Rookie Kansas City Chiefs O-lineman C.J. Hanson brings own winning pedigree to KC

Every newcomer on the Kansas City Chiefs’ rookie-minicamp roster wants to contribute to the organization’s winning culture.

Feeding off success goes both ways when it comes to offensive lineman C.J. Hanson.

The seventh-round draft pick from Holy Cross has known only winning football throughout his career.

In five seasons with the Crusaders, including a COVID-adjusted spring season, Hanson was never not a Patriot League champion, winning a total of five rings. Before that, he won two championships in high school with DePaul Catholic of New Jersey.

With three Super Bowl titles in the past five years, the Chiefs have experienced their own run of fortune, of course.

“I’ve won my whole life,” Hanson said, “and hopefully I’ll continue to do that.”

Hanson became the first player from Holy Cross since 1989 to be selected in the NFL Draft. He knew the previous player was linebacker Rob McGovern, but what he didn’t realize — until he arrived in Kansas City — was that the Chiefs were the team that picked him.

Getting his own welcome-to-the-team phone call from the Chiefs produced one of the more memorable moments of this year’s draft — Hanson was shown celebrating with family and dozens of teammates from Holy Cross and high school.

His emotions bubbled over after his selection as he embraced friends and spoke on the phone with Chiefs coach Andy Reid.

“At the end of the night, I was looking at the phone, crying at the video,” Hanson said. “It was so surreal to me.”

The evening was the continuation of a lifelong ambition of having a shot to play in the NFL. The vision become more clear when agents started contacting Hanson about a month into his final season of college football.

A 6-foot-5, 300-pound frame and good performances at the East-West Shrine Game and NFL Combine raised Hanson’s profile and got the Chiefs — especially offensive line coach Andy Heck — interested.

“He kind of took us by surprise,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said. “A super-athletic kid. He has a high ceiling and is one of those guys that Coach Heck was excited to work with and was surprised that he was still there in the seventh round.”

Hanson was third offensive lineman selected among the Chiefs’ seven picks. The first were Kingsley Suamataia from BYU and guard Hunter Nourzad, who played at Penn State last season after spending his first four years at Cornell.

The Chiefs’ plan, at least on the interior of the line, was to bolster a position group that lost Super Bowl starter Nick Allegretti to free agency.

Veach said Heck will get the newcomers reps at various positions, the mindset being, “the more versatility we have, the more important you become.”

To Hanson, this isn’t a matter of fulfilling a dream, but rather confirming a belief he’s long carried.

“This is where I belong,” he said. “I’ve built my whole lifetime toward it.”