After already making a selection in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs were back on the clock 16 slots later. Shortly after addressing running back, which was the first offensive pick of the Chiefs' entire draft class thus far, general manager Brett Veach kept his attention on that side of the ball with the 176th pick.
The Chiefs selected Cyrus Allen, a wide receiver out of Cincinnati, giving them another weapon for an offense that's going to undergo seismic changes. A new coordinator in Eric Bieniemy, an offseason emphasis on the ground game, and the uncertain timeline of Patrick Mahomes from a torn ACL will take some time to work out.
Allen is a product of three programs, after transferring from Louisiana Tech to Texas A&M and then Cincinnati. At Louisiana Tech, he made an immediate impact as a true freshman in 2022, with an average 22.7 yards per catch, and he added another 778 yards on 46 catches in 2023 with greater volume. However, his lone season at Texas A&M was a rather quiet one, wherein he managed just 18 catches and 1 touchdown in a limited role,
Brett Veach finally added some wide receiver help for the Chiefs late in the fifth round.
Allen made the most of a fresh start at Cincinnati and finished 2025 as the Bearcats' leading receiver with 51 catches for 674 yards and 13 touchdowns, leading the Big 12 in TD receptions while tying the school record. He joins a wide receiver room anchored by Rashee Rice in a contract year and Xavier Worthy in a pivotal third season. Jalen Royals basically redshirted his rookie season in 2025, while Tyquan Thornton hopes for a greater offensive share in his return to the team.
Here's the full list of picks made up until this point by Veach:
- Round 1 (No. 6) - Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
- Round 1 (29) - Peter Woods, IDL, Clemson
- Round 2 (40) - R Mason Thomas, DE, Oklahoma
- Round 4 (109) - Jadon Canady, DB, Oregon
- Round 5 (161) - Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska
After making this second pick in the fifth round, the Chiefs are now only scheduled for one more selection in the 2026 draft: a seventh-round choice at No. 249 picked up in the Emmett Johnson trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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