Ryne Nutt, one of the NFL’s most respected personnel evaluators and current Director of College Scouting for the Kansas City Chiefs, isn’t one to mince words. So when he stepped to the podium following the Chiefs’ selection in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, ears perked up. Kansas City had just used the 30th overall pick to select a player that many analysts considered a borderline Day 2 prospect. The decision raised eyebrows across league circles, but Nutt, in vintage form, didn’t hesitate to make his position clear—this was not a reach. It was, in his words, “a calculated strike.”
The player in question is Florida State cornerback Zyon Thomas, a long, rangy defender known for his explosiveness and confidence. At 6-foot-2 with a 4.38 40-yard dash, Thomas brings the kind of physical tools teams covet. But he also had inconsistencies on tape. Some scouts questioned his discipline in zone coverage. Others worried about his tackling technique and tendency to gamble. But for Nutt and the Chiefs’ front office, those perceived flaws didn’t overshadow the upside—and most importantly, the fit.
Nutt opened his remarks by addressing the so-called “draft experts” head-on. “We’re not picking based on mock drafts or Twitter rankings,” he said bluntly. “We’re building a football team. Zyon fits what we do. He fits how we play. And he’s going to make our defense better from Day 1.” His tone was assertive, not defensive—a man standing by months of work, film study, interviews, and internal debate.
For Nutt, the scouting process is deeply personal. He’s not just looking at tape or analytics. He wants to know who the player is at his core. With Thomas, he says that part of the evaluation was easy. “This kid’s got fire. He’s got edge. He’s not afraid of the moment. We sat in that room with him, asked him tough questions, put him on the board, and he impressed everyone from the jump. You can’t fake that. He lives for competition.”
The Chiefs have built their dynasty on sharp evaluations and player development. Their recent success—three Super Bowl titles in six seasons—hasn’t come by accident. General manager Brett Veach and Nutt have formed a dynamic tandem, often zigging when others zag. Whether it was taking Patrick Mahomes when some scouts thought he was too reckless, or trading up for Trent McDuffie when pundits predicted he’d slide, Kansas City has shown a willingness to trust their process over outside noise. The selection of Thomas is another example of that internal conviction.
Nutt also pushed back against the notion that Thomas’s “rawness” was a problem. “We’ve got one of the best coaching staffs in the league,” he said. “This is a teaching league. You don’t draft finished products—you draft potential and personality. Zyon’s got the traits, but more importantly, he’s got the mindset. He wants to be great. He’s already texting our DBs coach about film sessions. That’s not normal for a rookie the night he gets drafted.”
Indeed, Thomas has already won over some in the Chiefs locker room. Veteran safety Justin Reid tweeted shortly after the pick, “Welcome to the kingdom, young bull. Let’s work.” That kind of immediate respect from established leaders signals how the organization views their new addition—not just as a project, but as a contributor. The Chiefs are not in a rebuilding phase. They’re defending champions looking to reload, not start over.
Asked about the trade rumors that swirled prior to the draft—suggesting Kansas City may have tried to move up—Nutt was candid. “We had our board. We knew there were a couple guys we liked in that 25 to 35 range. But we weren’t going to force it. When Zyon was still there at 30, it was a no-brainer. We didn’t blink. We were ready.”
One of the more intriguing aspects of Thomas’s evaluation centered around his performance in big games. Against Clemson, he notched two interceptions and four pass breakups, earning ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Against LSU, he shadowed top receiver Malik Nabers for much of the night and held his own. “Those games told us a lot,” Nutt explained. “It’s one thing to dominate against a Group of Five school. It’s another thing to line up across from first-round guys and shut them down. Zyon didn’t just hold his own—he thrived.”
Still, there are concerns, and Nutt didn’t shy away from them. “Sure, he’s got to clean up some technique stuff. We know that. There are reps where he takes unnecessary risks. But he also has the athleticism to recover, and he’s coachable. If the worst thing you can say about a guy is he trusts himself too much, we can live with that. We want confidence. We want guys who believe they’re the best every time they step on the field.”
Behind the scenes, the Chiefs’ staff did exhaustive homework. Nutt revealed that Kansas City sent multiple scouts to Tallahassee to meet not just with coaches, but also academic advisors, trainers, and even dining hall workers. “You learn a lot about a person based on how they treat people who can’t help them,” he said. “Every single person we talked to lit up when we mentioned Zyon. That matters.”
The other key factor was scheme fit. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has a very specific vision for his secondary—aggressive, versatile, and unafraid to press. Thomas checks those boxes. “You can line him up outside, you can play him in press, you can blitz him off the edge. He’s not just a one-dimensional guy,” Nutt said. “And when you look at the teams we have to beat in the AFC—teams with three and four wide receiver sets—you need depth, length, and speed. Zyon gives us all three.”
Some critics suggested Kansas City should have gone with a pass rusher or offensive lineman, but Nutt shut down the narrative that the Chiefs were ignoring need. “We’re not going to draft based on holes in April,” he said. “We’re going to draft the best long-term player and trust our roster construction. Our D-line is deep. Our O-line is solid. You don’t pass on a potential All-Pro corner because someone on the outside thinks you should grab a guard.”
The selection of Thomas may not have generated the buzz that comes with a quarterback or flashy skill player, but for a team that has built its identity around smart decisions, it fits the mold. And for Nutt, that’s the point. “We don’t need headlines. We need wins,” he said. “We’ve been to four Super Bowls in the last six years. We know what we’re doing. This kid is going to help us stay there.”
Already, Thomas is planning a trip to Kansas City before rookie minicamp officially begins. According to Nutt, he’s eager to dive into the playbook, start training with team veterans, and get to work. That kind of initiative is part of what sold the Chiefs on him. “He’s got that dog in him,” Nutt said. “He’s got something to prove. And we love that. That’s the kind of energy that lifts a whole room.”
As the draft rolls on, the Chiefs have more selections to make, but it’s clear from Nutt’s words that the team feels they already landed a cornerstone. Whether Thomas develops into a shutdown corner or simply adds high-level depth to a talented secondary remains to be seen, but the belief inside the organization is unwavering.
Time will tell whether the pick of Zyon Thomas turns into another feather in Kansas City’s talent-scouting cap or a rare misstep. But if Ryne Nutt is right—and his track record suggests he often is—the rest of the league may have just watched the Chiefs reload once again, using intelligence, culture, and conviction over consensus.