With first-round pick Josh Simmons remaining sidelined, the Kansas City Chiefs face questions about their long-term plans at left tackle, the offensive lineman entrusted with protecting the blind side of future Hall of Fame quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
According to a new prediction by Pro Football Focus in a mock draft published on Thursday, the Chiefs will confront the Simmons situation head-on by drafting their second left tackle in three years.
Utah left tackle Zereoue Williams would land with the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 24 overall in Pro Football Focus’ latest 2027 NFL mock draft.
Williams is “one of college football’s breakout stars” for the undefeated Utes, PFF wrote, citing an 83.6 pass-blocking grade and no sacks allowed until Utah’s latest win over BYU. The mock has the Los Angeles Chargers selecting Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith first overall.
At 6-foot-8 and 305 pounds, the Phoenix native is a relative newcomer to the position. Williams did not play football between seventh grade and his senior season at Mountain Pointe High School, spending those years on basketball, where he earned second-team all-state basketball honors.
Utah took notice, and Williams committed to the Utes in November 2020 as a three-star recruit weighing 250 pounds. He has since added 55 pounds.
The climb to a starting job was slow. Williams started once in 38 career games through 2025, a stretch that ended with a bowl-game start at left tackle. This season he succeeded Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, both selected in the first round in April, after earning a waiver for a sixth season.
Evaluators see a prospect who could start at left or right tackle, though he must refine his hand placement and stay lower as a run blocker.
Chiefs’ Josh Simmons Injury History and Controversy
Simmons arrived in Kansas City as the 32nd pick of the 2025 draft, months removed from a torn patellar tendon in his left leg at Ohio State. The Chiefs have played 22 games since selecting him. He has appeared in eight.
When on the field as a rookie, his 6.6% pressure rate was third-lowest among left tackles at the time. Then came Thanksgiving Day against the Dallas Cowboys, when Simmons dislocated and fractured his left wrist. Surgery sent him to injured reserve for the rest of the year.
The 2026 season brought a different problem. Andy Reid disclosed on Sept. 30 that Simmons was dealing with a bulging disk in his lower back, and he has yet to play a snap. The Chiefs placed him on injured reserve Oct. 22 after his rehab stalled.
“He’s just not there yet,” head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder said. The earliest Simmons can return is Nov. 22, when Kansas City hosts the Arizona Cardinals.
The day before that move, Simmons was told to leave an offensive meeting by Reid and Mahomes, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport. Simmons had propped his feet up, said his back and hips hurt, and was directed to the training staff. He apologized later that day.
“That’s not the reason he was put on IR,” Reid said after Sunday’s loss in Seattle.
Chiefs’ 2027 Draft Needs and Zereoue Williams Fit
PFF framed the Williams pick around his length and athleticism, and its written reasons for the predicted pick do not reference Simmons. The pairing is a projection, not a signal from the Chiefs.
The team’s own situation explains the interest. Undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson started at left tackle in Week 1, the first undrafted offensive rookie to start an opener for Reid in his 14 seasons in Kansas City. Williams would arrive with limited starting experience of his own.
Other projections lean elsewhere. ESPN’s Jordan Reid placed Trevor Lauck at No. 26 for Kansas City in an August mock, with the Iowa tackle expected to play right tackle in the NFL. A database of 2027 mocks shows wide receiver is the most frequent projection for Kansas City at the end of the first round, followed by tight end and offensive tackle.
Williams still has the rest of Utah’s unbeaten season to build his case. Simmons’ next chance to return comes Nov. 22.
Chiefs Predicted to Add 6-Foot-8 Utah Tackle Amid Josh Simmons Questions