The 2026 NFL Draft is only 2 months away, and mock draft season is fully here.
After I recently completed my first 7-round mock draft, which took over 20 hours to complete, I’ve picked a few select teams to expand upon my rationale for each pick.
The Kansas City Chiefs enter the 2026 NFL Draft in a position they’ve rarely been in. They hold a top-10 pick, coming off what can only be described as a disaster of a season. While some are declaring their dynasty over, Patrick Mahomes is still only 30 years old and has a decade of football left in him.
This offseason is a critical opportunity for Kansas City to reload. With big needs at running back and defensive line, plus potential needs at edge rusher, wide receiver, tight end, and even linebacker, the Chiefs have a lot of different directions they can go in the draft.
The 7 round mock draft you will read here is a No Trade Mock Draft. No trades were made for any team. Projected compensatory picks were also used since the NFL has not officially released the list yet.
If you want to see the full 7 Round Mock Draft results including every other team, click here.
Kansas City Chiefs 7 Round Mock Draft
The Chiefs enter the 2026 NFL Draft with just 5 standard picks, plus an expected 5th round compensatory pick. Luckily for the Chiefs, the picks they’re missing are just in the 6th and 7th round, meaning all 5 of their standard picks are in the top 150.
That means they’re expecting 3-5 impact players in the draft, unless they trade around.
Round 1, Pick 9: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
Running back is the biggest need for the Chiefs this offseason.
Isiah Pacheco is coming off back-to-back bad seasons, and is a free agent on top of that. Kareem Hunt is regressing with age, and is also a free agent. That leaves them with only 2025 7th round pick Brashard Smith who isn’t going to be an every down back.
Even if all of those guys were returning, the Chiefs have finished in the bottom half of the league in rushing yards for 4 consecutive seasons now.
No team needs to address their biggest need with their first pick, but this is a 1 running back draft class. The falloff in running back talent after Jeremiyah Love is astronomical, and he is fully worthy of being drafted in the top half of the 1st round.
Love can do it all. The Heisman Trophy finalist has prototypical size for an every down back, big time open field speed, shiftiness, vision, and is a capable receiver out of the backfield. He’ll run around you or over you, and will tear teams apart if they don’t devote an extra body to the box.
From day 1 he’ll be the best running back Patrick Mahomes has ever played with, and add a completely new dynamic to a Chiefs offense that is in search of one.
Round 2, Pick 40: Chris Brazzell II, WR, Tennessee
Wide receiver is in a very interesting position for the Chiefs, and I’m sure there are some fans rolling their eyes that I have them taking one this early once again.
In 2025 Kansas City took Jalen Royals who had fallen to the 4th round, used a 1st rounder on Xavier Worthy in 2024, Rashee Rice in the 2nd round in 2023, and a 2nd rounder on Skyy Moore the year before that.
Despite all that draft capital, here’s what the Chiefs are looking at for next year:
- Rashee Rice: Definitely a starting caliber player, but the off field legal and maturity issues are not slowing down.
- Xavier Worthy: Very up-and-down performances
- Hollywood Brown: Free Agent
- Tyquan Thornton: Free Agent
- Juju Smith-Schuster: Free Agent and old
- Jalen Royals: Couldn’t find playing time last year
Suffice to say, if the Chiefs really come to like a receiver, it’s very much in play early despite having a bigger need elsewhere.
Brazzell is a very different body type from the rest of the Chiefs receivers, offering elite size and an understanding of how to use it. He’s a good route runner for a bigger receiver, with plus hands and big time production.
Most of the criticisms of his game are a product of his system, and at some point you can’t fault him just because past Tennessee receivers haven’t worked out. He’s his own player.
Kansas City grabs a guy who they think will compliment Rashee Rice very nicely, while allowing Xavier Worthy to handle more of a gadget role with his speed.
Round 3, Pick 74: Chris McClellan, DT, Missouri
The Chiefs finally look to the d-line, grabbing one of my favorite players in the draft in Chris McClellan from Missouri.
Other than Chris Jones, the Chiefs don’t have much on the interior of the defensive line. Derrick Nnadi has had a solid career for Kansas City, but his contract is up and he hasn’t made many splashes in recent years.
The depth behind that is either past their prime or unproven mid-round players.
Chris McClellan plays a grown-man brand of football, with a very sturdy frame that looks like a 5 year NFL veteran. He has a great first step for his size, and was one of the most impressive players in 1-on-1’s at the Senior Bowl.
He’s solid as a run stopper, and a lot better than you’d expect as a pass rusher from the interior. He’s tailor made to be a guy who can contribute early, while also having the potential to develop into a multi-contract starter.
This would be a home run pick for Kansas City.
Round 4, Pick 109: Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia
Travis Kelce’s potential retirement will determine just how big of a need tight end is for the Chiefs. Regardless of whether or not he returns, there’s room to improve the position and provide additional flexibility to run 2 tight end sets.
There was hope in Athens that Oscar Delp, the former top tight end recruit in the nation, could pick up some of the receiving slack leftover by the departure of Brock Bowers to the NFL.
That didn’t really happen, but many NFL scouts are confident he can be an even better pro than he was a college player.
Delp has prototypical size for an NFL tight end, combined with the confident hands and fluidity that fits right in with most of the top tight ends in the NFL.
He’s steadily improved as a blocker throughout his career, and is an experienced player who does a lot of the little things right.
Assuming Travis Kelce goes just 1 more year, Delp can start off as a value-adding rotational piece in 2026 before assuming a much bigger role in 2027.
Round 5, Pick 146: Caden Curry, EDGE, Ohio State
If the Chiefs get to the 5th round without having taken an edge rusher, they’re going to be interested in grabbing someone who is ready to contribute early, opposed to a long-term projection.
George Karlaftis is a great defensive end, and Ashton Gillotte showed some flashes as a rookie.
Charles Omenihu and Mike Danna also factored into the defensive end rotation this past year. Omenihu is a free agent, and Danna just didn’t provide much for his expensive contract and could be a cap casualty.
You don’t normally want to rely on a 5th round pick for early production, but Caden Curry has a chance to be an exception to that.
He’ll fall to this point in the draft due to a lack of length and minimal athletic traits, but he can just flat out play football.
Stats consistently prove that sacks translate to the NFL. Caden Curry was one of the best sack-men in the nation this past year, consistently disrupting plays with a refined set of pass rush moves.
After back-to-back seasons with one of the worst pass rushes in the NFL, Curry will help the Chiefs steady the ship right away.
Round 5, Pick 176: Diego Pounds, OT, Ohio State
Now that it’s the end of the 5th round, positional needs are fully thrown out the window as you just try to find depth and players with the potential to improve down the line.
Diego Pounds is a good example of that, coming off a successful season for Ole Miss where he allowed 0 sacks at left tackle. The 6’6” 330 pounder has a thick frame and reasonably good feet, with enough athleticism to stick outside.
The Chiefs have plenty of depth at tackle, but every team wants to add at least 1 body to their offensive line during the draft, and Kansas City is no exception.
His frame also allows him to kick inside if needed, giving him value as a multi-position backup.
Kansas City Mock Draft Recap
In this 7 round mock draft the Kansas City Chiefs opted to breathe new life into their offense with fresh legs across the board.
That doesn’t mean they totally skipped on their defensive needs, as the two players they added are fully capable of contributing right away, including a very NFL-ready player in the 5th round.
Linebacker will be left to free agency, and depending on where a couple Chiefs free agents land, they might also need to grab a safety in free agency.
Regardless, they left the draft with multiple very unique players who not only fill their needs, but also prepare them to get back into the playoffs in 2026.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below.
Check out how other teams picked in the same 7 round mock draft here.
