The Chiefs making two defensive first-round picks says a lot about the offense
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs traded up to select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane at No. 6 overall.
- Chiefs selected Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods at No. 29 overall.
- Chiefs' recent moves suggest they plan to emphasize a more physical running offense.
The best draft capital the Chiefs have possessed in at least four years led them in the same direction they steered a rebuild, well, four years ago.
Defense.
And then defense again.
The Chiefs traded up to land LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane at No. 6 overall in Thursday’s first round of the 2026 NFL Draft before picking Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods at No. 29.
It’s reminiscent of 2022 when, offered a surplus of first-round picks because of the offseason trade of a star player, they selected cornerback Trent McDuffie and defensive end George Karlaftis. That draft class became the defensive foundation for two more Super Bowls, and those two were pillars of it.
But the commentary the Chiefs made with Thursday’s first-round haul wasn’t just about their defense.
It says a lot about what they think of the offense, too.
If a youth talent infusion isn’t going to be responsible for sparking an offense that has finished 15th or worse in scoring for three straight seasons, then a scheme infusion will need to do the heavy lifting.
The Chiefs have said plenty about how they want to become a better and more frequent running team — more “violent,” as general manager Brett Veach put it earlier this month.
Their actions are more persuasive.
The offensive help can still come in the middle or later rounds of this draft — though the Chiefs have a couple fewer picks after trading two of them to the Browns in order to select Delane. (Juxtapose that to the Bills, who added picks with three trades back.)
But the offense has obviously been a secondary thought in Kansas City’s draft room.
“As much as I love the offense,” head coach Andy Reid said, “(the defense) is an important side of the ball. We had some vacancies there we needed to take care of.”
That’s not only the way it shook out. That’s how the Chiefs felt going into this draft. They went up and “got our guy,” Veach said. They wanted to address the defense.
Which means they believe they have already addressed the offense.
Mind you, the only real offensive-impact addition this offseason has come at running back, though it’s a big-money one: Kenneth Walker signed the fourth-highest contract for a running back in the league.
The wide receiver room, which certainly could and should be a point of emphasis over the next two days, is looking a bit thin — unless, of course, you plan to use them less.
See, the Chiefs subtly made three more figurative additions: Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith and Kingsley Suamataia, if they use them differently.
Which is precisely what their first-round selections point toward. If the Chiefs really do plan to run the ball more and take better advantage of a physical interior offensive line, well, they are far closer to opening-week ready to invoke that plan than they would be a pass-first and pass-heavy scheme.
The passing game looks a lot like it did a year ago, except for the departure of Hollywood Brown, who, believe it or not, led their receivers in both yards and touchdowns.
How does it produce better results?
Scheme.
Or priority.
Shortly after the season, you could sense the frustration quarterback Patrick Mahomes felt during the season. He talked about becoming too predictable. That never appeared more obvious than his final appearance, when the Chargers’ secondary began jumping some routes.
The solution isn’t merely to make additions to the passing game — it’s giving them something else altogether to consider.
The best way to make Mahomes more effective? Make his job easier.
Give him a respectable running game so that every time he drops back into the pocket he’s not greeted with seven or more sets of eyes staring back at him (because they expected him to drop back).
Walker is an addition that defenses will have to respect, but only if the Chiefs are set on forcing them to do so. His skill-set should prompt a tweak in style.
The Chiefs’ two picks Thursday suggest they’ve already made that tweak — that they’ve believe they’ve already made their quarterback’s job easier.
It’s not with an overwhelming roster overhaul.
It would come with a change in philosophy.