Perfect Picks 2026: Kansas City Chiefs
By Lee Wakefield
After an extremely disappointing season, it feels like a pivotal draft and offseason for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Prior to this season, it seemed unthinkable that the Chiefs would miss the playoffs but here we are. Not only did Kansas City miss the postseason, Patrick Mahomes also ended the season with a serious injury, and there are questions about other senior players within the locker room.
In light of the way the season ended, the roster, and perhaps the franchise as a whole feels very much in flux.
Andy Reid and General Manager Brett Veach, probably have more than enough credit in the bank to be given a chance to turn things around. However, given the incredible level of success the team has had in recent years, this season felt like a sizable fall from grace. The other complicating factor is that KC only has six picks as things stand.
Let’s explore how things can begin to turn around for KC…
Round 1 - Kenyon Sadiq (TE, Oregon)
I agonised over this first pick a fair bit. I am firmly of the belief that Kansas City needs to step away from small-ball, undersized, receivers who major in the 40-yard dash, rather than the nuances of being NFL receivers.
Picking in the top-10, someone like Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson, would be within range. He’d also be a nice fit alongside Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, as someone who can be a dominant outside receiver.
However, there are players like Denzel Boston of Washington, who could fulfil this role in the second round, should KC choose to go this route.
Spoiler alert. I’ve not gone that way in round two.
Enter Kenyon Sadiq, the clear TE1 in an otherwise underwhelming tight end class.
This is why I’ve opted to go for Sadiq with the pick here; I really don’t see an alternative to replacing Travis Kelce in the short term.
Sadiq in the top-10 could be considered a reach, so a trade back could be preferable, but Sadiq could develop into a complete tight end in the long term. In the short term, he could fill the void left by Kelce (I’m assuming he’s riding off into the sunset), as a moveable piece who can threaten at all three levels of the defence.
Sadiq counting stats won’t blow anyone away – He had 560 yards and 8 TDs this past year – But he has shown an ability to make tough catches and also break tackles throughout his career. Sadiq isn’t a jumbo-slot receiver, having taken a reasonable amount of in-line snaps throughout his career at Oregon. Outside of the receiving game, Sadiq has shown a willingness to get involved in run blocking too. He isn’t a skilled blocker, and he is undersized at 6’3 and 245lbs, but he has shown that he’s happy to do his bit. Travis Kelce is taller but only weighs in five, or so pounds heavier, so I feel that the size, the skillset and the deployment all add up to make this a nice succession plan.
Round 2 - Zion Young (Edge, Missouri)
As I mentioned above, this could very well be a receiver but I’ve opted to prioritise the defensive line for Kansas City. Shocking, I know, considering I spend all season long writing about pass rushers.
Due to a combination of players getting older and a number of free agents, the whole defensive line needs a remodeling.
Chris Jones had a down year and Kansas City, and they need an upgrade next to him. Jerry Tillery is a free agent – And as a Chargers fan, I know that regardless of Tillery’s presence, an upgrade would be required.
On the outside, Kansas City needed help, for similar reasons. In addition to this, I’m of the mind that George Karlaftis a nice player but will he ever be a dominant, week-in-week-out, game-wrecker? I think that’s questionable.
He needs help, which is where Zion Young comes in.
Young has ended up on the Chiefs’ doorstep over the past couple of years after he transferred to Missouri from Michigan State. It’s been with the Tigers over the past couple of seasons where Young has cemented himself as a top-50 prospect in this class, and in particular over the 2025 season where he posted career numbers in sacks (8) and pressures (31).
In 2025, Young had a pass rush win rate of 17.2% whilst also showing himself to be adept at stopping the run (9.3% run stop rate). Both of these are impressive numbers in the SEC where he was regularly testing himself against the best that college football has to offer.
You measures up at 6’5 and tips the scales at 265lbs, so he has NFL-ready size straight out of the gate and he also has the versatility to play on the outside but kick inside when needed. At Missouri, Young took snaps over the offensive tackle or over the B-gap as an interior rusher a decent amount, which I’m sure is music to Steve Spagnuolo’s ears.
Mid Round Gem - Kaytron Allen (RB, Penn State)
The Chiefs last had a 1,000-yard rusher in 2017, which was Kareem Hunt’s rookie year. Hunt totalled 1,327 yards as Patrick Mahomes was sat on the bench learning the ropes of being an NFL QB for all but one game in the regular season. Hunt led the NFL in rushing that year, and no Chief has got close since.
The Chiefs have tried to rectify that, but also haven’t really gotten close.
The story goes that Mahomes hand-picked Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who didn’t live up to the hype. Isaiah Pacheco was unearthed in the 7th round, he got the closest to cracking 1,000 yards in 2023 with 935 but has since fallen off a bit of a cliff. The team brought Hunt back and tried another seventh-rounder in Breshard Smith, as well as a couple of others in the stable, this past year, but still, no dice.
Time to change that.
As always there are going to be running backs available in the mid-rounds that will be very useful; Kaytron Allen might just be such a back.
Allen has been part of the Penn State backfield that he has shared with Nicholas Singleton for the past couple of years. Allen has averaged around 1,200 rushing yards over the past couple of seasons and has found the endzone 23 times over the past couple of seasons.
Allen suits a gap scheme, which Kansas City has preferred to use in the run game, as they’ve utilised heavier personnel groupings these past couple of seasons. Allen does have some scheme versatility, so would be a solid mid-round investment long-term.
Allen is adept at both breaking tackles (57 in 2025) and breaking off explosive runs of 15+ yards (17 in 2025). Both of which can be back-breaking plays against defences in what will, once again, be a hard-nosed AFC West division with Harbaugh and Payton-led teams challenging for the divisional crown.
Because of the shared backfield, he’s not been overworked and would be suited to similar usage in the NFL. The free agent pool of running backs actually looks quite useful, so perhaps KC will opt to sign a veteran to pair with someone like Allen as they remake their backfield in search of a running game to help take the load off whichever QB is under centre to start their season.
Late Round Sleeper - Ar’Maj Reed-Adams (IOL, Texas A&M)
To continue what has been an offense-heavy remodelling of the Chiefs, I’ve selected the versatile Ar’Maj Reed-Adams out of Texas A&M.
The Chiefs drafted Kingsley Suamataia in 2024 and may already be looking for an upgrade. The BYU product entered the league with some promise as a potential long-term solution at tackle. This didn’t work out in 2024, so they kicked him inside to left guard last year.
Let’s say the results have been mixed at guard.
Suamataia is probably the leader in the clubhouse to be the starter – pending any free agent signings at the position – and would certainly have an advantage in that battle over someone like Reed-Adams. However, the grace period will not last very long should he struggle in the early parts of 2026.
The Chiefs have Trey Smith and Creed Humphrey locked into long contracts, and will hope that Josh Simmons takes a leap forward, on and off the field, in 2026. All three of these players can be elite when playing at their very best, so the Chiefs only require passable play from their left guard and right tackle, so the bar is low for whoever starts.
Reed-Adams would also be a sensible investment for depth across the offensive line, as he has a depth of experience at both left and right guard, as well as some limited experience at right tackle.
Kansas City have had a couple of seasons, as well as one Superbowl, derailed by their offensive line being overmatched so constant investment into solid, and ideally versatile, pieces is always a good way to go.
Reed-Adams can be a developmental player in the first year or two of his career, but has flashed enough quality in the SEC to suggest that given time, he can make something of himself as an NFL quality lineman.
No team will ever turn down the opportunity to have quality linemen on their roster, and by dedicating a fifth-round pick and some time and coaching on Ar’Marj Reed-Adams, Kansas City might just have a bargain on their hands.
Draft in full
9 (R1) – Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
40 (R2) – Zion Young, Edge, Missouri
74 (R3) – CJ Daniels, WR, Miami (FL)
109 (R4) – Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn State
146 (R5) – Ar’Maj Reed-Adams, IOL, Texas A&M
176 (R5) – Kaleb Proctor, IDL, Southeastern Louisiana
