The Kansas City Chiefs are in offseason mode, and the NFL Draft represents one of the most important phases ahead. The Hula Bowl in Daytona Beach, Florida is the first college all-star game of this cycle, featuring draft-eligible players looking to make early impressions.
This week, I traveled to observe practices leading up to Saturday’s game, which kicks off at 11:00 a.m. Arrowhead Time on CBS Sports Network. While players were unavailable for media interviews as anticipated, there was still plenty
to take away from watching practices.
Here are five players Chiefs fans should know from the Hula Bowl.
1. DB Duce Chestnut — Syracuse
According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the Chiefs met with the Syracuse defensive back at the Hula Bowl. He was named a captain of the Aina Team, coached by former Washington Commanders head coach Jay Gruden.
Chestnut finished his redshirt senior season at Syracuse with 48 tackles, three passes defended and one forced fumble. Over five collegiate seasons — including a redshirt year at LSU before transferring back to Syracuse — he totaled 10 tackles for loss, one sack, six interceptions and 17 passes defended.
Early in his career, Chestnut played cornerback almost exclusively on the outside. During the 2024 and 2025 seasons, he transitioned to strong safety and became a more active factor against the run.
Chestnut’s versatility stands out — and is particularly valuable in the defensive scheme of coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
2. TE Hudson Habermehl — UCLA
Among the tight ends at Hula Bowl practices, the UCLA product stood out for several reasons.
Listed at 6-feet-7 in UCLA’s media guide, Habermehl looked every bit of that size compared to others in his position group.
What stood out most, however, was his movement ability. He burst out of his stance efficiently, moved smoothly through his breaks and transitioned naturally into yards after the catch.
As a redshirt senior in 2025, Habermehl finished with 20 receptions for 138 yards after returning from a serious injury that sidelined him in 2024. The previous season, he averaged 16.4 yards per catch on nine receptions and scored three touchdowns.
Habermehl played lacrosse, volleyball and basketball in high school, playing football for only one year. Those multi-sport traits show up in his athleticism at a size where many tight ends struggle to move fluidly.
3. DE Dasan McCullough — Nebraska
The name may sound familiar because McCullough’s father is Deland McCullough, who served as the Chiefs’ running backs coach from 2018–20 and is currently the Las Vegas Raiders running backs coach.
While living in the Kansas City area, McCullough emerged as a standout at Blue Valley North High School, earning the 2020 MaxPreps Kansas High School Player of the Year award. After his father accepted the associate head coaching job at Indiana, McCullough transferred schools and later signed with the Hoosiers as the highest-ranked prospect in program history.
In 2022, McCullough was named a freshman All-American at Indiana and earned honorable mention All-Big 10 recognition after posting four sacks and three passes defended. He later transferred to Oklahoma, where he played more off-ball linebacker and recorded six tackles for loss over two seasons. Finishing his career at Nebraska, he added two sacks as an edge rusher.
At Hula Bowl practices, McCullough worked as a true defensive end and held up well during physical reps in the trenches. He will need continued strength development to project as a full-time NFL edge defender — but at 6-feet-5, he has the frame to do so.
4. LB Jordan Crook — Arizona State
Across multiple practices, Crook consistently stood out as the fastest mental processor at linebacker — one of the most critical traits at the position. While manning middle linebacker for Team Aina, he routinely diagnosed plays ahead of his teammates.
Listed at 5-feet-11 and 220 pounds, Crook is undersized — but he compensates with decisiveness and instincts. His quick reads consistently put him in position to defeat run blocks or close passing windows.
Originally from Duncanville, Texas, Crook began his college career at Arkansas, where he posted 40 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble over two seasons. After transferring to Arizona State, he totaled 158 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and two passes defended over two years.
Crook will enter the draft as an underdog prospect due to his size, but his processing speed and instincts should translate once he reaches an NFL practice field.
5. RB Kevon King — Norfolk State
In a running back group that lacked overall explosiveness, King stood out during practice. At 5-feet-11 and 200 pounds, he has a sturdy build — but it was his acceleration that separated him from other prospects.
At Norfolk State, King was a big-play runner, averaging 6.9 yards per carry across the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Pro Football Focus also credited him with 3.75 yards after contact per attempt in 2025.
King will be a relatively unknown name in the 2026 NFL Draft, but his explosiveness makes him an intriguing small-school prospect.
