With the 66th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected Ashton Gillotte, a dynamic edge rusher from the University of Louisville. The pick — acquired from the Tennessee Titans in the March 2024 trade that sent cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to Nashville — marks Kansas City’s third selection in this year’s draft.
During the draft process, Gillotte had been in touch with multiple Chiefs personnel and players, notably defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and defensive end George Karlaftis.
Guillotte and Karlaftis both have a history with defensive line coach Mark Hagen, who introduced the two. Hagen coached Karlaftis at Purdue University before leaving for Louisville, where he coached Guillotte. In the offseason, the pair trained together and developed an ongoing relationship, with the veteran becoming a mentor to the then-draft-hopeful.
“I was doing film study with him, watching plays, he was watching practice being like, ‘Oh that’s bad, you gotta fix that’,” Guillotte revealed of Karlaftis. “He’s very critical, but in a lot of ways, he helped refine how I pass rush and get to this level to be considered.
“It’s kind of like a mentor type role, I don’t be like trying to blow up his phone too much, I try to respect it, now he ain’t got no choice – he’s stuck with me.”
Chiefs’ senior director of player personnel Mike Bradway told Friday night’s media that Guillotte is “everything you want in a football player.”
“This kid plays 100 miles an hour,” Bradway praised. “When you turn the tape on, the guy is absolutely relentless; probably one of the higher character kids we came across all year.”
Adding to his ties with the Chiefs, Guillotte shared that his uncle, a die-hard Chiefs fan, had already shown up to draft night wearing the gear of what would become his future team.
“He pulled up with the hats, shirts, all the stuff,” he said of his uncle’s draft night ensemble. “He was calling it from the beginning, so he was dying on that hill.”
The Chiefs have used two picks to strengthen their defensive front and set the foundation for continued success. Gillotte joins the Chiefs’ 63rd pick, defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott, as part of a talented rookie class focused on helping Kansas City remain a dominant force in the AFC.
