One month out from the 2026 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs are in the midst of making minor roster tweaks in free agency and finalizing their opinions on prospect evaluations. With only a few weeks remaining, the Chiefs can tighten the screws on their draft approach, monitor the market for potential ways to ease positional pressure, and feel a bit better about questionable players.
The Chiefs have nine picks at their disposal and, interestingly enough, those selections also start at No. 9 overall. Two first round picks and three in the top 40 overall guarantee some incoming impact, likely on both sides of the ball.
Pro days continue to alter the stock for various draft prospects, so let's look at how a rookie class could look for the Chiefs in our latest mock. But first, a trade down to start things off.
First-round trade with Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chiefs trade: No. 9, No. 169
Buccaneers trade: No. 15, No. 47
The draft board did not fall the Chiefs' way in this mock, with Rueben Bain Jr., David Bailey, Carnell Tate, and Caleb Downs off the board. In this scenario, the Buccaneers called with an offer to slide down six spots and acquire another top-50 selection in exchange for linebacker Sonny Styles. That works in the Chiefs' favor to restock a depleted roster at another key position that suffered losses in free agency.
1st round (No. 15 overall) - Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
The goal of a top-ten pick is to take a top-ten talent, so by sliding back, the Chiefs moved out of blue-chip territory. Or did they? Jermod McCoy is the upside play to still acquire a cornerstone-type player at a lower price point. McCoy is coming off a season lost to a torn ACL, so there's considerable risk here. But if healthy, he's potentially gone in the top 5 picks in this draft class. He's only 20 years old. His tape is elite. The metrics are there.
One more important point here: Yes, the Chiefs know how to make lemonade from lemons in the secondary, but K.C. is not just replacing a starter or even two. They've lost their best three defensive backs in Trent McDuffie, Bryan Cook, and Jaylen Watson. They've sufered other losses, too. McCoy's arrival eases the load on everyone in a defensive backfield that's drained most of the talent pool.
1st round (No. 29) - Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana
Year one might not be Omar Cooper Jr.'s year. With Rashee Rice around for one more year and Travis Kelce back for a 14th season, the Chiefs have players who know how to find the soft spots in zone coverage, giving Patrick Mahomes a reliable outlet. But with the clock ticking on both players and the need for a new volume target in the offense, who is also a beast with the ball in his hands, Cooper is going to be a nice find after missing on the first tier of wide receivers. While fit can be discussed down the road, it's important to note that Cooper played outside a lot more in '24. Either way, the Chiefs just need more talent in the WR room and they sort things out from there in training camp.
2nd round (No. 40) - Zion Young, EDGE, Missouri
It's one round later than what a lot of Chiefs Kingdom would like, but the Chiefs are able to address the need for a quality edge rusher early in the second with a very good player in Zion Young. The Missouri product is no stranger to the Chiefs in mocks, and for good reason. He's long. He's strong. He's a very good run defender with good technique and the power to collapse the pocket. Some character red flags and other prospects have higher potential ceilings as sack artists. But he's also a team captain who is a great fit for the Chiefs. He's a serious upgrade across from George Karlaftis. Draft him and go to work.
2nd round (No. 47) - Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati
We'd never want to take anything away from what Leo Chenal provided for the Chiefs, and there's a good reason why the Washington Commanders paid him rather handsomely in free agency to join them on a three-year deal. But the decision to grab Golday here with the extra pick gained in the aforementioned trade gives K.C. an ideal replacement with even better upside. Golday has been clocked at 22 mph and has elite measurables all around. The tape backs it up as an excellent downhill defender with some pass-rushing potential. He'd also be scary on special teams.
3rd round (No. 74) - Keionte Scott, CB, Miami
The Chiefs have to get tougher underneath in the secondary after losing Trent McDuffie and others. Kader Kohou was a nice signing, but he's a short-term solution, if healthy. Keionte Scott would give Steve Spagnuolo an aggressive, physical defender with elite speed and the ability to blitz well. The downside here is he's older (24), and missed tackle rates aren't great. But he broke through last season at Miami after three years at Auburn, with 2 pick-sixes, 5 sacks, and 13 tackles for loss. The right scheme seems to unlock his talents, and Spags and Dave Merritt will get that done.
4th round (No. 109) - Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia
This draft class has been heavy on the defensive side, but the Chiefs add another interesting prospect to the offense with a fourth-round grab of Oscar Delp here. They've already shown pre-draft interest in the Georgia product with a top-30 official visit scheduled ahead of the draft. Delp wasn't utilized much in Mike Bobo's offense, with only 70 total catches across his four seasons with the Bulldogs. But a lack of production is what's allowing elite athleticism and solid hands to slide this far, as a pass-catching weapon who feels like an upgrade behind Travis Kelce and a potential way to ease any loss of the legend next season.
5th round (No. 148) - Tristan Leigh, OT, Clemson
Jaylon Moore is in a contract year. Wanya Morris is as well. Josh Simmons missed half the season. It makes for K.C. to think about offensive tackle at some point, and going with the ultra-experienced tackle Tristan Leigh, who had 35 starts at left tackle for Clemson in the last three years. Leigh, who stands at 6'6, 315 lbs., played through an injury last year, which certainly hurt his draft stock. The Chiefs met with him at the Senior Bowl and land some bookend security here on day three.