The Kansas City Chiefs made a trade before the new league year began on March 12, sending Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 draft. However, the benefits of that trade won't be realized in next year's draft, considering the Chiefs already dealt the selection away.
The Chiefs found themselves anxious to move up in the third round of the 2025 edition. They traded their pick at No. 95 overall as well as the fourth-round choice the Bears sent for Thuney in order to move up 10 spots to No. 85 overall and grab cornerback Nohl Williams.
Some might be wondering what the Chiefs' draft picks look like now that this trade is reported, so let's take a look at how many picks K.C. currently has for next year's draft.
Chiefs' 2026 draft picks
- First Round
- Second Round
- Third Round
- Fourth Round
- Fifth Round
- Fifth Round (compensatory)*
The Chiefs are predicted to have a fifth-round compensatory selection after losing safety Justin Reid in free agency to the New Orleans Saints. That's not official, however, and it's important to remember these things are fluid.
The Chiefs traded their 2026 sixth-round pick to the Patriots this past season for Joshua Uche, so that's why they don't have their sixth-rounder. Otherwise, they still have all of their original picks and now have acquired an additional fourth-round selection, thanks to the Thuney trade.
The Chiefs dealt their seventh-round choice to the Dallas Cowboys in a deal for tight end Peyton Hendershot.
The Chiefs tend to put together strong drafts on Day 3 of the draft, so the hope is that Brett Veach can do something great with this extra pick, especially if it took an All-Pro guard to get it. He doesn't make these moves for no reason, though, and, like the Tyreek Hill trade a few years ago, fans need to trust that he knows what he's doing.
Thuney turns 33 during the 2025 NFL regular season and was seeking a new deal so that, paired with Trey Smith getting franchise tagged and likely extended, played a major part in this trade going down. These are the kinds of decisions the Chiefs have to make as long as they're Super Bowl contenders every year.