Kansas City Chiefs rookie WR Jalen Royals appears to be outperforming expectations associated with his draft slot early on in training camp, and it’s all thanks to what he’s got going on between the ears.

Selected out of Utah State with pick No. 133 in the 2025 NFL Draft, Royals fell in the draft due to a foot injury that he dealt with late in his final season and during the pre-draft process. In 2023, he set Aggies records with 71 receptions, 1,080 yards, 15 touchdowns. Now, just six days into training camp, we’re learning that Royals is impressing his coaches and teammates with something more than his on-field ability. It’s a type of something that will almost certainly help him see the field early and often in Kansas City.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid was asked about Royals last week before the pads came on at training camp. He kicked off what would be a common theme among those asked to speak about what they’ve seen from Royals at training camp.

“Yeah, so, it looks like he’s very smart because we’re in our third install here today, and we load him up with plays, early, and he’s been able to retain a lot of the things,” Reid said. “The newer stuff that we introduced to him before and the new stuff we’ve introduced now. So, that’s a good sign. And then, he’s made some catches. You’ve seen it out here, he’s made some catches. And does he have a long way to go? Yeah, well he’s got to keep working, (and) work through all of this and we’ll see how it goes when everything’s flying.”

Royals has been one of the early standouts of Chiefs training camp, oftentimes working with the first-team offense in place of WR Rashee Rice when the veteran needs a breather. He has been able to get up to speed with Andy Reid’s complicated offense quicker than usual, in part because of his smarts, but also because of his learning style. Speaking to the media after practice on Monday, July 28, Chiefs OC Matt Nagy explained why Royals has been able to excel so quickly up to this point.

“Yeah, he’s doing a good job,” Nagy said. “You got to OTAs again, like a lot of these rookie wide receivers, we put a lot on them, and I think that he has grown from OTAs until now. In the summertime, he’s been able to really — there are some little things he’s doing within his routes, whether it’s in zone or winning versus man. So, he’s doing some good things. We want to keep making them grow, leading through what he sees. I think he’s a visualizer, so when he sees it, it takes him one time, then the next time, he comes back and does a good job.”

Chiefs rookie WR Jalen Royals is a different type of fast

As much uniformity as there was between Andy Reid and Matt Nagy’s comments, there was a similar amount amongst the Chiefs receiver room when it comes to the rookie Royals. They’ve seen how quickly he has been able to get involved on offense, but what they also see is the work he’s doing behind the scenes to pick up the playbook, scheme, and nuances of the offense. Both second-year WR Xavier Worthy and veteran WR Hollywood Brown see Royals as a different type of fast.

“Yeah, he’s (Jalen Royals) a fast learner,” Worthy said. “He gets out there, he doesn’t make too many mistakes. Obviously, he’s a rookie, so he’s going to make a (few) mistakes, a few minimal errors here and there. But he’s out there, he’s playing well, he’s doing good, and he’s taking advantage of his opportunities.”

“Jalen (Royals) is a quick learner,” Brown said. “He’s taking advantage of his opportunities, making plays. I think he’s going to make some plays for us.”

Royals has to continue to put things together throughout training camp and the preseason, but he’s already seemingly following rule No. 1. That is to say, he doesn’t make the same mistake twice. It’s the easiest way to get in the good graces of the coaching staff as a rookie. Combine his quick learning, mistake-free play, and playmaking ability — and you could see Royals get a healthy dose of the rookie early and often in 2025.