Comment from NFL coach shows that the big pre-draft concern about Tennessee Vols DL Omarr Norman-Lott wasn't a legit concern at all

Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, there was a lot of talk about Tennessee Vols defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott and his usage at UT. 

Norman-Lott, who was selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, was part of a heavy defensive line rotation at Tennessee. As a result, he averaged just 17 snaps per game in 2024. 

The former Vol acknowledged that NFL teams asked him during the pre-draft process about his snap count at Tennessee. 

But based on a comment from Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo this week, it's fair to speculate that those questions about Norman-Lott's usage weren't due to concerns about how he'll hold up in the NFL. 

Spagnuolo was asked about Norman-Lott's low snap count in college and the longtime NFL coach said it's not something he's thought about.  

"I hadn't thought about that," said Spagnuolo when asked if he's worried about Norman-Lott's productivity with a higher snap count. "I mean, typically we will rotate those guys inside, anyway. There's no indications of whether the production -- it's hard for me to tell if the production is going to be up or down based on number of reps he's gonna get. I mean, he'll be in the rotation, and hopefully we'll find four or five defensive tackles and get them all in there."

It's not a surprise that a pre-draft concern about a player is turning out to be not much of a concern at all. The pre-draft process, at least when it comes to public comments about players from anonymous sources, has basically devolved into a rumor mill that's used to influence where a player is drafted.