The Kansas City Chiefs have found great value on Day 3 of the NFL Draft before. They did it with offensive guard Trey Smith in the sixth round back in 2021, and Brett Veach may have done it again in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
With the No. 133 overall pick, Kansas City selected wide receiver Jalen Royals out of Utah State. Royals was CBS Sports' No. 66 overall prospect in this class, and No. 7 wide receiver. He ended up being the 18th wide receiver selected in the draft.
Royals was a First Team All-Mountain West player in 2023 after catching 71 passes for 1,080 yards and 15 touchdowns. Those 15 touchdown receptions ranked second in the FBS behind LSU's Brian Thomas Jr. Royals played in just seven games in 2024 before a foot injury ended his season, but he recorded an FBS third-best 119.1 receiving yards per game before being shut down.
CBS Sports NFL Draft expert Chris Trapasso graded the Chiefs' pick of Royals an "A."
"Stocky YAC specialist. Tested with better speed than what he demonstrates on film. Was the clear No. 1 in college and routinely produced. Limited route tree, not a super-crisp route runner yet and at times fights the football as it arrives. Chiefs had sneaky WR need. Fit boosts this grade."
In Kansas City, Royals joins a wide receiver room that includes Rashee Rice, Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy. This is the fourth straight year the Chiefs have drafted a wide receiver in the first four rounds.
