Kansas City Chiefs players in danger of being benched for a rookie in 2025

The Kansas City Chiefs have plenty of needs to hit in the 2025 NFL Draft. Whoever the Chiefs take in the draft whether it's a Day 1, 2, or 3 pick can shake up the roster and try to jump veterans on the depth chart.

As we inch closer to the draft, let's look at three Chiefs players who could find themselves parked on the bench due to the addition of rookies.

Kareem Hunt

Kareem Hunt was a feel-good story for the Chiefs in 2024. He had been drafted by the team in 2017 (the same year as Patrick Mahomes) but was released in 2018 after videos surfaced of him kicking a woman. The Chiefs brought him back in 2024 after Isiah Pacheco suffered an injury that sidelined him for a chunk of the season.

Hunt is back for the 2025 season but that doesn't mean he's locked in to receiving playing time, especially with Pacheco back. Arrowhead Addict's own Braden Holecek even discussed how the Chiefs could double-up at running back in the draft, noting, "Simply put, the Chiefs have to find more juice for their backfield. Getting more explosive around Patrick Mahomes should be a goal moving forward." Truer words have not been spoken.

If the Chiefs do add at least one running back, doing so on Day 2 or 3 is likely the route they'll go in. Devin Neal out of Kansas would be a fun addition to this team because, first and foremost, he's a beast, and secondly, he played roughly an hour from Kansas City in Lawrence for the Kansas Jayhawks.

Neal rushed for over 1,200 yards and 16 touchdowns during his 2024 season in Lawrence and had over 1,500 scrimmage yards. It'd be a lot of fun seeing him make the short move to Kansas City and balling out for the Chiefs every week. Adding him to the roster could make it more difficult for Hunt to find playing time.

Joshua Williams

The Chiefs spent a fourth-round pick on Joshua Williams in the 2022 NFL Draft and he ended up starting four games as a rookie. He's been a heavy contributor for the team since joining them in 2022 but his numbers were merely average this past season.

That could make it easier for someone like Maxwell Hairston out of Kentucky to bump Williams down the depth chart. There's a strong argument to be made that if the Chiefs managed to snag Hairston in the second round, he could pair quite nicely with Trent McDuffie and give the Chiefs a fierce duo in the cornerback room.

Williams has done well enough for himself as a fourth-round pick but Hairston would certainly challenge him to be better moving forward. Hairston could be enough of a presence that Williams wouldn't see the field much at all.

Chamarri Conner

Another fourth-round pick by the Chiefs (only this time in 2023), Chamarri Conner also came in and helped the K.C. secondary right away as a rookie, starting in seven games in 2023. Unfortunately, Conner disappointed in his slot corner role during the 2024 season so moving back to safety feels imminent for him, though he is still in the cornerback conversation until further notice.

If a move back to safety ends up happening for Conner, Andrew Mukuba could challenge him for snaps at safety. The Chiefs also have Jaden Hicks and Bryan Cook at the safety position as well so Conner's job security hangs in the balance with this draft depending on who K.C. takes at the safety spot. He, like Williams, is still a nice depth piece to have on the roster, but the snaps might not be as plentiful as they were if Mukuba joins the team.