{"id":856583,"date":"2026-04-06T08:43:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T08:43:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/856583\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T08:43:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T08:43:46","slug":"kansas-city-chiefs-2026-nfl-draft-preview-the-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/856583\/","title":{"rendered":"Kansas City Chiefs 2026 NFL Draft Preview \u2013 The Lead"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2025 Kansas City Chiefs never quite put it together. A painful ACL tear<\/a> for Patrick Mahomes<\/a> capped an underwhelming season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite the grumblings around the fandom, a much better result seemed incomprehensible with the lack of talent around Mahomes. With the departure of Isaiah Pacheco to the Lions, the Chiefs added Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker<\/a> III. Travis Kelce<\/a> also resigned to a one-year deal<\/a>, though his output still continues to be in question.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chiefs Draft Picks:<\/p>\n

With plenty of draft picks to go around, the Chiefs are poised to add much-needed talent around Mahomes:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Round 1: Pick 9
\nRound 1: Pick 29
\nRound 2: Pick 40
\nRound 3: Pick 74
\nRound 4: Pick 109
\nRound 5: Pick 148
\nRound 5: Pick 169
\nRound 5: Pick 176
\nRound 6: Pick 210<\/p>\n

Chiefs Positions of Need:<\/p>\n

General Manager Brett Veach has a simple yet vital outlook on the draft<\/a>: \u201cStick to that old mantra and take the best player available.\u201d Positions of need in numerous categories allow the Chiefs to pursue players from both sides of the football field. With that in mind, here are three clear positions the Chiefs should aggressively target.<\/p>\n

Key Draft Targets for Chiefs:\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0
\nDavid Bailey<\/a> \u2013 EDGE \u2013 Texas Tech<\/p>\n

Ranked first overall in total score at the NFL Combine<\/a>, David Bailey<\/a> is a serious defensive weapon. In addition to his explosiveness, he has a slippery nature, which is too much for linemen to handle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With no clear star in this position, the Chiefs would benefit greatly from drafting Bailey should he fall from his top three prospect<\/a> position. While he may lack size, he has the tools necessary to be forged into greatness.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Colton Hood<\/a> \u2013 CB \u2013 Tennessee<\/p>\n

Not many players look like they already fit into a defense like Colton Hood would for the Chiefs. He brings aggressive, in-your-face defense that stuns receivers and intimidates running backs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Several mock drafts project<\/a> Hood to be selected in the tail end of the first round. The Chiefs could snag the Second-Team All-SEC<\/a> cornerback with their second pick. Easily a \u201cplug-and-play\u201d type of player, Hood would add necessary talent in the Chiefs\u2019 secondary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Malachi Fields<\/a> \u2013 WR \u2013 Notre Dame<\/p>\n

Knowing Malachi Fields\u2019 talent, it\u2019s uncertain if he\u2019d drop far in the draft. However, the Chiefs would be ecstatic to land Fields in round three, where several mock drafts<\/a> project him to fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A 6-foot-4 receiver, Fields has elite size to break apart defensive fronts. A \u201cthrow it up and watch\u201d type of wideout is a perfect fit for Patrick Mahomes<\/a>. Known for his circus catches, Fields would add a fire this Chiefs team hasn\u2019t had in years.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2025 Kansas City Chiefs never quite put it together. A painful ACL tear for Patrick Mahomes capped…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":856584,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2063],"tags":[4955,346,7,118,110,2438,2437,6,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-856583","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kansas-city-chiefs","8":"tag-2026-nfl-draft","9":"tag-chiefs","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-kansas-city","12":"tag-kansas-city-chiefs","13":"tag-kansascity","14":"tag-kansascitychiefs","15":"tag-nfl","16":"tag-nfl-draft"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116356882987248775","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856583","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=856583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/856584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=856583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=856583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=856583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}