Ranking NFL's top 10 instant impact rookies for 2025:
8. Ashton Gillotte, EDGE, Chiefs
Gillotte is simply one of those defensive linemen that produces. He's not a freakazoid athlete. He doesn't have outstanding measurables. He just learned how to defeat blocks efficiently while getting upfield -- or bending the corner -- in college, and that nuance is rarely seen in trench prospects.
At Louisville, Gillotte pieced together back-to-back seasons with more than 55 quarterback pressures on 363 and 373 pass-rushing opportunities respectively. At a hair under 6-3 and 264 pounds with shorter arms, he demonstrates a unique bend of speed-to-power conversion, an occasional flash of bendiness, and he plays with the pedal to the floor on every snap.
Kansas City needed a secondary outside rusher beyond George Karlaftis, especially given the lack of development for Felix Anudike-Uzomah. Gillotte won't be earning Defensive Rookie of the Year consideration in his debut campaign. He'll be a steady producer from the jump as a rotational piece who can hold up against the run and flash as pass rusher without much attention on him in 2025.
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