Louisville’s Ashton Gillotte, a wrecking ball of a defensive lineman, heard his name called Friday night in the NFL Draft. The Kansas City Chiefs snagged him with the 66th pick in the third round, giving the Cards’ faithful another reason to puff out their chests.
Gillotte, a Boca Raton, Fla., kid who grew into a Louisville legend, is the second U of L player to go on Friday and the sixth Card drafted in the last two years under Jeff Brohm’s watch. Think about that: Six guys in two years. Brohm’s building something, folks. Gillotte’s the highest-drafted Louisville defensive lineman since Yaya Diaby went No. 82 to Tampa Bay in 2023. Not too shabby.
This guy’s numbers? They pop. In 50 games, Gillotte piled up 40.5 tackles for loss—fifth-most in school history—and 26.5 sacks, good for sixth all-time. He walked away with 127 tackles, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. That’s not just stats; that’s disruption. In 2024, he delivered 43 tackles, 10 for loss, and 4.5 sacks. Go check the tape against Pitt: three tackles for loss and two sacks in a 37-9 rout. Or watch him bully Boston College for a career-high nine tackles. He saved some juice for Clemson, too, racking up seven stops in a win over the No. 11 Tigers.
Gillotte’s not just a mauler. The 6-foot-2 lineman’s got brains to match the brawn. A three-time All-ACC Academic pick, he was a finalist for the Campbell Trophy—basically the Heisman for scholar-athletes who lead and dominate. That’s Louisville football: tough and smart.
His 2023 season was his masterpiece. Led the D-line with 45 tackles, racked up 11 sacks (eighth nationally), and notched 14.5 tackles for loss. The reward? Second-team All-American and first-team All-ACC honors. The guy was a problem, and now he’s Kansas City’s problem-solver.
Louisville fans, you know what this means. Gillotte’s the latest Card to carry the L to the NFL, joining a pipeline that’s flowing stronger every year. Keep an eye on him in KC. He’s got the tools to make Sundays fun.
