Now that the dust has settled on the 2026 NFL Draft, teams are hard at work signing undrafted free agents. Before we know it, minicamps will be underway, depth charts will begin to take form, and we’ll be headed to training camp.
The Kansas City Chiefs added 7 draft picks to their roster via the draft, and while the UDFAs continue to come into place, the top of the depth chart has quickly evolved from “in pencil” to “in ink.” Under Brett Veach and Andy Reid, the Chiefs have typically had their starting lineup settled (or almost entirely settled) before the draft, but this year, some unusual holes needed to be filled.
While the process might not have gone the way some folks had predicted, Kansas City came out of the draft with a lot of questions answered—and some definitive winners and losers.
WINNER - Chris Jones, DT
The All-Pro defensive tackle is entering his age-31 season, but has seen an uptick in overall snap counts the past two years. Without a viable contributor across from him, Jones has been an easy target for double teams for the past several seasons. The selection of Peter Woods in the first round gives Jones a competitive threat in the interior that will demand some attention. Between the additions of Woods and free agent Khyiris Tonga, Kansas City will be able to rest Jones more over the course of the season and hopefully help prolong his career.
LOSER - Jaden Hicks, SS
No, the Chiefs didn’t select a safety. So why is Hicks, the third-year man out of Washington State, on this list? It’s really because of a domino effect at cornerback: The selection of Mansoor Delane at pick 6 cements him as a starter on one side, and the Chiefs felt the need to select nickelback Jadon Canady in Round 4. Canady and free agent signee Kader Kohou play almost exclusively in the slot; this, in turn, means several things for the safeties.
For one, and probably most importantly, it seems abundantly clear that the Chiefs are done playing Chamarri Conner in the slot. Given how much Steve Spagnuolo has depended on Conner, one has to assume that the fourth-year veteran will take the top spot on the depth chart next to free agent signee Alohi Gilman. This leaves Hicks on the outside looking in as the third safety.
WINNER - Jaylon Moore, RT
The 2025 free-agent signee was underwhelming in his first campaign with the Chiefs, opening the season as the sixth man on the offensive line. Moore did slide into the lineup for six starts before getting injured during the loss to the Chargers on December 14. After the Chiefs predictably cut starting right tackle Jawaan Taylor (saving $20 million in the process), Moore instantly became the de facto starter.
Moore has one year remaining on his deal, and his mediocre play led many across NFL circles to believe that the Chiefs would select an offensive tackle in the draft. Brett Veach comically chuckled at his successful smokescreen during his Thursday night presser, and as it turned out, the Chiefs left the draft having selected zero offensive linemen. This bodes well for Moore as the 2026 starter.
LOSER - Nikko Remigio, WR/KR
Remigio has established himself as the Chiefs’ kick and punt returner for a couple of years, and while he has proven to be very dependable at catching the ball (something that was a problem before his acquisition), Remigio’s production in the return game has been mediocre.
In 2025, Brashard Smith was drafted, and the rookie added another level of electricity to the return game. But Smith was also a project at running back in 2025 and didn’t do much with his opportunity. The selection of Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson, combined with the signings of Kenneth Walker and Emari Demercado, seems to push Smith out of the plans at running back.
Given that the Chiefs were looking to give Smith more opportunities within the offense than Remigio, it is likely that the team pencils the second-year man (who played wideout at SMU before changing to running back) near the bottom of the wide receiver depth chart while they rely on him more heavily at returner. This could spell the end of Remigio’s time in Kansas City.
WINNER - Ashton Gillette, DE
Acquired with the 2025 second-round pick the Chiefs got in exchange for trading cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans in 2024, Gillotte is the primary holdover opposite former first-rounder George Karlaftis, who is inked as a starter at one defensive end spot. The team released Mike Danna earlier this spring and allowed Charles Omenihu to leave in free agency.
Entering this year’s draft, most of Chiefs Kingdom was certain the team would come out of Thursday night with an edge rusher. Not only did the Chiefs go an entirely different direction with their first pick (cornerback Mansoor Delane), but with their second pick in the first round, they went with defensive tackle Peter Woods instead of an edge rusher.
When the second round began on Friday, several defensive ends were still available, and while the Chiefs did finally select one at pick 40, they surprisingly went against the grain of their standard archetype at the position by taking speedy, undersized rusher R. Mason Thomas. The addition of this particular player is very different than if Kansas City had selected someone who fits the mold of Karlaftis, Gillotte, etc., because Thomas will platoon nicely with Gillotte. This leaves the latter in a very stable position as the starting defensive end on first and second downs.
LOSER - Chris Oladokun, QB
Oladokun was surprisingly thrust into a starting role on Christmas Day 2025, getting the nod after injuries to Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew. The Chiefs narrowly lost to the Broncos that day, but Oladokun played admirably in the loss. Many considered it a positive audition for him to serve as someone’s QB2 in 2026. With Mahomes still recovering from his torn ACL,
Kansas City did acquire former first-rounder Justin Fields to replace Minshew as the backup, but Oladokun’s hopes to hang on in some capacity were dashed when the Chiefs spent their final pick on Saturday to select quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. The LSU product is the first quarterback the team has taken in the draft since the selection of Mahomes in 2017, and in terms of arm talent and leadership, he simply has traits Oladokun doesn’t have. Both Oladokun and Jake Haener will likely be on a practice squad somewhere in 2026.
WINNER - Rashee Rice, WR
Like Gillotte, this was a case of a veteran player expected to be bumped down the depth chart by a first-round pick but instead found himself in a much more stable place when the draft ended. Sure, the Chiefs eventually added a wideout on Saturday (Cincinnati's Cyrus Allen), but we’ve been talking about the potential for someone like Carnell Tate or Jordyn Tyson being added to this wide receiver room as a WR1. Instead, Rice will enter his contract year with everything to prove as the top target in the Chiefs’ offense.
WINNER - Steve Spagnuolo, Defensive Coordinator
Coach Spags has to be one of the biggest winners league-wide among coaches and coordinators. The Chiefs have spent this offseason completely revamping their defensive personnel, and this draft gives Spagnuolo an array of talents: a top-flight cornerback prospect in Mansoor Delane, an elite defensive tackle prospect in Peter Woods, a speedy edge rusher in R. Mason Thomas, and a versatile nickel corner in Jadon Canady. It will be very exciting to see how Spagnuolo resets this defense in 2026.
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