The Chiefs’ draft position got a big bump thanks to results of Week 17 NFL games
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Week 17 results moved the Chiefs from 11th to ninth in the 2026 draft order.
- Saints, Dolphins, Bengals and Falcons wins in Week 17 directly altered standings.
- If Saints beat Falcons and Chiefs lose to Raiders, Kansas City could claim the 8th pick.
At this time of the season, Chiefs fans are accustomed to seeing what playoff seed the team will get.
But when the Chiefs were officially eliminated from the NFL postseason race, attention turned to their position in the 2026 draft.
Ten days ago, the Chiefs were 13th in the NFL Draft order. But they moved up to 11th following their losses to the Titans and Broncos. The latter came Thursday on Christmas night.
A series of specific results on Sunday and Monday helped push the Chiefs, 6-10, to ninth in the NFL Draft order, with a chance to move higher.
On Sunday, the Saints beat the Titans 34-26, the Dolphins topped the Buccaneers 20-17 and the Bengals thumped the Cardinals 37-14. And on Monday, the Falcons knocked off the Rams 27-24.
With its win, Cincinnati improved to 6-10, the same record as the Chiefs, but the Bengals fell one spot behind KC in the draft order. Miami had the same record as the Chiefs entering Week 17, but improved to 7-9 with a victory.
Ditto for the Falcons, who were 6-9 going into their “Monday Night Football” game. But they upset the Rams and have a better record than the Chiefs.
Atlanta plays New Orleans to end the season, a game Chiefs fans will want to watch. If the Saints, 6-10, win that game and the Chiefs fall to the Raiders on Sunday, KC will get the eighth pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
Current top 10 for 2026 NFL Draft
With one week left in the regular season, here is the current top 10 for the 2026 NFL Draft, which is April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. Draft order is according to Tankathon.com.
1. Raiders 2-14
2. Giants 3-13
3. Jets 3-13
4. Titans 3-13
5. Cardinals 3-13
6. Browns 4-12
7. Commanders 4-12
8. Saints 6-10
9. Chiefs 6-10
10. Bengals 6-10
This story was originally published December 30, 2025 at 9:00 AM.
