Chiefs’ final pick in 2024 NFL Draft was ‘confident, comfortable and ready to rip it’

The Chiefs used their final pick in the NFL Draft to select an athletic offensive lineman from a small school.

C.J. Hanson, a 6-6, 305-pound guard from Holy Cross, was selected No. 248 overall. He impressed teams with an outstanding performance at the NFL Combine, where he ran a 5.0 40-yard dash and turned in a 33 1/2 inch vertical jump.

“I showcased myself there,” Hanson said. “I was confident, comfortable and ready to rip it.”

Hanson, who said he had multiple conversations with the Chiefs, was a captain this season for the Crusaders. He was named All-Patriot League for the past two years as part of an offensive line that ranked in the FCS top 10 in rushing, total and scoring offense.

He’s the first player from Holy Cross selected in the NFL Draft since the Chiefs selected linebacker Rob McGovern in 1989 and is stoked to join the two-time Super Bowl champion.

“There is a standard there,” Hanson said. “I want to help the team and make it better than it already is.”

Hanson was projected as a sixth-round selection on NFL.com, which offered this analysis: “Hanson plays with terrific technique and gets into Phase 1 of his pass and run blocks with good balance and positioning. His hand placement as a run blocker is above average, while his pass punch is well-timed and accurate.”

Hanson is the second interior offensive lineman selected by the Chiefs on Saturday. They had taken Hunter Nourzad from Penn State in the fifth round.