The Kansas City Chiefs are in unfamiliar territory in this year's NFL Draft. For the first time since 2013, the Chiefs will enter draft weekend with a top-10 pick (assuming they don't trade it) and it's a situation that Brett Veach has not been in since taking over as the Chiefs general manager in 2017.
The Chiefs have been in draft mode for a few weeks now and mock drafts have certainly been a little more exciting with them owning a top 10 pick. A recent mock draft from Nick Baumgardner and Scott Dochterman of The Athletic will definitely have Chiefs fans dreaming of what could be for this team come draft weekend in April, as it'd hit some major needs for this team.
With the ninth overall pick, the Chiefs select Rueben Bain Jr. out of Miami, a selection that would excite pretty much everyone in Kansas City. Bain could bring an electric pass-rusher to this defense, something this Chiefs team didn't have in 2025.
"Miami led the nation in sacks, and Bain was an offense-wrecking machine. He frequently drew double teams, yet still finished with 9.5 sacks and 83 total pressures, according to PFF. Lined up alongside Chris Jones, Bain immediately would revitalize the Chiefs’ slumping defense."
As noted in the blurb, Bain had 9.5 sacks in 2025 and the thought of him and Chris Jones both on the field together would have Chiefs fans fanning themselves. The pass rush was nearly non-existent for the Chiefs last year and that can't be the case again if the Chiefs want to be Super Bowl contenders again in 2026.
In the second round of this mock draft, the Chiefs went with Eli Stowers, a tight end out of Vanderbilt. This could potentially be a replacement for Travis Kelce depending on if he decides to call it a career or not. Stowers spent the past two years at Vanderbilt and tallied 769 receiving yards and four touchdowns last season.
These two picks would immediately make the Chiefs a better football team and they have to ensure this draft is knocked out of the park. Even if Kelce does decide to return for a 14th NFL season, Stowers could still make sense as a Day 2 selection to help spruce up the tight end position and give Patrick Mahomes another weapon.
If the 2026 NFL Draft played out this way, Chiefs fans would likely be pretty stoked while the other 31 fan bases would be rolling their eyes and expecting this team to be a threat again. Music to our ears.