Mahomes is confident in the work the rookie has done ahead of Thursday’s prime time game against Baltimore.

“He’s got the confidence. He goes out there and enjoys the moment,” Mahomes said of Suamataia. “He practices hard. He learns from the guys next to him. This is, like we said, probably the best defense in the league other than ours, so it’s just about going out there in Week 1 and competing against the best of the best. He’ll be introduced pretty quickly. I’m excited for him to take on the challenge and we’ll see where he is, but he’s done a great job in the preseason. He’s done a great job in training camp and I’m excited for him to go out there and take on the next challenge.”

Suamataia will be the fourth left tackle to start on Mahomes’ blindside on Opening Day since he took over the starting lineup in 2018: Eric Fisher (2018-2020), Orlando Brown (2021-22) and Donovan Smith (2023).

Before training camp, there was talk of bringing in a veteran in case the rookie and Morris struggled. While the Chiefs could still make a move if Suamataia struggles in Week 1, there have been no signs of such concerns so far.

The 21-year-old rookie has already impressed his teammates with his athleticism and confidence.

“Kingsley is really level-headed,” right guard Trey Smith said. “It’s not going to be a big moment for him. He’s just focused on the mission and the task at hand and he’s not letting anything get to him.”

“That can easily happen – you get influenced by a lot of external factors that don’t matter. But he does a great job of blocking all of that out.”

Now he has to block Baltimore’s pass rushers on Thursday night.