Chiefs have a perfect draft scenario if Caleb Downs is still there

Following the worst season the Chiefs have had since 2012, Kansas City is picking in the top 10 for the first time since they traded up to select Patrick Mahomes in 2017. This season, the Chiefs snapped a 10-year streak of making the NFL playoffs, and they have had an active offseason as they look to return in 2026. Now, with draft day just around the corner, the talk of the town is: What will Kansas City do picking at ninth overall?

There has been a wide range of discussions, with as many as 12 different players having been mocked to the Chiefs at various points in the season. The Chiefs have been linked to players at nearly every position, except quarterback, and even after free agency, the picture of what the Chiefs will do remains somewhat foggy. But in my estimation, if the stars align, there is one player who stands above the rest as the perfect fit for the Chiefs on draft day.

Caleb Downs, the superstar safety from Ohio State, grades as my top overall player in this year's class and has earned himself the title of “best safety prospect I have ever watched.” You would think a player of Downs’ skill level would not even be a possibility for the Chiefs at pick nine, but many analysts have him falling out of the top 10.

The Chiefs need a big hit on draft day, and Caleb Downs is a can't-miss prospect.

Safety is maybe the most undervalued position in the NFL, especially the type of hybrid safety like Downs, who can line up all over the field on defense and have an immeasurable impact. Players like Kyle Hamilton, Nick Emmanwori, and Malaki Starks were all seen as top prospects but fell in the draft and have been immediate game-changers in the NFL. Yet still, we see top safeties fall in the draft year after year, and if Downs makes it to nine, the slide should end right there with Kansas City.

In an offseason in which the Chiefs' secondary has lost Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, and Bryan Cook, building the back end of the defense may be the top priority for Brett Veach in this year's draft. Drafting Downs would be a perfect start to the draft, and he would more than likely immediately be the best member of the Chiefs' secondary from day one.

Downs is the very definition of a “Swiss Army knife” defensive back, the type of player who can be used in almost any role and be effective. Throughout his time with both Alabama and Ohio State, Downs has been used in the box as a hybrid linebacker, in the slot as a corner, and as a lurking free safety over the top. He has even been used as the primary kick and punt returner at both schools, something you NEVER hear about for a safety at any level.

Steve Spagnuolo would be like a little kid on Christmas if the Chiefs landed Downs, and his versatility would allow him and the defense to be that much more aggressive. Opposing quarterbacks step to the line of scrimmage, and the first thing they have to do is find where Downs is and adjust, and that type of presence just makes everyone on a defense better.

In the past, the best Chiefs defenses relied on elite safety play, with guys like Eric Berry, Tyrann Mathieu, and Justin Reid all major difference-makers in Kansas City. Now, in a relatively weak draft class, especially at the top, Downs is one of the only “can’t-miss” prospects in the class, at a position the Chiefs desperately need to improve. If he is on the board at No. 9, Brett Veach and the Chiefs staff should be running the pick to the podium to get their next all-world safety talent for the future.