Answering the Chiefs’ 5 biggest questions as calendar turns to NFL Draft month
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs should target a receiver at No. 9, edge at No. 29, corners Day 2–3.
- Draft plan favors a slight defensive lean: two corners, DE, DT, LB.
- Mahomes expected ready for Week 1; offense shifting toward a more balanced attack.
It’s officially April, meaning that in less than three weeks, the Kansas City Chiefs will be on the clock with their first top-10 pick in the NFL Draft since 2013.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach and his personnel staff devise their offseason blueprint months in advance. For diehard fans, the maddening part is watching it play out one roster move at a time.
Veach filled some glaring weak spots in free agency, signing running back Kenneth Walker, safety Alohi Gilman and defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga — but departures like cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, defensive end Mike Danna and right tackle Jawaan Taylor created new ones.
So what are we still wondering? Here are my top five lingering questions as the calendar turns to draft month:
5) Once the Chiefs are finally on the clock, where do they go in the first round?
The answer has to weave three items: 1) team need, 2) positional value, and 3) who’s actually on the board. And the weave is what makes this tough to predict here in early April.
Kansas City probably needs a cornerback the most, and the best of this class may be on the board. But the positional value (especially considering how well KC has fared with later picks) likely rules out corner as a top-10 selection.
The team’s next greatest need is a highly disruptive edge rusher, and nabbing an instant game-wrecker with five years of cost control meets positional value. But who will be left at No. 9?
Take the mocks for what they’re worth, but many have David Bailey, Rueben Bain and Arvell Reese all off the board by the time the Chiefs select at No. 9. And, beyond that, would they be fits for the system run by Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo?
Another option is wide receiver. With Rashee Rice’s status uncertain as he enters the final year of his rookie contract and Hollywood Brown now in Philadelphia, the need is there. Deals like the Indianapolis Colts re-signing Alec Pierce with $84 million guaranteed show the value. As for who might be available, the Chiefs could have their pick of Makai Lemon, Carnell Tate and Jordyn Tyson.
Answer: I like receiver at No. 9 (which checks all three boxes of my weave), a big-bodied edge rusher at No. 29 or with a slight trade-up — and a cornerback selection on Day 2, plus another on Day 3.
4) Should Veach place greater emphasis on offense in this class? Or defense?
Back in 2022, Veach went defense-heavy. Seven of the Chiefs’ 10 picks were defensive players. And that draft class, led by cornerback Trent McDuffie and defensive lineman George Karlaftis, proved fruitful.
In 2023, five of Kansas City’s seven picks were defensive players; in 2024, five of the Chiefs’ seven picks bolstered the offense. Last year’s class was more of a split, with four defensive players and three offensive players.
The Chiefs ideally would follow a best-player-available approach to drafting this year. But it feels like KC might be better served by sticking to last year’s script.
In a perfect scenario, out of nine picks, Veach lands two cornerbacks, a defensive end, a defensive tackle and a linebacker. On offense, the Chiefs would land a wide receiver, a tackle, a tight end and a running back flyer.
Answer: A slight defensive lean makes the most sense, should the board support it.
3) Does the splash signing of Kenneth Walker actually signify some kind of scheme change in the offense?
Head coach Andy Reid was measured with his language at the AFC coaches breakfast this week as he addressed how he plans to use the team’s prized possession of free agency: running back Kenneth Walker.
Fan frustration grew in 2025 with complaints about the Chiefs living in the shotgun — their formation 80% of the time last season, according to Sharp Football Analysis.
In a recent column, The Star’s Sam McDowell noted that, in 2025, Walker carried the ball 172 times in under-center formations. Kareem Hunt led the Chiefs in under-center rushes and came in about 100 behind Walker (72).
In short, I’m not sure that it would be wise to commit $28.7 million guaranteed over three years to the top back on the market to avoid what makes him effective.
For Reid, I think the answer isn’t black or white. It lies somewhere in the gray.
Answer: The Chiefs will indeed run under center more and the offense will be closer to a balanced attack, but Reid won’t suddenly forget that he has the game’s best quarterback (and rightfully so). In 2025, the Chiefs passed the ball just under 60% of the time. Maybe in 2026, that’s closer to 55%.
2) How should success be defined for the Chiefs in 2026?
I cheated here by plucking this one from the “One Question” section of our Chiefs Extra newsletter (consider joining the fun). I’ve maintained the Chiefs have two offseasons’ worth of work to do if they’re going to return to the NFL’s elite. I’ve liked their signings so far — they’ve put the team in a good spot heading into the draft.
But now comes the hard part: Veach and his staff must draft as well as they did in 2022, when they landed five key contributors in the secondary.
Long story short, I don’t think a successful season should be defined by jumping back to the top of the conference to win the AFC’s lone bye. But when you have Mahomes, any season that ends without the postseason is a wasted one. Answer: In part one of this two-part retooling stretch, the Chiefs should compete in the division and make the playoffs. If that happens, regardless of seeding, ain’t nobody going to want to see the Chiefs.
1) Will Patrick Mahomes be ready for Week 1?
Absolutely. I think. Maybe.
Nobody truly knows with ligament injuries, but every indication that the Chiefs have publicly provided since he began rehab back in mid-December is it’s headed in the right direction.
Mahomes said himself that he’s driven to be ready for Week 1, and most recently in Phoenix, Reid said that he “wouldn’t bet against him.”
It’s difficult to answer because all we have to go off of are less-serious injuries. In 2019, Mahomes returned from a dislocated knee after two absences. During the 2020 playoffs, he guided the Chiefs to the Super Bowl with turf toe, then won it in 2022 with a high-ankle sprain.
If he can’t go to start the season, the Chiefs have said they feel good about Justin Fields — but I’m with Reid.
Answer: I wouldn’t bet against Mahomes, either.
