“He wants to be great”

Creed Humphrey knows a lot about beginner success.

A second-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2021 NFL Draft, Humphrey was signed to the first team as a center in the early summer of his first professional season. The Chiefs had little competition—Austin Blythe and Darryl Williams—and Humphrey was already ready for the pro game, having come out of the O-line factory that is Oklahoma.

By now, we all know the results of Humphrey's first season. He was so good as a center – with an excellent blend of instinct, technique, power and athleticism – that he finished third in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. Yes, that's third among all rookies at skill positions as… Center.

From there, Humphrey made the Pro Bowl the last two years and received a generous contract extension from the Chiefs in recent weeks that recalibrated the center market. As it turns out, rookie potential was just the tip of the iceberg and Humphrey now looks like a Chiefs legend in the making.

As it turns out, Humphrey has even more good news for the Chiefs. It looks like they have their next great rookie on the offensive line in left tackle Kingsley Suamataia.

Suamataia was the Chiefs' second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, an inexperienced but athletically gifted prodigy tackle out of Brigham Young. The Chiefs negotiated a small trade to move up and get their guy, then installed him as their starting left tackle, beginning with late spring workouts in OTAs and minicamps. Sound familiar?

Humphrey recently sat down with Arrowhead Addict, a partner of Sleep Number Smart Beds, to discuss a number of topics, including his new contract, ahead of the start of the regular season. In addition to highlighting some interesting behind-the-scenes facts about the Chiefs, he also chatted about Suamataia and his growth trajectory in the NFL so far.

“He's developed so much since he's been here, through OTAs, through offseason training, through training camp. He's been great,” Humphrey said of Suamataia. “It's been great to have him here. He's a damn good player. Obviously that's why he was selected so early in the draft.”

A player can only progress to the extent that he is willing to put in the work, but fortunately, Humphrey says he sees a drive for true greatness in Suamataia's approach to the game.

“He's a heck of a player, but he's got the right attitude, too. He fits in really well with the other guys in the room. He wants to be great. He wants to be the best version of himself possible and he's done a great job of just learning from the older guys and doing all that. [He’s] He played physical and aggressive and did all that. He took the coaching really well. It was great to have him around.”

The results so far have been successful, as the Chiefs have not shied away from installing them despite the presence of Wanya Morris or the experience of Lucas Niang. Suamataia looks the part and appears ready for the upcoming season. If he's the right fit, the combination of Joe Thuney, Humphrey and Trey Smith will look even more impressive as the Chiefs seek a third straight win.

You can see our full interview with Humphrey below.

Sleep Number is the official sleep and wellness partner of the NFL and currently 80% of the league benefits from improved sleep performance on Sleep Number smart beds.