Chiefs have an upcoming top-30 visit with Vols defender who can take Kansas City's pass rush to the next level
The Kansas City Chiefs are staying busy in the weeks before the 2025 NFL draft, hosting plenty of prospects on top-30 visits. With visits for Georgia's Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Alabama's Que Robinson coming up, the team is also set to host another talented SEC defender who is projected to be a top-100 draft pick. The latest report […]
The Kansas City Chiefs are staying busy in the weeks before the 2025 NFL draft, hosting plenty of prospects on top-30 visits. With visits for Georgia's Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Alabama's Que Robinson coming up, the team is also set to host another talented SEC defender who is projected to be a top-100 draft pick.
The latest report comes from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, who says that Tennessee DT Omarr Norman-Lott will take a visit with the Kansas City Chiefs next week. The Volunteers' interior D-Lineman has visited or has a visit scheduled with at least eight other NFL teams.
Listed at a hair under 6-foot-2 and 295 pounds, Norman-Lott recorded five sacks and 27 pressures on just 139 pass-rushing snaps in 2024. He also led all FBS defensive tackles with an 18.9% pass rush win rate percentage last season. While he's probably considered slightly undersized, he plays the running game remarkably well, boasting strength and the ability to shed blocks.
Norman-Lott's lack of snaps over the last several seasons was more about the depth of the Vols' defensive line than anything else, but given his success as a pass-rusher, he probably should've been playing more. I tend to believe that the NFL will learn from Tennessee's mistake and make him an every-down player.
What is a top 30 visit?
NFL teams can conduct 30 pre-draft visits with potential prospects in a particular draft class. Clubs invite prospects to their facilities for coaching, training, medical, and other staff meetings. It's essentially an introduction to life in the NFL in Kansas City.
The Chiefs use their top 30 visits in several ways, but they typically indicate that the team has some level of interest in a player, whether he is projected to be a draft pick or an undrafted free agent.
A few players selected by the Chiefs in the past who had top 30 visits include Kingsley Suamataia, Rashee Rice, BJ Thompson, Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams, Nick Bolton, and Juan Thornhill. They added undrafted free agents, such as Carson Steele, from these visits.
Exploring Tennessee DT Omarr Norman-Lott's fit with the Chiefs
Norman-Lott makes a ton of sense for a Chiefs team looking to offset the loss of Tershawn Wharton to the Panthers in the 2025 NFL free agency period. The 23-year-old has some serious juice as a pass rusher. He's got to be an appealing option for Steve Spagnuolo, given that he was able to consistently win one-on-one matchups in pass-rushing and run defense situations at Tennessee. He'd see those frequently lining up alongside Chris Jones in Kansas City.
This visit is particularly intriguing because the Chiefs already had a few opportunities to meet with Norman-Lott during the pre-draft process at the Reece's Senior Bowl and the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. That tells me the interest here could be more significant than some of the other players they've hosted or that they simply have more questions about Norman-Lott that need answering.
Right now, Norman-Lott ranks 98th on the A to Z Sports Top 200 Big Board, with an expected draft range of 56-128. He ranks No. 7 among defensive tackles for A to Z Sports' Ryan Roberts and Joe DeLeone (as seen above). He should absolutely be in play for the Chiefs at pick No. 63 or No. 66, and maybe even No. 95 if they get extremely lucky.