The Kansas City Chiefs must get a weapon in the 2026 NFL Draft
By Andy Davies
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off their worst season in years.
Finishing 6-10 in 2025, this was their lowest win total since a 2-14 record in 2012 and just their ninth losing season of the 21st century.
The Chiefs lost Super Bowl LIX to the Philadelphia Eagles in their attempts to achieve an unprecedented Super Bowl era three-peat.
Whilst some predicted their Super Bowl hangover, many thought they could get back to the big game and see tight end Travis Kelce ride off into the sunset.
Even those who predicted a fall off did not expect six wins. It was far from the norm and saw quarterback Patrick Mahomes fail to make the playoffs for the first time in his career as a starter.
The excellence of Mahomes glossed over their lack of weapons in the 2023 season, which culminated in a Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas.
Problems in this area were there to see in the 2024 season, being one of four teams to fail to score 30 points or more in a regular season game. They managed to overcome this by reaching the aforementioned Super Bowl LIX before the Eagles outplayed them.
This performance foreshadowed what was to come in 2025, and it is clear to see that the Chiefs need to get a weapon in next week’s 2026 NFL Draft.
A deep wide receiver talent in 2026
The 2026 Draft class is seen as being strongest in the edge rusher position. Despite this, the wide receiver group is also being highly rated.
Ohio State’s Cornell Tate and USC’s Makai Lemon are viewed as the best two wide receivers in this year’s class.
It remains to be seen whether either of them will be available when the Chiefs go on the clock at ninth overall.
It is hard to picture Tate being still available but Lemon’s reported character concerns could see him fall, no matter who true or false these may be.
Adding either of these players will automatically improve the Chiefs’ wide receiver room that currently includes Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy.
Adding top talent such as Tate and Lemon would add depth and help Mahomes, who had his share of issues on the field in 2025.
The Chiefs could trade up for the likes of Lemon and Tate, but also know that there are plenty of other wide receiver talents to take ninth overall, or even late into the first round with their other Day One selection. This is a pick they acquired through trading away cornerback Trent McDuffie.
The likes of Kevin ‘”KC” Concepcion, Denzel Boston and Omar Cooper Jr may be available late in the first round. Players such as Chris Bell, Chris Brazelle II and Germie Bernard could even fall into the early stages of the second round.
Kansas City could go completely against this method and take an offensive lineman with the ninth overall pick, players such as Francis Mauigoa and Spencer Fano.
However, a weapon for Mahomes would be silly to pass up if one becomes available. They would also feel obliged not to go and draft Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love if he falls to the ninth spot.
Will the Chiefs lean more on Kenneth Walker III?
The Chiefs already acquired a weapon this offseason, which may strengthen their case to draft Mauigoa, Fano or a cornerback to replace McDuffie.
Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker departed the Seattle Seahawks after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy a month prior.
He ended the day with 135 yards as the Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13 in Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium.
This is in addition to 3,555 rushing yards and 31 total touchdowns in the regular season during his four-year NFL career.
With the struggles at offensive line, a reliance on Walker could be part of the plan for Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, but this would be a waste of Mahomes’ talent.
Whilst Notre Dame’s Love could be a tempting option to strengthen their one-two punch at the position, their location on the draft board and stronger desire for other areas of need means it is unlikely to happen.
This will increase the importance on Walker, who often benefitted from Seahawks RB2 Zach Charbonnet.
The Chiefs cannot rely on just one additional weapon to bring the franchise back to its very recent glory days. This only further emphasises the need for an offensive weapon at the wide receiver position in the first round whether this is with their first or second pick.
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
ANDY IS A SPORTS JOURNALISM GRADUATE WITH OVER SIX YEARS EXPERIENCE OF NFL WRITING AND PODCASTING. ANDY HAS BEEN TO EVERY NFL STADIUM AND IS THE HOST OF THE ACROSS THE POD PODCAST. HE HAS PRESS PASS EXPERIENCE AT THE LONDON GAMES AND MANY OTHER NFL BASED EVENTS SUCH AS SUPER BOWL LIX AND LX, HAVING INTERVIEWED THE LIKES OF AARON RODGERS, JUSTIN JEFFERSON, JASON BELL, OSI UMENYIORA, PATRICK MAHOMES, TRAVIS KELCE, DERRICK HENRY, SAQUON BARKLEY AND JALEN HURTS