NFL OTAs are this week, and this will give the Kansas City Chiefs a chance to see all of the talent on the 91-man offseason roster in one setting.
This season’s team will not be short on rookies, and the Chiefs have signed a few interesting undrafted free agents to add to the pool of young talent.
During the era of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City can never have enough quality offensive linemen, and the interior line needs to be deeper heading into 2026.
To add to the room, the Chiefs signed
an undrafted free agent from the University of Louisville shortly after the draft.
Pete Nygra
From Indianapolis, Indiana, Nygra started his college career at Northern Illinois University, where he played three seasons before transferring to Louisville before the 2024 season. Nygra started 25 consecutive games for the Cardinals and earned All-ACC Honorable Mention honors in 2025.
Nygra declared for the NFL after his final game at Louisville, but was not selected in the draft. This allowed the Chiefs to sign him and will give the coaching staff a chance to work with him through OTAs this week and into training camp.
Player evaluation
At his Pro Day, Nygra measured 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 300 pounds. A 30-inch vertical jump combined with a broad jump result of 8 feet 11 inches displayed his athletic prowess, and this is one reason why the Chiefs want to work further with him.
Head coach Andy Reid and Chiefs offensive line coach Andy Heck have long favored athletic offensive linemen capable of working downfield in the screen game, and Nygra fits this bill. Although he is undersized, his mobility, footwork, and core strength help him to win snaps in a multitude of ways.
Nygra uses his pad level to his advantage, and this often helps him to anchor against stronger pass rushers. Due to his size, he does not project to be a high-level run blocker in the NFL, but his combination of mobility and pass blocking could land him on Kansas City’s practice squad.
The bottom line
Nygra will likely go through OTAs and training camp as the Chiefs’ third center behind All-Pro Creed Humphrey and reserve Hunter Nourzad, and for him, this is where any level of assuerdy stops. Nygra is likely a center-only prospect due to his size, and the Chiefs do have enough depth at center, with Humphrey and Nourzad, as well as the experienced Mike Caliendo, who can slide into center when not backing up the guard positions.
With the odds firmly stacked against him to make the active roster, Nygra will likely find himself on the practice squad.
However, in his favor is the fact that Kansas City’s reserves inside on the line have not been up to par when called on to see the field when it matters.
Nourzad and Caliendo are both replaceable at this point, and Nygra should recognize this and do his best to compete, and at a minimum, get his name in the conversation to back up Humphrey this season.
The odds are long to make the active roster, but if Nygra shows what the Chiefs coaching staff needs, he could have a chance to be elevated in another season’s time.
