Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes probably got a bit tired of either running for his life or ending up on his back last season. And with the Joe Thuney trade earlier this offseason, that put the Chiefs offensive line at the forefront going into the 2025 NFL Draft. Put simply, after only adding veteran backup Jaylon Moore in free agency, general manager Brett Veach and Co. needed to do everything to protect their greatest on-field asset.
Mahomes seems like he knew that too — and he reacted accordingly once he clearly knew what the Chiefs were going to do to help alleviate the pressure on that situation in the first round.
The Chiefs were initially slated to pick 31st overall but, instead, traded back one spot with the Eagles. Before the pick was announced on the broadcast and even before it was leaked by insiders, though, Mahomes sent out just one emoji: The smiley with sunglasses.
😎
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) April 25, 2025
Just minutes later, we found out what that meant with the Chiefs selecting Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons. Mahomes is just a man celebrating that he might not get clobbered quite as often as he did a year ago.
Patrick Mahomes used one emoji to perfectly show Chiefs nailed first-round pick
Every Chiefs fan should share the same sentiment as Mahomes, even if you want to use words instead of an emoji. Simmons is a phenomenal pickup with the last pick of the first round, especially considering that Kansas City was able to pick up an addition Day 3 selection in the process in the deal with Philadelphia.
While Simmons' final season with the Buckeyes ended prematurely due to a knee injury, he's already shown that he's well along in his recovery to this point leading up to the draft. Furthermore, had he had a clean bill of health, there's no world in which he would've fallen to No. 32 — probably not even getting out of the Top 20 either. He's that good with quick feet, a nasty streak, mean hands and just an all-around good bookend.
Things aren't entirely settled for the Chiefs offensive front, to be sure, as it's hard to feel confident in Kingsley Suamataia slotting into guard to replace Thuney. Kansas City could definitely stand to take a look at interior offensive line with one of their Day 2 selections. At the same time, finding a tackle to pair with Jawaan Taylor was the more premium need, and they knocked it out of the park.
Mahomes may have only reacted with one emoji to his team's pick, but if a picture's worth 1,000 words, than the sunglasses emoji has to be worth at least a few dozen. And it feels like it says that Mahomes feels much more comfortable with what his life will be like in the 2025 season than he did before Thursday night.