Introduction
Nicholas Bolton (born March 10, 2000) is an American professional football linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Missouri Tigers, and was selected by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft. Bolton has won two Super Bowl titles, LVII and LVIII, having been a starter in the 2022 and 2023 Chiefs teams. He also scored a defensive touchdown from a fumble recovery in the first win.
Early life
Bolton attended Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas. He had 130 tackles and five interceptions as a senior and 111 tackles and one interception his junior season. He committed to the University of Missouri to play college football.
College career
As a true freshman at Missouri in 2018, he played in all 13 games recording 22 tackles and one sack. As a sophomore in 2019, he became a starter. He had two interceptions, including one for a touchdown, in a game against West Virginia in the 2019 season. He was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) after finishing with 103 tackles, two interceptions and one sack. During a COVID-19 scheduled ten game season in 2020, Bolton finished with 95 tackles and two sacks to close out his junior year. He was once again named first-team All-SEC. In addition, he received Associated Press Second-team All-American honors.
College statistics
| Season | Team | GP | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Cmb | TfL | Yds | Sck | Yds | Int | Yds | TD | PD | FR | FF | |||
| 2018 | Missouri | 13 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 1.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Missouri | 12 | 74 | 29 | 103 | 8.5 | 23 | 1.0 | 9 | 2 | 38 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Missouri | 10 | 53 | 42 | 95 | 8.0 | 18 | 2.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Career | 35 | 139 | 81 | 220 | 17.5 | 44 | 4.0 | 18 | 2 | 38 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 1 | |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+1⁄8 in (1.81 m) | 237 lb (108 kg) | 31+7⁄8 in (0.81 m) | 10+3⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 4.60 s | 1.71 s | 2.62 s | 4.50 s | 7.40 s | 32.0 in (0.81 m) | 9 ft 7 in (2.92 m) | 24 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day | ||||||||||||
Bolton was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round (58th overall) of the 2021 NFL draft. The Chiefs used a 2nd round selection they previously acquired along with Orlando Brown Jr. in a trade that sent the 31st overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft (Odafe Oweh) to the Baltimore Ravens. On May 13, 2021, Bolton officially signed with the Chiefs on a $5.84 million deal.
Bolton was put on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on December 21, 2021. He was activated on December 25, 2021. In Week 18, against the Denver Broncos, he recorded his first NFL touchdown on an 86-yard fumble return in the 28–24 victory. As a rookie, he appeared in 16 games and started 12. He finished with 112 total tackles and three passes defended. He was named to the 2021 PFWA All-Rookie Team.
During the 2022 season, Bolton recorded two sacks, 180 total tackles (108 solo), two interceptions, three passes defended, and one forced fumble. He finished second in the NFL in combined and solo tackles in the 2022 season. Bolton helped the Chiefs reach Super Bowl LVII where they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35. Bolton led both teams with eight solo tackles and 9.0 total tackles, and he returned a fumble by Jalen Hurts 36 yards for a touchdown.
In the 2023 season, Bolton recorded 60 total tackles, one interception, and three passes defended. Bolton helped the Chiefs reach Super Bowl LVIII where they defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25–22 to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Bolton led both teams with 13 total tackles.
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Sfty | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2021 | KC | 16 | 12 | 112 | 70 | 42 | 0.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 86 | 1 |
| 2022 | KC | 17 | 17 | 180 | 108 | 72 | 2.0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | KC | 8 | 8 | 60 | 38 | 22 | 0.0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 33 | 29 | 292 | 178 | 114 | 2.0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 86 | 1 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Total | Ast | Sck | Sfty | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2021 | KC | 3 | 2 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | KC | 3 | 3 | 27 | 15 | 8 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 1 |
| 2023 | KC | 4 | 4 | 40 | 18 | 22 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 6 | 5 | 42 | 26 | 16 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 1 | |
Personal life
Bolton is a Christian.