For most NFL players, getting drafted by an NFL team is arguably the highest point of their lives up to that moment. Social media is already full of videos of tearful draftees speaking on their phones with their new teams. But for some prospects, it becomes a gruelling experience because of how long that coveted phone call takes to arrive. For Kansas City Chiefs offensive guard Trey Smith, draft night was more frustrating than celebratory.

“Mine was a little rough,” he said on Good Morning Football. “I thought I was going as an undrafted free agent to another club. Then, literally one of the Chiefs called me like five minutes later, it’s a Kansas City area code. And at this point, I’m a little pissed.

“I remember getting a call from our team doctor, his name is Mike Monaco, and he hops on the phone. He’s like, ‘Hey Trey, I told you I’d give you a call,’ and just sort of laughs a little. And I’m just like, ‘What do you want?’ And I remember he’s just like, ‘Man, we’re gonna make you the newest member of the Kansas City Chiefs.’ And it didn’t really register until Clark Hunt, our owner, hopped on the phone [and said] ‘Hey, welcome to the organization.’”

Trey Smith had every right to feel “pissed” by his draft day slide. A former Tennessee Volunteer star, Smith was a two-time First-Team All-SEC guard and was widely viewed as a top-100 prospect and one of the better offensive linemen in the 2021 draft class. There was really no on-field performance-related reason for him to fall all the way to the bottom of the sixth round. He was the second-last guard to be picked in the 2021 draft.

A big reason behind this was the serious medical diagnosis he received in 2018. Smith was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs, a potentially career-threatening condition. He went on to miss a substantial part of the 2018 sophomore season due to this diagnosis. NFL teams are incredibly cautious with their draft picks, even with their late-round selections. And with the kind of serious medical baggage that Smith was carrying around, it made him an immediate red flag.

Little did Andy Reid and the Chiefs know how impactful this late draft pick would become.

The Chiefs were coming off an absolute disaster-class showing in Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their offensive line completely collapsed, leading to an embarrassing 31-9 loss. Smith was named an immediate starter in his rookie year and started all 17 regular-season games, earning All-Rookie honors in the process. He is now a two-time Super Bowl champion and one of the highest-paid guards in the league.

Trey Smith’s story is a big reason why fans should keep their eyes on one of the later picks Kansas City made this year.

Can Garrett Nussmeier replicate Trey Smith’s success?

The former LSU quarterback’s draft experience is a mirror image of Smith’s. Before the draft, Garrett Nussmeier was expected to be the third or fourth quarterback off the board. He could have been a first-round pick as well, because he threw for more than 4,000 yards in the 2024 season. But an injury-marred 2025 spoiled those chances. Still, there were some high hopes of Nussmeier being a Day 2 pick.

Instead, he was the last QB picked off the board, with the Chiefs taking him in the sixth round. He later said the fall was an “unbelievable feeling,” and that he was “sitting there waiting forever.”

Nobody had expected him to fall this low, but it was later revealed that Nussmeier was diagnosed with a cyst on his spine. This was why he had very little zip in his throws last year. Nussmeier had begun climbing up the board in the days leading up to the draft thanks to a strong performance at the Senior Bowl and LSU’s Pro Day. But his condition was a big reason why everyone else had passed him on.

Like Smith, Nussmeier can also turn out to be a great success story for the Chiefs. He will possibly be penciled in as QB3 in the depth chart, behind Justin Fields and Patrick Mahomes. But with Mahomes’s return at the beginning of the season still uncertain, Nussmeier is expected to get a good amount of reps. And if he manages to outshine Fields, the rookie might not have to wait long before making his mark in the NFL. Because of stories like these, late draft picks can never be counted out of the picture.