As ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler continues to reveal the results of his survey of NFL executives, coaches and scouts, the Kansas City Chiefs appear to be reaping the benefits of continual investment in the team’s offensive line.
In Fowler’s combined interior offensive lineman rankings, the first center listed (at third overall) was Kansas City’s Creed Humphrey. The placement actually marks a small regression for Humphrey, who topped Fowler’s positional rankings a year ago.
3. Creed Humphrey, C, Kansas City
Chiefs
Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 10
Age: 27 | Last year’s ranking: 1Last year’s No. 1 interior offensive lineman still garnered several first-place votes but slipped slightly in the overall voting.
“He’s got an unorthodox style of play, but once he gets ahold of you, it’s really hard to shake,” a personnel executive with an NFL team said. “He’s been really consistent and consistently the best center in the league. He runs the show well and is ultra physical and athletic.”
Humphrey was tops among centers in pass block win rate (98.5). However, he did not rank among the top 10 interior offensive linemen in run block win rate.
“We didn’t game-plan much for him, if at all,” said a veteran NFL defensive coach. “We were more worried about Trey Smith.”
In five NFL seasons, Humphrey has four Pro Bowls and back-to-back first-team All-Pros.
Humphrey entered the offseason as the league’s top center with an average value of $18 million. This spring’s free agency saw that number blown away by the Las Vegas Raiders’ pact with veteran center Tyler Linderbaum — worth $27 million annually. Linderbaum came in at eighth in Fowler’s rankings.
Chiefs right guard Trey Smith also made the list, coming in at seventh. Like Humphrey, Smith saw a modest decline from Fowler’s previous rankings. Smith was ranked fourth a year ago.
7. Trey Smith, G, Kansas City Chiefs
Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 27 | Last year’s ranking: 4Smith is known as a high-level, physical guard, but several voters said he had a down year in 2025. By the numbers, though, Smith held up well in pass coverage in 2025, allowing zero sacks in 389 pass-block attempts.
“You can knock him back in the pocket or beat him backward,” a veteran NFL defensive coach said. “That’s how we felt last year.”
Despite the Chiefs’ letdown season, Smith’s presence provides long-term stability in the interior. The 2021 sixth-round pick has made back-to-back Pro Bowls.
“He’s a really good foundational piece,” an NFC executive said. “Raw power, sets a tone. There just aren’t many like him.”
Smith is the league’s second-highest-paid guard with a $23.5 million average annual value. His compensation is only exceeded at the position by Tyler Smith of the Dallas Cowboys. Tyler Smith topped Fowler’s rankings.
Also of interest to Chiefs fans is Chicago Bears left guard Joe Thuney landing in the fifth spot on the list. Thuney played in Kansas City from 2021 to 2024, forming a two-time Super Bowl Champion elite trio with Humphrey and Smith. In the midst of contract negotiations with Smith, the Chiefs traded Thuney to Chicago last offseason.
