Mel Kiper gives Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs a ‘game-changing’ RB in new mock draft

The Kansas City Chiefs are in an unfamiliar spot, having to watch the NFL playoffs from home after missing them for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era this season. The Chiefs’ disastrous 2025 season reached a new low when Mahomes went down with a torn ACL in the final weeks, meaning that the pressure is on for the front office to turn things around ahead of next season.

Recently, Mel Kiper of ESPN released his latest mock draft, and projected that the Chiefs will be adding some much-needed help in the backfield for Mahomes with their number nine selection, predicting that they will pick Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.

“Improving the run game could open up the offense in a big way. The Chiefs were in the bottom half of the league in yards per carry (4.2) and runs of 10-plus yards (44) this season, and Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt are both free agents. It’s time to inject some juice into this ground attack,” noted Kiper.

Indeed, the Chiefs’ running game left much to be desired throughout the 2025 season. In fact, for a considerable chunk of the campaign, Mahomes himself was the team’s leading rusher, by virtue of his ability to scramble and make plays with his legs.

However, that certainly isn’t something that the Chiefs will want to rely on too heavily moving forward, especially now that Mahomes will be coming off of an ACL injury.

“Love is the second-best prospect on my Big Board. Vision. Burst. Power. Speed. Receiving skills. He has it all, and he ran for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns this past season,” noted Kiper.

Adding a player with Love’s talents would give the Chiefs an immediate boost on the offensive side of the ball and also potentially allow Mahomes to ease back into things whenever he returns from the injury, which seems to be up in the air at this point.

The NFL Draft is set for April from Pittsburgh.

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