There was very little doubt that the 2026 offseason would be the most critical in the Patrick Mahomes era for the Kansas City Chiefs. While every year is pivotal, this offseason was undeniably critical for the team.
The 2025 Chiefs team had, by far, its worst record since Andy Reid was hired in 2013, and it was only the second time in 13 years that the team flat-out missed the playoffs.
The team was (and still is) at a turning point. Either it reloads and becomes a Super Bowl threat again, or it falls into the long-term purgatory of being relevant but never a truly scary team.
With limited cap space, the team’s path back to contending in 2026 relied heavily on this draft class. That makes sense, as 2026 was the first time the Chiefs held a natural top-10 pick since 2013, and they also held an extra first-round pick.
The roster was in a vulnerable position and risked wasting more years of Patrick Mahomes if they didn’t get the draft right.
After the preseason, it looks like this draft class from Brett Veach might be a winner.
Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU - First Round (No. 6)
Let’s start at the top with cornerback Mansoor Delane. As the very first pick in Kansas City’s draft class, acquired after the team traded up inside the top 10 to land him, it was paramount that he be a really good player on Day 1.
There wasn’t much to judge Delane on during the preseason, as he was limited at the start of training camp due to a shoulder injury, but there wasn’t nothing. He may have played only 14 defensive snaps across preseason Weeks 2 and 3, but he proved that he has the instincts to play in the NFL. Easily, the highlight of his preseason was sniffing out a run play against Seattle on the very first defensive snap and stopping it for a four-yard loss.
We can’t jump to conclusions, but there’s no question that things have been encouraging for No. 6 overall pick Mansoor Delane.
Peter Woods, DT, Clemson - First Round (No. 29)
Next up is Pick No. 29, defensive tackle Peter Woods. On August 14, Woods was considered the home run of the draft class. He was one of the best players, let alone rookies, during the early weeks of Chiefs' training camp.
Despite the positive reports, Woods had a rough preseason debut against the Rams. He was easily getting swallowed up by double teams and made no difference in the passing game. It wasn’t great. Then against Tampa Bay, he logged only one pressure in 17 pass rush snaps, while only playing 1 run defense snap. After just two preseason games, it looked like all of the hype had vanished. Against Seattle, he bounced back with a strong performance in the run game, but didn’t create a single pressure in 13 pass rush snaps.
The regular season can’t get here soon enough, as Peter Woods will need real games to help determine where he is as a young player. He won’t have to deal with subpar players on both sides of him and, in turn, very few (if not zero) double teams to deal with (thanks to Chris Jones).
R Mason Thomas, DE, Oklahoma - Second Round (No. 40)
The biggest winner for the organization this summer was R Mason Thomas. He flashed in every single preseason game, recording 1 sack, 8 total pressures, and 1 batted pass (which easily could have been a pick-6) across 48 total pass rush snaps. He also brings a speed element to Kansas City’s edge group that the team has lacked since arguably the Dee Ford and Justin Houston days. His run defense needs some work, but very few Chiefs fans will complain.
If Thomas can prove to be a starting-caliber pass rusher right off the bat, this defense could be sneaky good this season. If he can be more than just ‘good’, then the Chiefs may have found a gem with the 40th pick in the 2026 draft.
Jadon Canady, CB, Oregon - Fourth Round (No. 109)
Perhaps the least talked-about 2026 Chiefs draft pick is defensive back Jadon Canady from Oregon. He will be a slot cornerback for Kansas City. The question is: How much will he play early in the season? He’ll be competing with other players, such as Christian Roland-Wallace, for snaps, but he has the talent to grow into a starting-caliber player down the road.
Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska - Fifth Round (No. 161)
Another big winner from the preseason was running back Emmett Johnson. He flashed as both a runner and receiver and scored the only touchdown for the entire team this preseason. According to Pro Football Focus ($), he also recorded 3.42 yards after contact per attempt, 11 missed tackles forced (most among running backs who played 3 or fewer preseason games), and 4 10+ yard runs.
For context, Johnson did all of that in 3 preseason games, while Kareem Hunt was 2.67 yards after contact per attempt, 27 missed tackles forced, and 10 10+ yard runs in 17 regular-season games last year. Johnson has the potential to be the strongest RB2 that Kansas City has had in years. If he can develop as a pass-protector, he can carve out a nice role on third down while eating a few carries per game in place of Kenneth Walker.
Cyrus Allen, WR, Cincinnati - Fifth Round (No. 176)
There’s a serious argument that no other Chiefs player (other than maybe Patrick Mahomes himself) created more headlines in the early weeks of training camp than fifth-round pick wide receiver Cyrus Allen. He was torching the starting secondary in Kansas City, showcasing the ability to separate against man coverage, track the football in the air, and toe-tap on the sideline, while being an asset after the catch.
Allen is not the first young pass catcher to create headlines at a Chiefs training camp, but the previous players (like Justyn Ross, Jalen Royals, and Jody Fortson) would mainly be taking advantage of depth players or just using their size to their advantage, while none of those would translate to real NFL games.
In the actual games, Cyrus Allen was not overly impressive, but he did show us something with a (called back) catch-and-run against the Rams. Although he only recorded 39 yards, it was clear that the tape is friendlier than the box score stats. He still has to prove it, and he’s a rookie, but it appears that Allen is poised to play a real role on the 2026 Chiefs offense.
Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU - Seventh Round (No. 249)
The final draft pick of the 2026 class was also the same player who logged the most preseason snaps among 2026 Chiefs draft picks, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. He was a polarizing pick; many fans questioned drafting a quarterback, even a late-round selection, given that Patrick Mahomes rarely comes off the field. Instead, he did everything he could to positively change his image. In 73 preseason dropbacks, he showed NFL-caliber arm talent and pocket presence. He wasn’t perfect as he did throw a terrible interception against Seattle, but he was, without question, a better player than Justin Fields in the preseason.
Even though he’ll never start more than a Week 18 game here and there (in an ideal world), Nussmeier can prove to be a worthwhile investment. He’s on a reasonable 4-year, $4.5M contract, so if he can turn into a solid backup quarterback, that is definitely worth the 249th overall pick in a given NFL draft.
In the end, this draft class looks like a winner for Brett Veach and the Kansas City front office. Every draft pick made the initial 53-man roster, while several players flashed day-one, starting-caliber ability, and a couple even showed they could be superstars in the making. The real games have yet to start, but there’s no doubt this draft class was very encouraging throughout training camp and preseason.
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