This is what the experts think the Chiefs should do. There will probably be a lot they disagree on, but there could be some agreements. I\u2019m here to break them down and add my two cents on how I think the Chiefs should handle the 2026 NFL Draft based on what the experts said. We pulled mock drafts from ESPN<\/a>, The Athletic<\/a>, CBS<\/a> and FanSided\u2019s own Cody Williams.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Round 1, pick 9 Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (4) against the Indiana Hoosiers during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n ESPN: EDGE Rueben Bain Jr., MiamiCBS: OT Francis Maiugoa, MiamiFanSided: EDGE Rueben Bain Jr., MiamiThe Athletic: OT Spencer Fano, Utah<\/p>\n \u201cI really liked him. He has some traits that remind me of (former Packers two-time All-Pro) David Bakhtiari in that he might not be the biggest tackle, but he has this athleticism and the ability to recover when he was in bad body positions and still block guys.\u201d \u2013 The Athletic<\/p>\n Half of the experts believe the Chiefs should draft Patrick Mahomes\u2019 blindside protector and the other half thinks Rueben Bain Jr. is the answer. Because the Chiefs have two first round picks, I think it\u2019s hard to pass up on Bain if he\u2019s there. If he\u2019s not, maybe they could entertain the offensive line, though I think if Mansoor Delane is out there, they have to take him if Bain isn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n Round 1, pick 29 Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Colton Hood (8) runs with the ball after an interception against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images<\/p>\n ESPN: CB Avieon Terrell, ClemsonCBS: CB Colton Hood, TennesseeFanSided: Traded with ARI out of first roundThe Athletic: CB Colton Hood, Tennessee<\/p>\n \u201cThe younger brother of Falcons’ cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. is similar to McDuffie in his ability to play inside or outside. Avieon Terrell had three interceptions at Clemson while allowing only 4.4 yards per attempt when targeted by opposing quarterbacks.\u201d \u2013 ESPN<\/p>\n Everybody is in agreement the Chiefs need to take a cornerback in the first round. I personally like Aveion Terrell over Colton Hood, but I\u2019m not mad about that selection. The Chiefs let go of both McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. They need some improvements and this draft has a lot of front-end cornerback talent.\u00a0<\/p>\n Round 2, pick 40ESPN: WR Germie Bernard, AlabamaCBS: EDGE Cashius Howell, Texas A&MFanSided: OT Blake Miller (pick No. 34, via trade with ARI)<\/p>\n \u201cBernard would, at minimum, be a capable WR3 and replace the targets departed free agents Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster received, with the upside to grow into a front-line starter in the slot.\u201d \u2013 ESPN<\/p>\n Three differing views here. I think with Cody Williams\u2019 trade proposal where the Chiefs trade the No. 29 pick for the No. 34 and surrender the No. 40 pick as part of a separate deal with the Cleveland Browns then yes it makes sense to take an offensive lineman. As far as ESPN\u2019s projection, it\u2019s kind of been a revolving door of receivers in Kansas City and I just don\u2019t see another one coming in and doing anything different. I think the Chiefs need to focus on developing Rahsee Rice and Xavier Worthy into a 1-2 punch.\u00a0<\/p>\n Round 3, pick 74ESPN: DT Dominique Orange, Iowa StateCBS: S Bud Clark, TCUFanSided: CB Devin Moore, Florida<\/p>\n \u201cOrange is a solid nose tackle at 6-foot-2 and 322 pounds, and he can be an anchor in the middle of the line and provide push on third downs.\u201d \u2013 ESPN<\/p>\n I agree with ESPN that the Chiefs are old on the defensive line and they need to get young. This would give them a great development piece that could ultimately turn into a solid role player after Chris Jones retires. That said, I am really high on Devin Moore and he seems like the perfect corner for Steve Spagnuolo. The Chiefs could turn Moore into a lockdown corner while not having to pay him like one. This move could be one of the biggest in the draft if he\u2019s there, in my opinion.\u00a0<\/p>\n Round 4, pick 109 Georgia Bulldogs tight end Oscar Delp (4) runs the ball in the first half agains the Texas Longhorns at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/p>\n ESPN: TE Oscar Delp, GeorgiaCBS: LB Deontae Lawson, Alabama<\/p>\n These are honestly two good picks. The Chiefs will eventually have to start looking for replacements for Travis Kelce and Oscar Delp did garner a lot of attention a few years ago. While that has tapered off, he could reprise his potential and be the perfect weapon for Mahomes like Kelce was. That said, to add to their defense should always stay at the forefront. They did lose Leo Chenal this offseason so adding a linebacker should be on their to do list. I like waiting until the fourth round just because the first 100 picks are valuable.<\/p>\n Round 5, pick 148ESPN: OT Judy Bowry, Boston CollegeCBS: DT Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati<\/p>\n I love the Dontay Corleone selection here. Like I said before the Chiefs need to get younger on the defensive line and Corleone is a great pick up here. He had a productive career at Cincinnati and while injuries hampered him most of the last two seasons, he\u2019s still a solid prospect. He\u2019s shorter for his size, but he does a really good job of eating up blocks and stuffing the run. I\u2019m not against an offensive lineman here, but Corleone is a good pick.\u00a0<\/p>\n Round 5, pick 169 (via LAR)ESPN: CB Marcus Allen, UNCCBS: WR Eric McAlister, TCU<\/p>\n I like Eric McAlister with this pick. McAlister had a productive final year at TCU, eclipsing 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdown catches. Is he going to immediately be the No. 1 target in KC, no. But depth is better than anything. This is a team that\u2019s had more receiver problems than just about any team in the NFL over the last five years. Marcus Allen in the fifth round seems like a reach. McAlister has been mocked as high as the fourth round in some mocks.\u00a0<\/p>\n Round 5, pick 176 (compensatory pick) Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Lorenzo Styles Jr. (3) reacts in the first half during the 2025 Big Ten championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images<\/p>\n ESPN: S Lorenzo Styles Jr., Ohio StateCBS: IOL Kobe Baynes, Kansas<\/p>\n The Chiefs need to find a replacement for Bryan Cook, which is why drafting Lorenzo Styles isn\u2019t a bad move here. It\u2019s not a super important position to fill for the Chiefs right now, but it\u2019s still one they can\u2019t completely neglect. It\u2019s not too many times Ohio State players aren\u2019t going to perform well in the NFL. He might be an All-Pro, but he could very well be the perfect short term solution that turns into something more.\u00a0<\/p>\n Round 6, pick 210 (via LAR)ESPN: RB Rashul Faison, South CarolinaCBS: WR\/RB Eli Heindreich, Navy<\/p>\n With their final pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the experts agree Kansas City needs to add depth to the running back room. I personally like Eli Heindreich for the Chiefs for the simple fact that he can be a utility player on the offense. Think how Dallas uses KaVontae Turpin. He can be a special teams player while filling in on gadget plays in the slot and in the backfield. The more weapons Mahomes has the better and there\u2019s nothing like giving him a player that is a backfield threat all over the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n More NFL Draft news and analysis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bullet point summary by AI The Kansas City Chiefs are preparing for a defense-focused NFL Draft with nine…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":853915,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2063],"tags":[346,7,118,110,2438,2437,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-853914","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kansas-city-chiefs","8":"tag-chiefs","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-kansas-city","11":"tag-kansas-city-chiefs","12":"tag-kansascity","13":"tag-kansascitychiefs","14":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116348453093183807","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853914","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=853914"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853914\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/853915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=853914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=853914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=853914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Rueben](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01kncpjqnkvv21gkgevz.jpg\" "\\"Rueben")
<\/p>\n![\"Colton](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01kncpmf2k1e7qwj03bq.jpg\" "\\"Colton")
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