The Kansas City Chiefs currently own two picks in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. One of those picks is ninth overall, which the Chiefs earned due to their lackluster 6-11 record in the 2025 season. The other pick, No. 29 overall, was acquired in the Trent McDuffie trade with the Rams. That's roughly where the Chiefs are used to picking in the draft so it feels like familiar territory.
Mel Kiper Jr. recently released his latest mock draft and had K.C. selecting defensive players with both of their first-round picks. The first pick, at No. 9, is Rueben Bain Jr. out of Miami and the second pick, at No. 29 overall, is South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse.
Mel Kiper Jr. has Chiefs focusing on defense in latest mock draft
Here's what Kiper had to say about the Bain pick:
"After trading Trent McDuffie and losing Jaylen Watson in free agency, cornerback need some repairs. LSU's Mansoor Delane and Tennessee's Jermod McCoy have to be considerations here. But remember, the Chiefs now have two first-round picks. And Bain would be very tough to pass up at this spot. Despite 30⅞-inch arms that caused quite the stir at the combine, Bain is dominant off the edge. He simply finds ways to get to the QB, whether it's with his speed, power or savviness. He had 71 pressures last season en route to 9.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss."
As Kiper noted, the Chiefs desperately need to add help at cornerback after losing McDuffie and Jaylen Watson (both to the Rams). Yes, that would have to be a consideration at ninth overall but if Bain is still sitting there when the Chiefs are on the clock for the first time of the draft, he'd be hard to not take. His 9.5 sacks in 2025 are enticing and he'd bring juice to Kansas City's pass rush.
Here were Kiper's comments about the Cisse pick:
"I teased it earlier, but the Chiefs can't really afford to leave Round 1 without a CB. I had them going with Rueben Bain Jr. at No. 9, but this pick then has to be about the cornerbacks room, as Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams are all gone. Kansas City has signed only Kader Kohou so far to replenish the position.
Cisse showed off his explosiveness at the combine, jumping 41 inches in the vertical. He anticipates and closes well, with 12 pass breakups over the past two seasons. He could slide right in to the starting lineup."
Kiper isn't wrong here, as the Chiefs need to add help to their secondary. Using the pick they got from the Rams to add a cornerback would make a lot of sense and Cisse could be the next Chiefs corner that Steve Spagnuolo polishes up only to leave in four or five years. It's become a tradition unlike any other at this point.
Some fans might want to see the Chiefs add help at wide receiver, tight end, or even the offensive line in the first round but landing an explosive player like Bain and securing someone like Cisse wouldn't be a bad idea. The Chiefs have a lot of holes to fill and they'd fill two of them here.