Chiefs sign underrated LSU guard Josh Thompson as undrafted free agent

The Kansas City Chiefs signed one of the best undrafted free agent classes at the end of the 2026 NFL Draft. Several of their signings possess the potential to make practice squads and even push for spots on the 53-man roster. Cincinnati wide receiver Jeff Caldwell, Wyoming tight end John Michael Gyllenborg and LSU guard Josh Thompson rank among that group.

Thompson started two seasons at Northwestern, splitting snaps between right tackle and right guard, before transferring to LSU. He did not surrender a sack in either 2024 or 2025. Thompson lacks ideal mass and arm length and might even benefit from a move to center. However, he deserves a shot at guard before considering alternatives.

Thompson maintains a low pad level in pass protection and explodes from his stance with light footwork that helps to mirror pass rushers. He makes quick and smooth adjustments to mirror interior rushers or redirect for blitzers. Thompson’s quickness helps him recover when he suffers an initial loss in the snap’s opening second.

Thompson’s hand usage and strike timing played a significant role in some of his greatest struggles in college. He needs to refine both his strike placement and timing to mitigate issues with his arm length. When technically sound, Thompson authors long stretches of impressive block framing that keep his mediocre anchor from dragging down his overall performance.

Thompson’s lack of mass is more problematic in the run game than in pass protection. At the very worst, he loses slowly against bull rushers but still maintains some pocket integrity. In the run game, he relies on angle blocks and operating on the move to hide his inability to generate vertical displacement.

Thompson is a good athlete in space and displays the change of direction and nimble footwork to land blocks on the perimeter and finish through the end of the play. He struggles to sustain run blocks when matched up against high level prospects, like Tyleik Williams in 2024 and Peter Woods in 2025. He falls forward and off some blocks, suggesting he needs to throw all of his momentum into defensive tackles to move them off the line.