{"id":811545,"date":"2026-03-14T07:54:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T07:54:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/811545\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T07:54:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T07:54:39","slug":"chiefs-mock-draft-kc-targets-elite-wr-exciting-defenders-early","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/811545\/","title":{"rendered":"Chiefs Mock Draft: KC targets elite WR, exciting defenders early"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> general manager Brett Veach made bold moves to acquire top talent in the first week of free agency, and should have a better idea of which positions he will look to target with his picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

With two first-round selections to make, Veach will have an enviable flexibility on Day 1 and should be able to tailor his approach to maximize Kansas City’s draft capital.<\/p>\n

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In this seven-round Chiefs mock draft, Kansas City targets a star wide receiver with the No. 9 selection before Veach begins targeting defenders:<\/p>\n

Round 1, Pick No. 9: Arizona State Sun Devils WR Jordyn Tyson\"Nov<\/p>\n

Nov 28, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Jordyn Tyson (0) against the Arizona Wildcats during the 99th Territorial Cup at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Tyson is an absolute dynamo \u2014 exactly the kind of wide receiver Kansas City needs to rejuvenate its passing game.<\/p>\n

Round 1, Pick No. 29: Cincinnati Bearcats LB Jake Golday\"Oct<\/p>\n

Oct 12, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; UCF Knights quarterback Jacurri Brown (11) looks to pass in front of Cincinnati Bearcats linebacker Jake Golday (11) during the second half at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

This pick may be a bit of a reach, but Golday is an exciting linebacker prospect who should have no problem developing into a key difference-maker for Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.<\/p>\n

Round 2, Pick No. 40: San Diego State Aztecs DB Chris Johnson\"Oct<\/p>\n

Oct 5, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego State Aztecs cornerback Chris Johnson (1) warms up before the game against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Snapdragon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Kansas City needs to come away from this draft with a starting cornerback, and finds its man in Johnson with the No. 40 selection.<\/p>\n

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\"Nov<\/p>\n

Nov 8, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers running back Emmett Johnson (21) runs the ball against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Veach picks back-to-back Johnsons on Day 2, this time turning to the Tree Planters State to find a running mate for newly acquired tailback Kenneth Walker III.<\/p>\n

Round 4, Pick No. 109: Florida Gators OT Austin Barber\"TALLAHASSEE,<\/p>\n

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 30: Austin Barber #58 of the Florida Gators celebrates after a game against the Florida State Seminoles of a game at Doak Campbell Stadium on November 30, 2024 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

In a bid to shore up the Chiefs’ front-five, Veach targets Barber in Round 4 with Kansas City’s first selection on Day 3.<\/p>\n

Round 5, Pick No. 148: Notre Dame Fighting Irish TE Eli Raridon\"Nov<\/p>\n

Nov 1, 2025; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Eli Raridon (9) gestures after making a first down in the fourth quarter against the Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Raridon isn’t the flashiest tight end prospect in this class, but he has the tools to develop into an interesting pass-catcher for Patrick Mahomes.<\/p>\n

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Round 5, Pick No. 169: Michigan Wolverines DL Rayshaun Benny\"Michigan<\/p>\n

Michigan defensive lineman Rayshaun Benny (26) tries to block a pass from Ohio State quarterback Will Howard (18) during the second half at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.<\/p>\n

Benny should be among the best players available at the position when Kansas City is on the clock with the No. 168 selection.<\/p>\n

Round 5, Pick No. 176: Oklahoma Sooners OG Febechi Nwaiwu\"FRISCO,<\/p>\n

FRISCO, TEXAS – JANUARY 27: Febechi Nwaiwu #54 from Oklahoma playing for the West Team attempts to make a block during the fourth quarter against the East Team during the 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl at Ford Center on January 27, 2026 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Tim Heitman\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

This would be an unexciting but productive pick for the Chiefs. Nwaiwu is far from a perfect prospect, but he may be able to compete for a backup role as a rookie.<\/p>\n

Round 6, Pick No. 210: Maryland Terrapins DB Jalen Huskey\"Nov<\/p>\n

Nov 16, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins defensive back Jalen Huskey (22) celebrates during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Huskey joins Kansas City as the Chiefs’ final pick and gets a chance to compete for snaps in Steve Spagnuolo’s new-look secondary.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Chiefs take top WR, exciting defenders in latest mock<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach made bold moves to acquire top talent in the first week…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":662495,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2063],"tags":[4220,346,29019,7,118,110,2438,2437,9295,1868,6,4732,1787,21188,2890],"class_list":["post-811545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-brett-veach","tag-chiefs","tag-chris-johnson","tag-football","tag-kansas-city","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-kansascity","tag-kansascitychiefs","tag-kenneth-walker-iii","tag-maryland-terrapins","tag-nfl","tag-notre-dame-fighting-irish","tag-oklahoma-sooners","tag-san-diego-state-aztecs","tag-steve-spagnuolo"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116226456778904993","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=811545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/662495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=811545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=811545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=811545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}