With no postseason games for the Kansas City Chiefs, the Arrowhead Pride staff has boots on the ground at the East-West Shrine Bowl in Frisco, Texas to learn more about the 2026 NFL Draft. Contributing editor Ron Kopp Jr. and lead film analyst Caleb James were at the event’s opening day.
Dane Brugler covers the NFL Draft for The Athletic and is one of the most thorough draft evaluators in the media. He proves it by putting together “The Beast” each year with an in-depth analysis of over 400 draft-eligible players.
He was gracious enough with his time to talk with me about the top of the 2026 draft class with Kansas City’s ninth-overall pick in mind. Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love has been a popular choice, and Brugler sees the Chiefs as a realistic landing spot.
“Every team is a little different with where they are in their offensive trajectory and with the way the roster is,” Brugler said. “So not everyone is suited to take a running back that early. The Chiefs are in a spot where they just want to get the offense to the next level, and a guy like Jeremiyah Love, he could be the guy that helps open it.”
Love enters the draft after two consecutive seasons rushing for over 1,100 yards, 6.9 yards per carry and at least 17 scores on the ground. Over those two years, he totaled 63 catches for 594 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
“As they build their board, if they come away thinking that Jeremiyah Love is one of three players they should be targeting there, I would completely understand it,” Brugler noted. “Because his impact potential, especially in that offense, is awesome. This isn’t a great running back class; it’s not like if you don’t pick Love at nine, you can get this guy in the second round. It’s just not that deep.”
There’s the case for Love, but Brugler himself mocked Ohio State safety Caleb Downs to the Chiefs, although Love was not available in his scenario.
Brugler mentioned he received pushback on the prediction, but he was strong in his opinion that positional value may not carry as much weight this year.
“It’s just not a high-end, rich draft,” Brugler declared. “If you ask evaluators around the league to list the top non-quarterbacks in the draft, the list is going to look wildly different from person to person. Some are going to look at Caleb Downs and (linebacker) Sonny Styles and Jeremiyah Love, three positions that are ‘non-premium positions,’ but they see the highest floors of anyone in this draft that would be taken that high.”
“I would understand why a team would value those guys as opposed to shooting for high-upside, the guy that has a few holes in his game, but you look at what he could be,” Brugler continued. “I understand why a team would look for the high floor as opposed to the high ceiling in this draft, especially. Even though they are ‘non-premium positions,’ I think you have to throw it out. This draft is very unique, and a guy like Caleb Downs, you could make the case is the best player in this entire draft.”
With a uniquely high pick, Kansas City must come away with a worthwhile player. Brugler made the point that teams picking in the top-10 need to draft a player that “is going to impact your roster the most.”
That could be Love or Downs, but Brugler reiterated the ambiguity of the class means the Chiefs should be prepared for all of the possibilities — including the two most popular defensive linemen: Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. and David Bailey of Texas Tech.
“Neither of those guys are top-8 locks,” Brugler said. “David Bailey is a bullet off the edge. He has some questions in the run game, but he has gotten better and better… Rueben Bain is just not loved by everybody. Some teams grade him as a three-technique; some teams are not going to be comfortable taking a player with his physical profile that early. The tape says he’s a guy that’s really impactful, so it wouldn’t be surprising either if he was off the board.”
It is early in the draft process, but the bottom line for Brugler is that a team like the Chiefs must use this opportunity to boost the roster as much as possible in one swing. Downs and Love may not play “premium” positions, but each are immediate-impact prospects at positions that Kansas City lacks a difference maker currently.
The high-floor players could instantly raise the Chiefs’ ceiling for next season and beyond.
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