Biggest concern for Chiefs' draft pick is a Tennessee Volunteers problem, not an Omarr Norman-Lott problem
One of the biggest concerns about Kansas City Chiefs second-round draft pick Omarr Norman-Lott has become quite overblown. Norman-Lott started his career at Arizona State before transferring to Tennessee ahead of the 2023 season. Norman-Lott played just 226 defensive snaps for the Volunteers in 13 games, roughly one-third of their total defensive snaps. That means he averaged just […]
One of the biggest concerns about Kansas City Chiefs second-round draft pick Omarr Norman-Lott has become quite overblown.
Norman-Lott started his career at Arizona State before transferring to Tennessee ahead of the 2023 season. Norman-Lott played just 226 defensive snaps for the Volunteers in 13 games, roughly one-third of their total defensive snaps. That means he averaged just 17 snaps per game, which doesn't seem like a lot. The lack of regular snaps has given the impression that Norman-Lott is incapable of a larger workload, won't play a lot, or make an impact at the next level.
That's not the case in the slightest.
The Chiefs aren't concerned about Omarr Norman-Lott's snaps, and you shouldn't be either
Fans must realize that the Vols use a heavy defensive line rotation and multiple defensive line packages to keep their players fresh and at their best. This unique strategy is often criticized because it sometimes means that those viewed as the best (like Norman-Lott) aren't on the field during critical moments. There's a conversation to be had about whether Tennessee squandered one of its best defenders in Norman-Lott to employ this rotation. However, the reality is that players were bought entirely into the strategy.
“Actually, a lot of teams asked me, almost every one,” Norman-Lott told reporters at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. “It’s just the rotation and (Vols defensive line coach) Rodney Garner’s philosophy of keeping tread off his player’s legs, keeping them fresh. I’m in a rotation of three sets of two D-tackles that could all potentially be starters at different schools, and I just had to be selfless enough to let my brothers eat, too.”
No defensive tackle for Tennessee last season played more snaps than Dominic Bailey (416), but the Vols had eight interior defensive linemen in 2024 with 200 or more snaps. Another player in the rotation fell just short of that mark with 187 defensive snaps. No player in the Tennessee defensive line room averaged more than 32 snaps per game. That'd be about 50-60% of the defensive snaps in a given NFL game.
“That’s the first thing, it’s a heavy rotation there (Tennessee), so I think he played only about 25% of the snaps, and that’s everybody," Chiefs Sr. Director of Player Personnel Mike Bradway told reporters on Friday. "In those snaps, I mean, you’re talking about a guy that maximizes his snaps. Just the unique explosion he has off the ball, we saw a guy that was really conditioned, he has a great frame, he has 11-inch hands, 34-inch arms, he’s strong for his size. Then you go down to the Senior Bowl, and he was really impressive down there. I thought he was one of the better interior d-linemen, so we envision him being a really productive rotational guy.”
The Chiefs viewed Norman-Lott's lack of snaps with the Vols as a positive. Not only does he have more tread on his tires than some other players in this draft class, but he didn't once complain about his lack of playing time, supported his teammates, and made the most of his opportunities on the field.
“You’ve got to be selfless, and when you’ve got a coach like Rodney Garner, there’s no questioning it," Norman-Lott said.
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