On offense, you have Josh Simmons (71) at left tackle and Jalen Royals (11) at wide receiver. On defense, you have Omarr Norman-Lott (55) at defensive tackle, lining up in the right side A-gap, and Nohl Williams at outside cornerback opposite Skyy Moore (24) before rotating out to cover Tyquan Thornton (2) in motion. Only three of the team’s seven draft picks — Ashton Gillotte, Jeffrey Bassa, and Brashard Smith (much to the dismay of fantasy football enthusiasts) — are not in this particular practice repetition. 

Obviously, this is early in Chiefs training camp. The pads aren’t on yet, and the team typically rotates heavily at certain positions because they have a certain number of repetitions they want each player to get during training camp. Getting all these rookies heavily involved also might be part fan service for one of the team’s two season ticket member days. 

At the same time, it’s not unreasonable to think that all of the players seen above could carve out starting roles on offense and defense. Simmons will have a path to earning the starting left tackle job so long as he remains healthy, puts in the work, and with Jawaan Taylor sidelined. Royals will have an opportunity to prove he should be the guy, with Rashee Rice expected to serve a multi-game suspension this season. Norman-Lott will help the Chiefs replace the 888 D-Line snaps they lost with Tershawn Wharton and Derrick Nnadi in free agency. Williams will have the opportunity given that Kristian Fulton is sidelined with a knee injury, and it’s unclear when he’ll be able to come off the Active/PUP list. 

Draft picks who take advantage of opportunities to contribute as starters during training camp reap the rewards in the preseason, which can snowball to opportunities during the regular season. It’s all about making the most out of those opportunities and impressing upon the coaching staff that you can be assignment-sound and make plays. That doesn’t always happen overnight, but these four appear to have done enough leading into training camp to earn their way into the circle of trust.