The Kansas City Chiefs selected Louisville edge rusher Ashton Gillotte with the 66th pick in last weekend\u2019s NFL Draft. Gillotte was a highly productive college player, recording 26.5 sacks and 41 tackles for loss over four seasons.<\/p>\n
The Chiefs already had a solid rotation of edge rushers. How will Gillotte (pronounced jill-LOT-ee<\/em>) fit in? Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n Compared to a typical Kansas City defensive end, Gillote is slightly undersized \u2014 but he makes up for it with explosive athletic ability.<\/p>\n At the NFL Scouting Combine, Gillotte came in with a compact frame: 6 feet 2 and 264 pounds, with 31 7\/8-inch arms. But he also showed he is a superior athlete who displays good explosion, great quickness and solid base strength.<\/p>\n That matches the film he put out during his collegiate career.<\/p>\n On film, Gillotte displays a tremendous first step and enough flexibility to bend the arc.<\/p>\n Gillotte bends around the arc here and nearly gets Ward for the sack. Good first step, swipes the outside hand, and quickly sinks and puts the pressure on. Good effort, just needs to finish the play. pic.twitter.com\/DTTxcbuTWB<\/p>\n \u2014 Caleb James (@CJScoobs) April 26, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Starting this play aligned wide on the edge, Gillotte quickly fires upfield. As the right tackle tries to get his hands up, Gillotte quickly swipes them away and starts to turn the corner. While he doesn\u2019t quite bring down quarterback Cam Ward, his pressure disrupts the play\u2019s timing; Miami gains only a few yards.<\/p>\n Gillotte\u2019s hand-fighting (and flexibility around the corner) will significantly add to Kansas City\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n On this play, the offense lines up a tight end next to the right tackle. Burning off the snap, Gillotte uses a solid chop to knock down the tackle’s hands before bending the arc and diving at the quarterback. That causes an errant throw that is intercepted.<\/p>\n Gillotte could give the Chiefs another plus: playing in space against the run.<\/p>\n One area of Gillotte’s game I like is his ability to defend in space. He is the read man here, but he does a good job of seeing the handoff, and is athletic enough to run down the ball carrier in space. A very athletic and versatile player. pic.twitter.com\/Kc0WchZGfz<\/p>\n \u2014 Caleb James (@CJScoobs) April 29, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Here we see the offense calling a counter-bash where the quarterback elects to hand off the ball. As the read man, Gillotte plays a surf technique well before showing off good acceleration and lateral mobility to run down the ball carrier.<\/p>\n This athletic play could open up more roles for Gillotte in Kansas City.<\/p>\n For the Cardinals, Gillotte played at around 280 pounds \u2014 about 15 pounds more than he weighs now \u2014 which allowed him to play inside more often. That\u2019s what Louisville needed fot its defensive scheme. These were the snaps where Gillotte demonstrated his power \u2014 and an ability to use leverage to his advantage.<\/p>\n Major power for Gillote out of the 4i here. Hits the LG with leverage and inside hands. He walks him into the quarterback and comes up with the sack. pic.twitter.com\/rPhgvRSNfX<\/p>\n \u2014 Caleb James (@CJScoobs) April 26, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n On the snap, the shock from Gillotte\u2019s initial bull rush gets him started against the left guard. Then he uses his strong hands to walk the guard back and blow up the play.<\/p>\n Gillotte also used his explosion against the run.<\/p>\n Gillotte lined up at the 4i and displaced the RT into the backfield. Great leverage on the play and it sets his team up to make the TFL. pic.twitter.com\/2Y8crmnTYG<\/p>\n \u2014 Caleb James (@CJScoobs) April 26, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Here, he fires into the right tackle\u2019s inside shoulder to create penetration, forcing the running back to go outside. While Gillotte doesn’t get credit for the tackle, his teammates understand how easy he makes it for them.<\/p>\n Even without the extra weight he carried in college, Gillotte\u2019s explosion and power should translate to the NFL.<\/p>\n In Kansas City, Gillotte could be the defense’s Swiss Army knife. His strength and power \u2014 along with his lateral mobility \u2014 will allow him to play snaps against the run, while his quickness and bend will help him rush the passer from the outside.<\/p>\n Gillotte brings a physical profile and a skillset that will make him unique on the Chiefs\u2019 roster. While George Karlaftis, Mike Danna and Charles Omenihu are all traditional defensive ends who can line up along the inside, Gillotte is a better athlete. This might allow him to play some snaps as an on-ball linebacker and edge setter from multiple alignments \u2014 similar to the way the team uses linebacker Leo Chenal, whose athletic testing was similar to Gillotte\u2019s.<\/p>\n Leo Chenal looks like the team’s leading candidate for most improved early on this season. He spots the Jet sweep all the way. Great job to attack the ball carrier and force the TFL. pic.twitter.com\/AWFPVOpHMy<\/p>\n \u2014 Caleb James (@CJScoobs) October 4, 2023<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n While Chenal does play mainly as an off-ball linebacker, his strength and quickness also allow him to play on the line \u2014 much like Gillotte could be asked to do as a rookie.<\/p>\n Kansas City\u2019s goal will be to make their new rookie into a starting defensive end \u2014 but his athletic ability (and his tenacity) will help him find the field early. As the only player of the group who can truly \u201cbend the arc,\u201d Gillotte\u2019s presence will give the Chiefs another way to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.<\/p>\n Gillotte even has a connection to Karlaftis. In college, they had the same defensive line coach \u2014 and had connected before the draft. While they share some similarities on film, the most obvious is that both play with tremendous effort.<\/p>\n Like his new teammate, Gillotte has a motor that consistently runs hot \u2014 which Kansas City might consider as his most important trait. Many players have athleticism and skills \u2014 but without the fire to ignite them, they can go to waste.<\/p>\n That won\u2019t happen with Gillotte.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What role will Kansas City\u2019s relentless new edge rusher play in his rookie season?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":52152,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nPlayer profile<\/strong><\/h2>\n
On the edge<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Inside presence<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Projecting the future<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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