After working out a minor trade in the fifth round with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Kansas City Chiefs went from finalizing their draft (at least of those picks originally scheduled) in the sixth round to waiting until the draft's final moments near the bottom of the seventh. And with the 249th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, general manager Brett Veach has thrown quite a curveball with the selection of LSU' quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.
Veach's choice of a young QB was quite a shock given the needs at other positions. The Chiefs failed to come out of the draft with a single linebacker, offensive lineman, or tight end, and there was a good case to be made for each position being a long-term need. That said, Nussmeier arrives as the first QB drafted since Patrick Mahomes arrived to save the day in 2017, so perhaps the Chiefs are altering their approach at the position behind him.
Nussmeier is a quarterback out of Lake Charles, Louisiana, who entered his senior season at LSU as one of the more hyped prospects in the country. As a junior in 2024, he threw for over 4,000 yards with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, but things unraveled in 2025 as an abdominal injury limited him to 9 games. At this year's NFL Combine, medical evaluations revealed a cyst pressing on a nerve in his spine and doctors gave him a clean bill of health after treatment.
WIth the Chiefs, Nussmeier now joins the conversation as QB3 behind Mahomes and Justin Fields, the newest backup in K.C. who arrived via a trade with the New York Jets. The quarterback conversation in general is much different this offseason as Mahomes works his way back from a torn ACL, which made Fields such an important find. Nussmeier's role, however, will be all about competing for a long-term role for a team that's gone with one-year deals for aging vets for the last few years.
Here's a full list of the Chiefs draft picks so far:
- Round 1 (No. 6) - Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
- Round 1 (29) - Peter Woods, IDL, Clemson
- Round 2 (40) - R Mason Thomas, DE, Oklahoma
- Round 4 (109) - Jadon Canady, DB, Oregon
- Round 5 (161) - Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska
- Round 5 (176) - Cyrus Allen, WR, Cincinnati
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