This is a team that is going through an identity crisis of sorts, while they still have a quarterback in his prime (coming off an injury), and some young pieces (some with big question marks), they are a team with quite a bit of aging vets that are beginning to cost them a considerable amount of their cap space (see below). 

I know they spent more than half of their 2025 draft capital on defense, but I still think they need significant help on that defensive line, as well as some offensive line depth, a running back, a tight end, and probably another wideout. I won’t trade picks, so we stand pat and see what the board gives us!

Note: Teams inevitably trade draft picks during the draft; I will not be. I’m standing pat and selecting based on how the roster will look today, so no free agency either. 

2026 Kansas City Chiefs: Overview

Thanks to our friends at Spotrac, here’s the top 11 contracts as well as their cap overview, and they are going to have to get creative, but there’s a ton of dead cap attached to many of the names on this list, so the office will definitely be earning its keep this offseason.

Kansas City Chiefs 2026 7 Round NFL Mock Draft
#9 – Caleb Downs, SAF, Ohio State
#40 – Caleb Banks, DL, Florida
#74 – Derrick Moore, EDGE, Michigan
#109 – Nick Singleton, RB, Penn State
#146 – Reggie Virgil, WR, Texas Tech
#176 – Tanner Koziol, TE, Houston
RECAP

I know Senior Bowl recency Bias looks like it has run rampant on the middle part of my mock draft, but Banks and Moore are guys I liked coming into Draft season, and practices showcased some of what I’ve seen on tape. Athletic defensive talent for my first three picks makes too much sense to pass up. I know Love is the hot name to send to them, but I wanted to look elsewhere and address running back later in the draft if possible. With Caleb Downs still being available at 9, I pivoted to the top player on my board there, as I think he’s a game-changer in the secondary. So we beefed up all three levels of your defense, then targeted some talented pieces on offense in the second half of your draft.

With Caleb Banks, you could have him be your Chris Jones replacement in time, or use his athletic ability to be a big edge-setting rusher, then I grabbed Derrick Moore as another big-time edge rusher who showed skills throughout his collegiate career and made some highlights this week when guys talked about standouts from the Senior Bowl practices.

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I know Singleton broke his foot this week, so I think he probably slides down some, but I think he’s a really nice fit for KC if they can get him in the draft. Virgil had himself a week in Mobile and could easily make a case for being an early-day 3 player in the draft at a position where the Chiefs still could use some reinforcements. 

Reggie Virgil is another name that should rise draft boards, and I want to show love to Luigi Tedone from ProDraftScouting.com. He did a great post on him over on X, and he brings a calm, cool attitude to a room that desperately needs some guys to lead by example. I finish off your mock draft with Koziol, who could be your heir-apparent to Kelce, more so than anyone else you have on the roster currently.

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