The Kansas City Chiefs' defensive line room has been a major subject this offseason, with the departures of veterans Derrick Nnadi and Tershawn Wharton in focus.
While the 2025 NFL Draft is one way the team can reinforce the position group amid departures, what about the players the team already has in the building? In a recent interview with our friends Marcus Dash and Jason Dunn at Chief Concerns, Chiefs veteran DT Mike Pennel spoke about a pair of players the team currently has in the fold.
Pennel returns for his fourth season in K.C. and his 11th season in the league in 2025. He prefaced his comments by explaining that Kansas City doesn't add players just for the sake of it, but brings in players who have the traits to develop into contributors.
"The thing about the Chiefs (is) they're very intentional," Pennel explained. "So, I mean, they're not going to bring in. . . I've never seen many scenarios where guys are just a camp body. They're really bringing guys to evaluate, or people that they see have all types of intangibles, talents, all types of things, the way they can be a player that is successful and produce."
Chiefs DT Mike Pennel gets the hype train rolling for DTs Fabien Lovett Sr. and Siaki Ika
The Chiefs signed DT Fabien Lovett Sr. as an undrafted free agent out of Florida State in 2024. After an impressive training camp and preseason, Lovett stuck around on the practice squad all season, which is typically a good sign for undrafted players who don't make the 53-man roster initially.
Could Lovett potentially be in the Chiefs' plans for the 2025 NFL season? Pennel sees a lot of himself in the young defensive lineman and recognizes that Lovett is already doing all the right things to set himself up for a successful career in the league.
"So, with Fabien (Lovett), man, he's just extremely athletic," Pennel said. "He reminds me a lot of me coming into the league my rookie year. Kind of technique a little raw, but he's strong as an ox. He's athletic. He's taking everything seriously every day. He's a guy that's in early, he's taking notes from Chris. He's asking. He's literally preparing as he was playing every week. I know that sounds cliche. JD (Jason Dunn) would say, 'a lot of guys say that.' But this man was literally, you know, giving notes and giving tips to us. And I would be able to bounce off and have conversations with him as a rookie, 'Well, what do you see? I mean, do you see any tips with the alignment, the stance, or anything like that? You see any tendencies that maybe I don't see?' And he's very immersed in those conversations. He's very intellectual. He's very intentional with his preparation. So, you know Fabien is going to be good, man. I hope that it's here, but if it's not, I know that everything that he's doing now will set him up to have success in the league."
It sure seems like Lovett is on track to become a contributor in some capacity.
Former Cleveland Browns third-round draft pick Siaki Ika joined the Chiefs' practice squad ahead of Week 15 during the 2024 NFL season. While Ika was late to the party, Pennel says he has a lot going for him.
"Siaki (Ika), he came to us late," Pennel said. "He's a great personality, man. He's a big body. He's explosive with his first step. He's kind of just a guy that has to hone in on being a dominant player on run downs, and then he'll be able to have success where he wants to. That takes a little bit of time in this league, but being here, you know how we prepare the coaches we got, all you've got to do is sit down and take notes."
Why is sitting down and taking notes the secret to success? Well, you're surrounded by a group of people who have come together to have sustained success in a league where that's rare. When you're surrounded by Hall of Fame coaches and players, the trick is to be a sponge and learn as much as you can, according to Pennel.
"I've been in a bunch of places, but being in the Kansas City building, I feel like there's multiple Hall of Fame coaches at every level that we're learning from on a daily basis," Pennel explained. "And like JD (Jason Dunn) can explain, I mean, that's something that you can't take for granted. That's something that's not everywhere. We have a head coach who's going to be in the Hall of Fame (Andy Reid), a DC (Steve Spagnuolo) who's going to be in the Hall of Fame, and a special teams coach (Dave Toub) who's going to be in the Hall of Fame and has league-wide respect. So when these guys are speaking and telling you about techniques, you don't have to second-guess it. They see the type of player you are. They see that there's nothing that you've done that they haven't seen. So it's just, you know, being in that atmosphere like that. I just try to tell a lot of the guys, 'just absorb everything.' Whatever a coach is telling you."
Pennel believes that everyone, from ownership to star players to the assistant coaches, is approachable, familiar, and working toward the same goals, making it that much easier for guys to develop and succeed in Kansas City.
"It's a special place, man," Pennel concluded. "I'm just happy to be a part of it, trying to be a part of it as long as possible."
