The best just keep getting better. It is still very early in the offseason, but the Kansas City Chiefs seem to have found themselves another mid-round gem in their latest NFL Draft. While much will be made about the guys protecting Patrick Mahomes up front, get a load of this guy on the other side of the line. Third-round rookie defensive end Ashton Gillotte out of Louisville looks like a total monster!
In college, Gillotte was a two-time all-conference performer in the ACC. While he initially agreed to play for Scott Satterfield when coming out of Boca Raton, Gillotte's game went to an even higher level playing for one of U of L's own in Jeff Brohm. It is amazing what happens when a good program gets the right head coach. Regardless, Gillotte's speed and tenacity seems to translate quite marvelously.
Chiefs draft pick is dominating early at OTAs
In the early part of OTAs, former Chiefs wide receiver Gehrig Dieter caught a glimpse of Gillotte's ferocity over on his former team's Instagram account. He said "This guy is [g]oing to be a DAWGG". A player with power and drive getting to work with one of the best defensive minds of his generation in Steve Spagnuolo is a dream come true for Chiefs Kingdom. Defensive lines are where titles are won.
The way Gillotte attacks the blocking sled must have Chiefs fans chomping at the bit to see him play.
There is a lesson to be learned, especially when it comes to why Kansas City lost the Super Bowl.
Why players like Ashton Gillotte can help the Kansas City Chiefs sustain
There are four things to keep in mind here. One, Kansas City got this pick as part of the L'Jarius Sneed trade with the Tennessee Titans last offseason. Snead got his money and the Chiefs still got back to the Super Bowl... Two, Gillotte being able to learn from this coaching staff will be as big as it was getting to work with Brohm at Louisville. Never overlook getting to play for great head coaches.
As far as the other two aspects of why I am quite bullish on Gillotte being a force to be reckoned with in Kansas City, they have everything to do with who his quarterback is and what team Kansas City lost the Super Bowl to. As long as Patrick Mahomes continues to play up to his star potential, everybody else on the Chiefs is going to give even more than maximum effort to help this team win.
As far as the last point is concerned, while the Chiefs still need to refine its offensive line a bit, the Philadelphia Eagles crushed them in the most recent Super Bowl because they constantly overwhelmed them in the trenches with their defensive line. I have noticed one constant in the NFL and in college football over the last few years. The teams with the best defensive lines win the most.
We need to give it time, but Gillotte could end up being a piece the Chiefs will count on for years now.