Halfway through the Kansas City Chiefs’ training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, rookie defensive end Ashton Gillotte had a chance to assess his performance — and his first taste of NFL action.
But first, the Louisville product noted that St. Joseph had been hotter than even his high school days in Boca Raton, Florida had prepared him to endure.
“That’s just how it’s been,” he remarked after Saturday’s practice, which had been the second straight day with cooler temperatures.
“It’s been hot — very hot.”
Still, it’s been a positive experience for the rookie.
“I think it’s been pretty good,” he said. “It’s obviously been a lot. There’s a whole playbook. We’re doing more and more install. Being able to run [with] and mix in with the ones — it’s been a privilege and an honor. So, I’m just taking it in stride and just making sure to keep my head up through it and realize that some mistakes are going to happen, but I’m making my best to make sure I don’t do the same mistake twice.”
On Wednesday, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo suggested that, at least initially, the playbook may be streamlined so that the rookie defensive end can exclusively be used outside. Beyond learning a complicated defensive scheme, Gillotte acknowledged the heavy expectations Kansas City places on rookies.
“[I’m] Just feeling like you have that responsibility to uphold the standard,” he noted. “We don’t slow down just because [a rookie is] put in. So we’ve got to be able to uphold the same standard, get the same amount of pressure [and] know the playbook. So for me, it’s just feeling accountable. I’ve to be able to rise to that challenge and do my part. I can’t get blown with the ball. I can’t basically go dead on a pass rusher rep.”
Fortunately, there are plenty of experienced Chiefs players who are ready to help him meet that standard. Before Kansas City drafted him in the third round in April’s NFL Draft, Gillotte already had a relationship with fourth-year defensive end George Karlaftis through Louisville defensive line coach Mark Hagen, who had coached Karlaftis at Purdue.
Chris Jones and Mike Danna talking DL along with Ashton Gillotte and Janarius Robinson.
— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) July 23, 2025
Chu Godrick and Wanya Morris talking OL.
Creed Humphrey taking it all in. Day 2! pic.twitter.com/6NZuTXXIq5
“It’s a blessing,” declared Gillotte. “[Karlaftis] and Mike Danna, especially, have helped a lot in terms of just mentoring, making sure that my head stays straight, and just pointing me in the same direction — but you get it from all those guys. [They’re] all great teammates to have and great teammates to be around.”
Gillotte believes the traits he shares with Karlaftis should allow him to improve his game.
“I think we’re similar,” he observed, “but obviously, George is definitely a different rusher. We definitely have our strengths and weaknesses — and it can be different — but George is a grinder. He makes sure he gets after the ball. He’s very, very technical and very, very fluid in his rush, which are things like I can look to mimic and basically pick up on my game. Obviously, just keeping the fluidity from college, it’s a slight jump. So I’m just making sure I can translate it, and he’s a good person to watch for me.”
Gillotte is also getting help from rookie defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott.
“Me and Omarr have just been pushing each other,” he revealed. “It’s like an accountability... just being able to push each other. Coming in the same position group, just being able to bank off each other, knowing that you have someone in your corner that’s your age. That’s a good thing,”
While Gillotte seems to be having a productive camp, his most discussed moment is likely the brief scuffle he had with rookie left tackle Josh Simmons on Wednesday. Reiterating his admiration for the former Ohio State player, Gillotte brushed off the incident, saying they were “dabbing each other up” just ten minutes later.
“It’s great to have competition on the field,” he recalled of the skirmish. “That’s what we want. That’s the only way we get better — if we’re continuously pushing each other. Me and him have had a lot of mutual respect coming from college. I watched his game; he watched my game. There’s a lot of mutual respect. So, when we’re on the field, [if] I get the best of him or he gets the best of me, things are going to build; tension is going to build. [And] it was hot.
“Who cares? You know what I’m saying? At the end of the day, we’re teammates — so we’re just going to keep pushing each other to get better.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26075997/usa_today_26683237.jpg)
Denny Medley-Imagn ImagesGillotte, Simmons, Norman-Lott, and all of the team’s rookies will get a feel for how much better they have gotten on Saturday, when the Chiefs travel to face the Arizona Cardinals in the preseason opener.
“It’s going to be a blessing [and] a dream come true, really,” Gillotte said of his first game as a Chief. “You know, I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a kid — and God put this journey on my heart. [To] just be able to live it out and play at the highest level? That’s a privilege — and again, an honor.”
More from arrowheadpride.com:
- Two funny moments during Alex Smith’s press conference after the Chiefs win
- Chiefs’ Marcus Peters, who gave up two TDs, said he was “hella weak” against the Redskins
- NFL power rankings: Does anyone dare not rank the Kansas City Chiefs No. 1?
- Justin Houston’s late TD in Chiefs game was worth $100,000 to one gambler
- Arrowheadlines: Chiefs heroes of the game, what the Redskins are saying
- Andy Reid called the Chiefs new kicker ButtKicker.com, Travis Kelce introduced himself to him
- Chiefs’ Andy Reid has the look of a guy who is 4-0
