The NFL has mastered the art of a "no days off" approach to the news cycle, and as the upcoming league year approaches, teams are playing their role in keeping football atop the news cycle.
This time around, it was a pair of perennial Super Bowl contenders. The Kansas City Chiefs, coming off the first down year of the Patrick Mahomes era, have traded star cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams, who are hoping to capitalize on the final years of Matthew Stafford's career.
The price was steep -- the 29th pick, fifth- and sixth-round selections, and a 2027 third-round pick -- giving Kansas City ammo to replenish its aging core. The next great Chiefs team won't look like the last, and that process will begin in the coming days. Armed with extra draft capital, it's worth looking at how they may replace McDuffie and reload ahead of 2026.
Kansas City Chiefs mock draft
Round 1, Pick 9: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
There will always be consternation about a running back in the top 10, and many of those arguments are justified. However, I'd wager that no team taking a running back this high has been in a better position to do so.
Quarterback? Check. Decent offensive line? Check. Second-half leads and playoff aspirations? Check and check.
Kansas hasn't been able to run the ball in recent years, and Love offers a new baseline of competence to go with his game-changing upside. He adds to the passing game, too, and his skill set should be optimized by Kansas City's talent, letting him play closer late in games.
Likewise, Love's potency could change the calculus for defenses that have been able to stop the Chiefs' deep shots with light boxes. If he's opening up the kind of aggressiveness that created the Kansas City dynasty, there isn't a pick too early to take him.
Round 1, Pick 29: Caleb Banks, DT, Florida
Great teams are built in the trenches, and as the Chiefs look to reload, it's worth doubling down on freakish talents. Banks' platform season was curtailed by a foot injury, and he has production questions to answer. Even so, his plus athleticism at 6'6", 327 stands out. He ran well for his size and posted excellent explosiveness metrics in Indianapolis, too.
Banks' flashes as a pass rusher make his case for first-round capital, and his size makes him a nearly unmovable obstacle over the A-gap. Paired with Chris Jones and relieved by Omarr Norman-Lott, Banks could be the Chiefs' next game-wrecker on defense.
Round 2, Pick 40: Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
I'm not entirely sure what to make of Kansas City's receiving corps. Worthy's speed will always have its uses, but he has yet to take a massive step forward. Rashee Rice is excellent, but the off-field concerns continue to fester. Outside of that, it's a smattering of role players whose inconsistencies held the offense back.
Boston's stock has fallen since he began the year as a mid-first-round prospect. Sliding into the second round remains possible, and it would open the door for a rather lucrative opportunity.
Boston moves well for his 6'4" size and has real fans for his separation skills. He's at his best making plays above the rim and winning at the catch point downfield -- something the Chiefs have lacked in recent years. Doing so without sacrificing dynamism would make him an instant starter on the boundary.
Round 3, Pick 74: Malik Muhammad, CB, Texas
Replacing McDuffie is a challenge, and it might not be one the Chiefs care to take on in Round 1. Malik Muhammad is a dice roll on athletic traits and coverage skills that lend themselves to starter-level production, albeit with a lower floor.
Muhammad's run defense isn't up to McDuffie's level -- especially as it pertains to nickel versatility -- but it's sufficient for boundary snaps. Muhammad is an elite athlete with SEC pedigree and flashes of ball skills, suggesting he can be a starter, even as a late Day 2 pick.
Round 4, Pick 109: Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State
Dennis-Sutton may also find himself in the late Day 2 discussion off measurables alone. A 6'6" and 256 pounds, there's more than enough size to play on early downs when necessary. In fact, it's where he is most pro-ready.
Still, Dennis-Sutton's 4.63-second 40-yard dash and sub-7-second three-cone drill are emblematic of enticing tools that could add upside to Kansas City's pass rush. He would likely play a rotational role in Year 1, but as a developmental prospect with some pro-ready tools, incubating on the Chiefs' defensive line would be beneficial.
Round 5. Pick 147: Zakee Wheatley, SAF, Penn State
Dennis-Sutton's teammate will also find himself moving up boards closer to the draft. In a strong safety class (no pun intended), Wheatley made a name for himself as one of the only Nittany Lions whose 2025 season didn't crash and burn.
MORE:Top athletic comparisons for Jeremiyah Love after the NFL Combine
That may have coincided with a higher share of box snaps for good reason. Wheatley is at his best playing downhill against the run, and he has the fluidity to carry downfield routes in coverage. While it's surprising he didn't do the full circuit of athletic tests in Indianapolis, I'd wait until Penn State's pro day before reconsidering what looks like a strong athletic profile.
As a versatile piece in the back end, Kansas City can continue to inject its secondary with young, explosive talent.
Round 5, Pick 168: Tanner Koziol, TE, Houston
The Travis Kelce era of Chiefs football will soon come to a close. It's unrealistic to point to a fifth-round pick as the heir apparent, although his outstanding athletic profile is a great start to the conversation.
Koziol stood out in Indianapolis, running a 4.70-second 40-yard dash at 247 pounds. His explosiveness metrics were similarly impressive, which makes sense given Koziol's NFL-ready receiving skills.
As a second tight end who has strong hands and a decent feel for YAC, there will be opportunities for him to make plays. If he can add mass at the next level and improve his proficiency as an in-line blocker, there's reason to believe he could one day start. That's a tall task, of course, although fifth-round draft capital makes it an easy pill to swallow.
Round 5, Pick 177: Jalen Farmer, OG, Kentucky
Later on Day 3, Kansas City should continue to reinforce itself in the trenches. The quickest way next season could go awry (outside of another Mahomes injury) would be a significant decline up front.
Farmer is an elite athlete who moves exceptionally well for his 312-pound frame, posting one of the few sub-5.00 40-yard dashes. That speed showed out during the Senior Bowl festivities, too. As a depth option with room to eventually compete for a starting guard spot, Farmer would make sure that -- in the event of injury -- the Chiefs wouldn't be physically outmatched on the interior.
Round 6, Pick 210: Drew Allar, QB, Penn State
This one feels like a page out of the Philadelphia Eagles' playbook. Kansas City needs both a backup quarterback and a sustainable pipeline of talent. Allar might provide both.
Allar's arm strength stands out, and his Penn State tape is littered with high-level flashes conducive to in-structure success. An injury ended his 2025 season and ensured he wouldn't head to the league without ironing out inconsistencies, but there's real talent in his profile. Kansas City's quarterback room should be an advantageous one for his development, insulating the passing offense should things go awry.
If Allar plays well in relief, he might be a viable trade target down the road, securing a mid-round selection from a quarterback-needy team and giving the Chiefs surplus value on an otherwise insignificant selection.
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