Jalen Royals is a young wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs who arrived as a 2025 fourth-round pick out of Utah State.
Jalen Royals is a 6-foot wide receiver from Powder Springs, Georgia, who the Chiefs drafted in the fourth round in 2025. A productive playmaker at Utah State, he drew comparisons within the organization to teammate Rashee Rice. He spent much of his rookie year in a special-teams role.
Path to the league
Royals spent three seasons at Utah State from 2022 to 2024, appearing in 32 games with 21 starts. He caught 68 passes for 1,023 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023, then added 55 catches for 834 yards and six scores over seven games in 2024 before a season-ending injury. The Chiefs selected him 133rd overall in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Royals built his draft profile on yards-after-catch ability and strong hands, with Chiefs director of player personnel Ryne Nutt noting his game resembled Rashee Rice's, per ESPN. His kick-return work at Utah State also factored into Kansas City's interest.
2025 season
As a rookie, Royals appeared in seven games, working mainly on special teams before seeing an expanded role late in the year around Week 18. He impressed at training camp as Kansas City looked to develop depth behind its top receivers.
Sources
- ESPN: Another receiver? Why the Chiefs drafted Utah State's Jalen Royals
- ESPN: Jalen Royals player page
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Receiving
7 games played▶Receiving · career
| Year | Team | GP | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | chiefs | 7 | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Wide Receiver
- Group
- offense
- College
- Utah State
- Hometown
- Powder Springs, GA, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
