-Lott is a versatile defensive lineman that impressed at the Senior Bowl with some truly dominant reps against top tier competition. Some analysts viewed the former Vol as a first round talent, though questions emerged about his usage at Tennessee during the draft process (Norman-Lott averaged just over 17 snaps per game).
ESPN's Mel Kiper, however, was not one of the analysts that thought highly of Norman-Lott heading into the draft.
Kiper noted on Friday night that he thought Kansas City reached for Norman-Lott in the second round.
"I was surprised to see the Chiefs pull Omarr Norman-Lott from way, way down my board at No. 63," wrote Kiper. "He just snuck into my top 150 at No. 142 overall. Norman-Lott started just five of his 45 career games. He has some pass-rush upside (4.5 sacks from inside), but I don't understand what Kansas City saw in the value here. And that's especially true since Darius Alexander was still on the board; he was over 100 spots higher in my rankings."
Most of the analysts that had issues with Kansas City's selection of Norman-Lott pointed to the fact that he made only five starts in college (Norman-Lott started his career at Arizona State before spending his final two seasons at Tennessee).
Defensive starts, however, aren't necessarily an important stat. Norman-Lott was an incredibly productive player despite playing in a heavy defensive line rotation at Tennessee. His low usage was a result of a philosophical decision by Tennessee's coaching staff (to keep players fresh), instead of a reflection of his talent.
Kiper has been in the draft business for a long time, but I'm going to trust the Chiefs, one of the best teams in the NFL over the last eight years, when it comes to their evaluation of Norman-Lott.
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