Chiefs’ bold predictions in 2026 NFL Draft

What will the Kansas City Chiefs do in the NFL Draft? Unlike the past few years, the Draft is a much bigger focus for the team. After missing the playoffs in 2025, it’s become painfully obvious that there are plenty of weaknesses that the team needs to address. Their free agency haul answered some of these concerns, but it also left a gaping hole in one of the key positions on the team.

The Chiefs have two first-round picks this time around: their ninth overall pick and the 29th pick they got from the Los Angeles Rams in the Trent McDuffie trade. They have nine picks in total this year, with three picks in the fifth round in particular. That’s a lot of premium draft capital for the Chiefs to work with.

Now, let’s make some crazy predictions on what the Chiefs will do in this year’s draft. Kansas City can go crazy with their picks this year.

Chiefs don’t take a wide receiver until Day 3

The Chiefs have a lot of needs across the board. Their defense needs a lot of work on all three levels. Their secondary was gutted this offseason after the McDuffie trade, and their front seven has been a bit underwhelming outside of a few key players. Last season has shown that this won’t be enough to propel them to contender status, especially after the losses they incurred in the secondary.

On the other hand, their offense is also a major work in progress. The offensive line needs some work, including an immediate replacement at right tackle after Jawaan Taylor’s departure. Their tight end room could use some help as Travis Kelce’s battle against Father Time proves to be a struggle. And, of course, the Chiefs could always use more weapons around Patrick Mahomes.

Most mock drafts have the Chiefs drafting a wide receiver in the first round of the draft. Players like Jordyn Tyson and Makai Lemon have been projected to go to Kansas City. The thing is… the Chiefs might already like their wide receiver room as is right now. Rashee Rice has been solid for them, and Xavier Worthy, while shaky, provides a lot of value as a speedster in both the air and ground attacks.

With a lot of pressing needs on defense (including rebuilding their entire secondary), it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Chiefs pass on taking a wide receiver on the first and second day. Securing a right tackle for the returning Mahomes also figures to be high on their priority list. Barring a shocking fall for one of the top WR prospects, defense and RT should be Kansas City’s top priority.

Chiefs draft Kenyon Sadiq in the first round

On the theme of offense-focused picks, there’s one skill position player that the Chiefs could reasonably take in the first round. As mentioned earlier, the tight end position is something that they will need to take care of this year. Kelce isn’t getting any younger, and his play over the last few years have shown his age.

Kelce’s backups at tight end haven’t been as productive as well. Noah Grey is a good, but not great TE2 for the team. The rest of the Chiefs’ TE room hasn’t shown a lot of flashes of greatness. Kansas City has a history of having great tight ends: before Kelce, Tony Gonzales was the team’s last great tight end. Kansas City might want to continue their legacy at that position by taking a crack at the best tight end in the class in Sadiq.

Would the Chiefs take Sadiq with the ninth pick? That is both unlikely and extremely foolish if they do go that route: one of the premier right tackles or cornerbacks will still be available at that point. However, they still have that 29th pick from the Rams. If Sadiq is still there (and he likely will be), it wouldn’t be the worst idea for the Chiefs to take him, especially if there

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