There are over three months until the 2026 NFL Draft, but with the Kansas City Chiefs’ offseason underway, it’s time to consider what draft prospects the Chiefs could select with the ninth overall pick.
On Monday, Pro Football Focus posted a first-round mock draft with the order updated after a weekend of Wild Card playoff games. Here is the author’s prediction for how Kansas City will handle the first-round selection:
9. Kansas City Chiefs: RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
Both Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco are unrestricted free agents this offseason, and it seems likely that the Chiefs will part ways with one or both of them. Kansas City instead finds its future at running back with Love here. After posting a 91.1 PFF grade as a sophomore in 2023 (fifth), he followed that up with a nation-leading 93.1 grade this season.
My takeaway
The top running back in the draft class has been a popular match with the Chiefs for obvious reasons. Not only are the Chiefs projected to lose the team’s top two rushers from 2025, but the running game also needs serious reinvigoration.
In this mock draft, the choice to bolster the offense comes at the expense of a worthwhile pick on defense. With the following pick, the Cincinnati Bengals selected edge rusher David Bailey from Texas Tech. According to PFF, Bailey led all FBS defenders in pressures (81) and sacks (15) in 2025.
Two picks later, the Dallas Cowboys were given edge rusher Kedric Faulk from Auburn. The large, stout defensive end seems to fit the physical criteria the Chiefs desire for defensive linemen under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
There are multiple paths Kansas City could take with the first-round pick in this year’s draft. If the answer is Love over impactful players in the defensive trenches, it may indicate how desperate the Chiefs are for a difference-making weapon for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
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