Arrowhead Addict’s 2026 NFL draft big board gives Chiefs fans a peek at the future

With the 2026 NFL Draft fast approaching, it's time to take a look at the top prospects for the Kansas City Chiefs.

You’ll notice this Big Board differs from many national rankings. That’s intentional. We’ve built it around the Chiefs’ current roster makeup and positional needs. As a result, you won’t find many quarterbacks listed here, as Kansas City remains well-established at that position. Instead, we’ve placed greater emphasis on positions that could make a more immediate impact, such as defensive tackle, running back, and edge.

At the moment, the Chiefs are projected to hold six picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. While our board presents players in a ranked order, we encourage readers to view them in tiers, as talent gaps within each tier can be fluid.

Because this Big Board is constructed with the Chiefs’ draft tendencies in mind, we’ve also factored in their historical preferences and athletic thresholds. For example, undersized edge rushers, offensive tackles with sub-34-inch arms, or smaller corners who shy away from contact typically don’t align with Kansas City’s profile, and our rankings reflect that. We’ve designed this board to fit what the Chiefs actually value, not just what draft analysts project.

New this year: Click on each player's name to open an 800+ word scouting report and film cut up on the prospect!

Ranking the 2026 NFL Draft's top prospects for the Kansas City Chiefs

First-round grades for the 2026 NFL Draft

These top 11 players represent our “first-round grades.” As you'll notice, this is a pretty small list, which speaks to the class as a whole. While it's still early, we're pretty uninspired by this draft class so far and will adjust rankings accordingly.

With that being said, measuring players by their floor rather than their ceiling might be the safest choice for the 2026 NFL Draft class. These players represent the highest floors in the class. While the Chiefs won't be in the market to draft a QB, as always, they decide the draft, particularly the first round.

Second-round grades

The following players represent our second-round grades thus far. There will likely be a few more players added with similar grades. This class feels particularly shallow in this area. We love our top 11 prospects, but after that, the drop-off hits pretty quickly. This might be a good year for the Chiefs to stick and pick in the first round.

Third-round grades

This collection of players represents our third-round grades on prospects. Fourteen round-three grades illustrate that this draft has some nice depth on Day 2. With that being said, there are lots of scheme and role questions here. Will Ponds play the slot at the next level, etc.? This part of the board is where you start to focus more on traits rather than projection.

Other Day 3 grades for the Chiefs

This group of players falls into our “Day 3” grades, though they will certainly be drafted earlier than that. Most of this should be viewed on a draft-to-draft basis compared to the class as a whole. How does pick 50 in the 2026 draft compare to the 2024 draft? Overall, there are lots of questions in this section and some more scheme-specific contributors as well.