Stakes are high for Chiefs at this week’s NFL Combine. Here’s what we’re hearing
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs treat 2026 NFL Combine as key start to roster improvement efforts.
- Podcasters Sweeney and McDowell outline Combine goals and target prospects.
- World Baseball Classic spotlights Royals with eight players, Perez leads Venezuela.
The Super Bowl closes one NFL season and the NFL Combine opens the next one.
The stakes are high for the Chiefs at this year’s scouting event in Indianapolis. This is where the team begins to get better.
On SportsBeat KC, the sports podcast of The Star and KCUR, beat writer Pete Sweeney and columnist Sam McDowell discuss what the Chiefs should look to accomplish at the Combine and which top prospects might interest them ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft in April.
Also, just as the Winter Olympics wrap up, the next big international sporting competition is on the horizon. The World Baseball Classic begins next week, and the Royals are well represented with eight players spread across five teams. KC catcher Salvador Perez, a captain for the team from Venezuela, speaks to the national pride he feels in participating.
Rundown (timestamps are approximate)
0:03 — What’s the point of the NFL Combine?
11:08 — The Chiefs’ priorities at the Combine
20:05 — Which Royals will be in the World Baseball Classic?
22:03 — What’s on Blair’s Radar?
This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 12:59 PM.