The lone upside of the Kansas City Chiefs' present position—a 5-5 record and sitting outside of any playoff-bound seeding in the AFC—is that mock drafts are a bit more interesting. A team with so many needs can go in many directions, which at least makes any exercise looking forward to the 2026 NFL Draft a bit more flavorful.
Typically, mocks concerning the Chiefs are looking at the end of every round and at very specific positions. Every team has roster needs, but a Super Bowl winner tends to have fewer warts than most.
Surveying the latest mock drafts for K.C. at this point, however, yields some interesting choices and plenty of positional options. Here's a look at the latest projections of where Kansas City could go at No. 15 overall, which is where they would select in the first round if the season ended today.
Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon (USA Today)
2025 stats (so far): 22 catches, 311 receiving yards, 5 touchdowns
This pick is all about maintaining greatness at a position that's known only Hall of Famers (save for a handful of seasons between Tony Gonzalez and Travis Kelce). If Kelce is indeed in his final season, the Chiefs are going to face a major offensive void even as he's taken a backseat to Rashee Rice in the pecking order.
That's where Kenyon Sadiq could conceivably step in. There's not a draft analyst alive who doesn't have Sadiq at the top of his tight end prospect rankings, which means if K.C. wants the best in the class, they're going to have to sink their first overall selection on him, much in the same way the Bears invested in Colston Loveland and the Colts in Tyler Warren in 2025.
A'Mauri Washington, DT, Oregon State (NFL Trade Rumors)
2025 stats (so far): 9 games, 23 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack
While the Chiefs could go in several directions, there's no thinner position on the roster than defensive tackle, which is why this mock has the Chiefs grabbing Oregon prospect A'Mauri Washington. It's impossible not to be enamored with Washington's potential. Any member of Bruce Feldman's annual Freaks List will excite draft analysts in that way, and Washington has impressed this season as a run-stuffer and disruptor inside.
As for need, the Chiefs traded for Derrick Nnadi before the season and signed Mike Pennel at midseason to perform the same tasks they had for them in years past—when the position was just as needy. Chris Jones is only getting older, and their attempts to remedy things in this year's draft took a nasty turn when Omarr Norman-Lott was lost for the year with a torn ACL.
Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson (CBS)
2025 stats (so far): 9 games, 39 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3 sacks, 9 deflections
Avieon Terrell is another widely-appreciated player who lands near the top of any cornerback ranking around. He's young, uber-athletic, with great instincts. However, he's also slighter than most and not as physical against the run, which sets up an interesting question as to whether the Chiefs would go against profile here.
The argument for corner here is sound. K.C. is likely going to watch Jaylen Watson hit free agency. Joshua Williams, too. Same for Nazeeh Johnson. Trent McDuffie is going to get expensive, and no one knows what the team thinks of Kristian Fulton. Nohl Williams is in place for years to come, which gives the team some flexibility, but another corner makes sense in the draft class at some point near the top.