Meet Jalen Royals, Chiefs' WR draft pick who is Patrick Mahomes' new Tyreek Hill

Billy Heyen

Meet Jalen Royals, Chiefs' WR draft pick who is Patrick Mahomes' new Tyreek Hill image

Jalen Royals didn't play on a major college football stage.

But he's going to join the winningest team in the NFL's recent past, the Kansas City Chiefs. They chose him in the fourth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

It's a fantastic selection, one that might just have gotten Patrick Mahomes his new Tyreek Hill.

Here's what you should know about Royals:

Who is Jalen Royals?

Royals is a 6-foot tall wide receiver from Georgia.

He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds.

Incredibly, he began his college career at Georgia Military College before transferring to Utah State once his grades were in order.

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Jalen Royals' big-play ability

Royals is a big-play monster.

In 2023, he had seven touchdowns of 50 or more yards for Utah State.

Injuries slowed him a bit in 2024, but if he's at full health, the Chiefs will have yet another significant weapon.

Chiefs WR depth chart

The Chiefs are expecting Rashee Rice back from injury to lead their receiving corps.

They also still have Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy (who is dealing with off-the-field trouble).

Royals doesn't have to be a star early, but eventually, he could turn into one of Mahomes' favorite targets.

"Mahomes is going to love this guy," ESPN's Matt Miller said on the draft broadcast.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle