Chiefs rookies just got a powerful shoutout from an important teammate

The Kansas City Chiefs chose to invest a ton of NFL Draft capital in a new parade of young defensive starlets, as two Top 75 picks were spent on defensive linemen like Tennessee DT Omarr Norman-Lott and Louisville pass rusher Ashton Gillotte. Linebacker Jeffrey Bassa came in the fourth round.

These three rookies need to earn everything they get on a veteran-laden team with eyes on yet another championship ring, but one ascending young player believes this trio are doing everything they can to fit in just fine.

Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis is very impressed with what he's seen in the last few weeks, highlighting the fact that all of the new additions are both excited to learn Kansas City's defense and ready to compete with one another in the name of self-improvement.

"They're young, they're eager, they want to learn," Karlaftis said. "They're humble, all things that you want to see in rookies and young guys. And we're gonna help them out. There's gonna be some competition in the defensive line room, I'm sure. It's going to be a lot of fun, iron sharpens iron".

Chiefs DE George Karlaftis hyped up rookie class of defensive players

Norman-Lott may have only played around half of the defensive snaps during his last year with the Volunteers, but his pressure rate and ability to cause havoc when he was on the field led the Chiefs to believe he could replace Tershawn Wharton as a starting defensive tackle.

Gillotte was viewed by many as a tweener that is not explosive enough to play on the edge and not big enough to kick inside full-time. However, the Chiefs were encouraged by some very exciting workout numbers that suggest there is some validity in Gillotte playing as a traditional defensive end.

Bassa is a smaller linebacker who will likely spend most of his rookie season with the Chiefs as a backup who plays primarily on special teams. Should one of Kansas City's two established starters get knocked out for an extended period of time, Bassa's speed and athleticism could help fill in the gaps.

Karlaftis knows that Kansas City's defense is not as strong as it was one year ago on paper, and he is counting on these new additions playing up to their full potential. If they all turn out to be Brett Veach draft masterclasses, Kansas City could keep its position as the top dogs of the AFC.