Welcome back to the Arrowhead Pride Mailbag! Throughout the offseason, watch for your opportunity to submit your Kansas City Chiefs questions in The Feed, which is found on AP’s home page.
The calendar has turned to April, and the Chiefs will soon be on the clock with the ninth selection of the NFL draft. Let’s see what’s on your mind.
ChiefConcern asks:
Are the Chiefs more likely to trade down than trade up?
I think the Chiefs are actually more likely to trade up — mostly because I think trade downs are going to be really hard to swing at the top of this draft. If the Chiefs are not content with the talent pool at the ninth selection, other teams will probably share their concerns.
Pick No. 29 might be a more likely spot to trade down, particularly if Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is still on the board and a team slated to pick early in the second round wants to draft him with the fifth-year option.
The biggest decision the Chiefs will need to make is whether a pass rusher like Rueben Bain Jr. or David Bailey is a cornerstone piece around whom the defense can be built in the post-Chris Jones era. If so, general manager Brett Veach has to be willing to trade up for that talent.
This class is deep in three-down edge rushers who can play the run and provide 5-6 sacks in an average season. There are multiple intriguing candidates to be “designated pass rushers” who could be schemed into higher sack totals while sacrificing run-defense contribution.
Potential star power at the position, unfortunately, is relatively light.
Bold_As_Love asks:
Will Kansas City really be desperate enough after losing Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie to really reach for a CB? It’s not wise to replace a position player with a position player not of the same caliber. Teams do it all of the time, but I think it’s a somewhat weak CB draft and yes, that includes the draft darling Mansoor Delane of LSU.
The Chiefs should be able to find a cornerback at almost any of their scheduled draft spots without reaching. In a vacuum, Delane at ninth overall isn’t a stretch — but if the team was going to make a big-time investment at cornerback, McDuffie might as well have been extended.
This class feels relatively deep at cornerback, but the crop of plug-and-play boundary candidates will probably thin out quickly. If the Chiefs want an early-season starter opposite of Nohl Williams, the 29th or 40th picks may need to be used. The third day will still have good slot corners and some raw outside corners with notable, undeveloped traits.
The big wild card at the position is Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy — hailing from Whitehouse High School in Tyler, TX, the same school Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes once attended. McCoy was expected to be a top-five selection in this class before missing the 2025 season due to an ACL tear.
After reportedly impressing teams this week, he may be close to regaining his status as a Day 1 pick. I’m not necessarily in favor of drafting McCoy at nine, but that may be the only path to the Chiefs’ secondary ending 2026 as an improved unit from the McDuffie-anchored crews that helped win two Super Bowls.
the_voice asks:
I’m curious about how many players we will actually draft in 2026, and how many of those will end up with a role in 2026 that has them as something more than a special teamer?
Three of the Chiefs’ current nine picks are in the first 50 selections, and I expect that number to remain — even if the positions change slightly via trade. If Kansas City does not find three immediate contributors on the draft’s opening night, the ability to improve on the 2025 roster will narrow drastically.
I would not be surprised if the Chiefs’ third-round pick (No. 74 overall) is spent in a trade up to make the most of the three high selections.
We put too much on rookies; a special teamer is a perfectly acceptable outcome for first-year players drafted after the top 70 or so. I don’t really expect the Chiefs to come out of the draft with nine draft picks, although the last time they had this many holes this far into the offseason in 2022, they made ten selections.
AP100 asks:
Do you expect the Chiefs to still take a RB in the draft? If so, what round is likely?
With the addition of Kenneth Walker, it would be very surprising for the Chiefs to take a running back in the first two days. I do not buy any thoughts of still taking Notre Dame’s Jerimiyah Love to rotate with Walker.
The big unknown right now is how sold the Chiefs are on Emari Demercado. If the front office sees him as a direct backup to Walker, it would leave little justification for investment in the position via draft capital, but if DeMercado is seen as a third-down back, a backup to spell Walker in traditional scenarios is crucial.
Kansas City does not have a deep enough roster to rule out any position on Day 3. If Walker and Demercado become another version of Kareem Hunt and Charcandrick West in 2017, or the pre-injury rotation of Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon, there won’t be many snaps for anyone else barring injury.
I would not be surprised to see the Chiefs pass on the position in the draft but aggressively add one of the best remaining backs in undrafted free agency.
Andyreidsmustache_ asks:
If Miami tackle Francis Mauigoa is sitting there at 9, what are the odds Andy’s love for his offensive lineman kicks in and he has Veach pull the trigger?
At various points, Kansas City has been linked to the draft’s top tackles. I like Mauigoa’s skill set and think he can hold up outside in the NFL, but it wouldn’t be an exciting move.
However, nothing would increase the Chiefs’ margin for error more than solidifying the line with a first-round pick at its only unsettled position.
A tackle with the 29th pick feels more likely. Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor and Clemson’s Blake Miller both would be fits in Kansas City.
If Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor is within range as Day 1 goes on, he may be worth a small trade-up. I like the idea of adding Proctor because he will probably play on the right side after being a left tackle in college. Players with experience on both sides are valuable for managing injuries if a spot start is needed.
KansasRoyalCat asks:
What’s something no one seems to be talking about that could significantly define how the Chiefs approach this year’s draft?
Who’s your 2026 draft crush?
The Chiefs are rarely the most transparent franchise, and we have a lot of unknowns entering the draft that the organization’s actions may answer.
- Are there concerns about tackle Josh Simmons’ continued availability, both from his absence from the team and recovery from the broken wrist that ended his rookie season?
- What is the team’s internal scouting on some 2025 draft picks who barely played, like wideout Jalen Royals and linebacker Jeffrey Bassa?
- Are the Chiefs concerned about another suspension for wide receiver Rashee Rice?
- What is the timeline for second-year defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott returning from his torn ACL?
As for my draft crush, I am a big fan of wide receivers Makai Lemon of USC and Omar Cooper Jr. of Indiana. I’d be fine with Lemon as the ninth selection or grabbing Cooper with the Chiefs’ second first-round selection, even with a small trade-up.
I do not think the Chiefs can justify a second contract for Rice, but I think either of these two rookie options could take his power slot role and improve upon it.
Thank you for reading this week’s Arrowhead Pride Mailbag! We will be back to start draft week with final thoughts. Keep watching The Feed for an opportunity to ask your questions.
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