The NFL Draft is approximately five weeks away, and the picture is getting clearer regarding what teams need and what they have. A lot has changed for the Chiefs over the last few weeks with the addition of the Trent McDuffie trade package and their free agency signings.
For this mock draft, we will be going for a predictive strategy, meaning this is what we think the Chiefs will do, not what we want them to do.
To keep close tabs on the NFL Draft, be sure to check out our 100 Prospects in 100 Days and our Arrowhead Addict Big Board, tailored toward the Chiefs' needs and thresholds.
Round 1, Pick 9: Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami
Much has been made about Rueben Bain's short arms, but there's lots more to a player than a single measurement. You turn on the tape and see a player who routinely takes over games not just as a pass rusher but as a run defender. Moving all across the offensive line, Bain can impact games in a number of ways.
The Chiefs have made something clear this offseason: they prioritize premium positions in the draft. They followed that up by using free agency to sign a running back, a nose tackle, a slot corner, and a safety. It feels like the Chiefs will likely target edge, wide receiver, or corner with their initial first-round selection. There are enough questions around Bain's arms that he has a chance to be on the board at pick 9. The Chiefs should sprint the card in, if that's the case.
Round 1, Pick 29: Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
In 2022, the Chiefs traded away a blue-chip player and drafted an edge and a corner in the first round to compensate. The Chiefs go back to that strategy again here with Colton Hood. He profiles as a physical press-man corner that is a willing participant in the run game. He stepped up in a big way when teammate Jermod McCoy went down with an ACL tear before the season.
The top-end corner talent in this class isn't the strongest, but the depth is very nice. Add in the overall defensive back depth at the safety position (Caleb Downs and Dillon Thieneman), and there's a good chance a quality corner will still be on the board for the Chiefs. There's not a wide receiver we really love in this range that can't wait until pick 40.
Round 2, Pick 40: Germie Benard, WR, Alabama
The Chiefs definitely still need a receiver, even after bringing back Tyquan Thornton and Travis Kelce. They also have a strong correlation with a particular testing metric at the receiver position. Brett Veach hasn't drafted a Day 1 or Day 2 receiver with a 10-yard split below the 90th percentile. The Chiefs prioritize acceleration and yards after the catch for their West Coast offense.
Germie Bernard was one of the few receivers to eclipse the 90th percentile of the 10-yard split at the combine. His game translates well to the Chiefs, too, as a natural Z-receiver. He could do quite a bit of what Hollywood Brown did, with better size (6-1, 206 lbs), and operate on the outside as another option as a pass catcher. Is he an alpha? Probably not. But there's likely not one of those in this class either.
Round 3, Pick 74: Gracen Halton, IDL, Oklahoma
Even with the addition of Khyris Tonga, the Chiefs still have a need at defensive tackle. They've been aging along the interior for a while now, but now they are piecing together a nice core of athletes on the inside. The combination of Chris Jones, Tonga, Omarr Norman-Lott, and Gracen Halton has some serious juice.
Gracen Halton was one of the standouts at the combine for his athletic testing, including a 9.70 Relative Athletic Score. The testing matches the tape too for a guy who ranks 10th in total pressures among defensive tackles, and his 10.4% pass-rush win rate is second in the draft class behind only Lee Hunter. A gap-shooting penetrator for the Chiefs to pair with Jones and Norman-Lott.
Round 4, Pick 109: Treydan Stukes, S, Arizona
Stukes feels like a guy every coaching staff will love. He was voted a team captain by his peers and described by coaches as a film junkie. Similar to L'Jarius Sneed and Chamarri Conner, Stukes is in that safety/corner hybrid role. He would be best as a safety for the Chiefs. At 6-1, 190 lbs, he's got nice size and is a sure tackler that has solid ball skills: 7 career interceptions and 29 passes defended.
Stukes is an older prospect, but he can move around and has experience in the slot as well. He has a high floor as a prospect because of his athleticism and intangibles. With the addition of Alohi Gilman, it feels like the Chiefs need to keep stacking quality bodies in that room and figure out their roles in August.
Round 5, Pick 148: Eli Raridon, TE, Notre Dame
The Chiefs need to improve their tight end room, with questions surrounding every tight end on the roster after 2026. Eli Raridon is more of a traditional tight end who helped block for the best running back duo in the country and is a quality receiver, too. He's not going to be a big-time YAC threat, but he can stretch seams and track the ball well down the field. Raridon tested in the 98th percentile among tight ends at the combine and grew up a Chiefs fan in Des Moines, IA.
Round 5, Pick 169: Kaelon Black, RB, Indiana
The Chiefs shouldn't be done at running back even with Kenneth Walker, Emari Demercado, and Brashard Smith on the roster. Kaelon Black was part of a timeshare running back committee for the national champion Hoosiers. He's a member of Bruce Feldman's Freaks List for his twitchy athleticism and raw power in his lower half. He's probably never going to be a lead back, but he's going to chew up the yardage ahead of him and punish tacklers in the process. He's a great option to spell Kenneth Walker on early downs.
Round 5, Pick 176: Hezekiah Masses, CB, California
There's something cooking with defensive backs from Cal, as the Chiefs add Nohl Williams' former teammate here. Similar to Williams, Masses had lots of ball production in his final season with 5 interceptions and 13 passes defended. He profiles as a physical press-man corner who disrupts route timing as well. He'll need some growth as a run defender, though, to fit the Chiefs' needs. He can be added depth in a reworked secondary.
Round 6, Pick 210- Jalen Huskey, S, Maryland
The Chiefs struck gold with a handful of defensive backs in the 2022 NFL Draft, and they replicate that emphasis here. What we like is the versatility. Between these four defensive backs, there's strong safety, free safety, slot corner, and boundary corner versatility. Huskey played boundary corner early in his career but has moved into more of a free safety role. The Chiefs throw numbers at the secondary while also adding several contributors for special teams.