We are less than 30 days from the 2026 NFL Draft, and with free agency seemingly wrapped up, the predictions for who the Kansas City Chiefs will select with the ninth-overall selection are feeling more cemented.
Since the Chiefs signed running back Kenneth Walker, the Arrowhead Pride staff has been monitoring all of the mock drafts authored by NFL media to see which players are being matched with Kansas City most often, knowing Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love likely won’t be the pick at No. 9 now.
We have compiled information from 27 unique mock drafts published by nine different outlets since the signing of Walker was reported.
Chiefs’ selections in mock drafts
The top 3 most picked, as of March 10
DE Rueben Bain Jr. — Miami (26%)
OT Francis Mauigoa — Miami (26%)
CB Mansoor Delane — LSU (15%)
My takeaway
If Chiefs fans value the opinion of NFL media, they should maybe go back and watch some Miami Hurricanes football. 54% of the mock drafts we’ve tracked in the last two and a half weeks have picked either the team’s top offensive lineman or defensive lineman.
That’s quite the flip from the last time we rounded up mock drafts for an update. On February 14, 41% of tracked mock drafts were selecting Jeremiyah Love.
Bain was the second-most selected option, and he has maintained a tie to Kansas City throughout the entire pre-draft process. The Chiefs met with Bain during the NFL Scouting Combine, along with Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey.
Surprisingly, the wide receivers at the top of the class have not been tied to Kansas City in recent mock drafts. Of the 27 tracked, only two picked a wide receiver — different ones, at that. Carnell Tate from Ohio State and Jordyn Tyson from Arizona State were the matches, but each has been selected fewer times than the LSU cornerback, Mansoor Delane.
While the national media sees the Chiefs’ defensive backfield needing the help of a top pick, it feels as if Chiefs Kingdom understands the ability of the front office to stockpile the secondary with less investment than a top-10 selection.
In February’s mock-draft update, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs was the third-most chosen player; yet, in this update, he was rarely selected. In my opinion, it makes more sense for Kansas City to bolster the secondary with a top playmaker at the safety position rather than a top cornerback.
How do you feel about the most likely options for the Chiefs based on the opinions of NFL media? Should a wide receiver be in discussion? Let us know in the comments.
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