He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and was selected by the Chargers in the second round of the 2003 NFL draft.

[3] As a junior, he started in all 12 games, posting 92 total tackles, including a team-high of 65 solo hits.

[2][6] In the same season, he helped the team upset then-#1 Oklahoma by intercepting the Sooners' final pass of the game.

[7] Kiel was selected by the San Diego Chargers with the 62nd overall pick, in the second round in the 2003 NFL draft.

[12] In July 2003, Kiel was shot three times during an alleged attempted carjacking incident at a southwest Houston mall parking lot.

[13][14] In January 2007, he was cited for publicly urinating outside a San Diego nightclub, but the city dropped the charge.

[15] In February 2007, he pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor drug charges for shipping codeine-based cough syrup to Texas.