The Kansas City Chiefs currently hold the ninth pick in this year’s NFL Draft, and they certainly earned it. Whether you want to point to deficiencies in the pass rush, the inept run game, or the absolute inability to force turnovers or get stops on 3rd downs, you can find plenty of reasons that the 2025 season was one to forget. With that pick, the Chiefs find themselves in position to select a potential All-Pro talent, but how will they use the pick?
The first question is whether you prefer to fill a hole in the roster or to draft the best football player on your board. In this way, the Chiefs can probably do both, because they have reasons to pick any one of several positions.
The consensus around Chiefs Kingdom is that the biggest needs are at defensive end and wide receiver. Some of the hottest names among these discussions are edge rushers Rueben Bain and David Bailey, as well as wideouts Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, and Makai Lemon. Any of these players would be a fit for both a need- and value-based pick. If you prefer value, other players such as linebacker Sonny Styles, safety Caleb Downs, or running back Jeremiyah Love have each drawn attention as possibilities at pick No. 9.
Why the tackle conversation refuses to go away
The pervasive thought among national circles has served as a thorn in the side among Chiefs faithful. For months now, pundits have projected the Chiefs to select an offensive tackle with their top pick. There are several reasons cited for this; one is the fact that quarterback Patrick Mahomes is coming off a serious knee injury that ended his 2025 campaign.
Another is the recent history that has probably left the organization with PTSD after trying to plug holes at both offensive tackle spots on the fly in midseason. The 2024 season was supposed to be the pursuit of the NFL’s first-ever three-peat, but the Chiefs had gaping holes at left tackle and right tackle that ultimately sunk the season. The Chiefs tried to rectify that problem last spring, first by signing Jaylon Moore in free agency and then drafting Joshua Simmons in the first round of the 2025 draft.
With veteran Jawaan Taylor in the fold, the Chiefs entered 2025 presuming the problem was fixed. Simmons won the starting job at left tackle and looked outstanding when he was on the field. Moore began the season as a very well-paid reserve but still found his way onto the field when Simmons missed several games due to a personal issue, and then after Thanksgiving, when both Taylor and Simmons went down with injuries.
By season’s end, the Chiefs were on the brink of holding tryouts at the stadium to put a warm body on the field. There were many reasons the season was already a wash, but offensive tackle was definitely among them.
The offseason began, and the Chiefs found themselves with the most draft capital they have had in years. They added to it when they traded away All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie in exchange for several draft picks, including the 29th pick in the first round of this year’s draft.
It was the Chiefs’ offseason handling of their offensive tackle situation that tells us the most about how they plan to address the position in the draft.
One reason against selecting a tackle early in this year’s draft is the fact that the Chiefs have already invested heavily at the position. Moore’s hefty cap number ($18.6 million in 2026) is the fifth-highest number on the entire roster. Furthermore, the rest of the offensive line is probably the most stable unit on the team. Taking a top-ten tackle would appear to be a misallocation of assets when there are so many other holes on the roster.
The offseason moves that reveal the Chiefs’ true intentions
The rumors about drafting an offensive tackle cause wailing and gnashing of teeth across Chiefs Kingdom. Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame says he will go “absolutely berserk” if the Chiefs go with a tackle in the top ten. The pass rush was completely neutered in 2025. The need for another pass catcher is extreme, with the likelihood that Travis Kelce is entering his final season and Rashee Rice is entering a contract year. With so many other needs, Chiefs fans want to shore up those positions rather than spend a top-ten pick on a position where the other four starters are already entrenched.
But here is where the Chiefs have tipped their hand.
It was no shock when the Chiefs chose to cut Taylor, a three-year starter at right tackle, this spring. Despite starting 45 games in three seasons as a Chief, he was released in order to save $20 million against the salary cap. But that’s not even the most telling evidence that the Chiefs are comfortable enough at right tackle.
On April 10, Taylor signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons. It should also be pointed out that the signing came on the heels of the sudden, unexpected retirement of Falcons right tackle Kaleb McGary. It is unlikely the Falcons had been in long discussions with Taylor up until that point. But here is the reason the Chiefs won’t be selecting a tackle in the top ten on Thursday night:
If the Chiefs were feeling so insecure about the state of their offensive line that they were willing to spend the 9th overall pick on a tackle, they would have met or exceeded Atlanta’s offer for Taylor.
It is probable that Taylor’s agent even ran the Atlanta offer by the Chiefs in a last-gasp effort to keep Taylor in Kansas City. No one knows for sure, but in the end, the Chiefs let a capable starter walk away for $5 million. Neither Taylor nor Moore is the long-term answer at right tackle, but there’s a long list of positions that don’t have a long-term answer. This week’s chatter about Spencer Fano and Francis Mauigoa is nothing more than a smokescreen. The Chiefs are better off finding a game-changing talent at edge or receiver and finding another tackle later in the draft.
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