As the Kansas City Chiefs haven't made a top-10 pick in the NFL draft in nearly a decade, their last such selection being Patrick Mahomes back in 2017, there will naturally be a lot of focus on what they do with their first pick in this 2026 edition at No. 9 overall.
Fun fact: The Chiefs have never once made a selection at that particular number. They made the No. 8 pick in the 1963 AFL Draft and have picked 10th three times, the last instance, of course, being Mahomes, but they've never picked eighth. But I digress.
Now, given the holes that were created after losing a plethora of players on the defensive side of the football, first with the Trent McDuffie trade and then in free agency, many are expecting the Chiefs to take that route when they go on the clock at No. 9, either in the secondary or at the edge rusher position. If they do go offense, one would think a wide receiver would be the call.
All that said, NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah has floated a different scenario, one in which Kansas City, despite signing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III to a lucrative contract last month, selects Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.
Jeremiyah Love likely won't even be on the board when the Chiefs pick at No. 9
During a recent appearance on The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast, Jeremiah, just after talking for several minutes on the likelihood of Love being taken at No. 4 overall by the Tennessee Titans, was asked his thoughts on what Kansas City would do at No. 9.
Klatt said that while getting Mahomes a new weapon would be nice, even mentioning Walker by name, the Chiefs basically had no choice but to address the secondary. And that's when Jeremiah floated the notion of them taking Love.
"If Jeremiyah Love's there, I think all bets are off," Jeremiah said.
Naturally, Klatt was surprised at the comment, as I don't think anybody really expects Love, who racked up 3,014 total yards from scrimmage (2,497 rushing, 517 receiving) and 40 touchdowns over the last two years, to still be on the board at No. 9.
For starters, the Titans may not even get the option, as he could go at No. 3 to the Arizona Cardinals. And if he does make it past Tennessee, one has to figure either the New York Giants (No. 5) or Washington Commanders (No. 7) will grab him.
But Jeremiah seems to think he could somehow still be available, and he likes the idea of him landing in Kansas City, even with Walker on the roster.
"Obviously, you like to have more than one back," Jeremiah continued. "And it's like, oh, this is a luxury. Well, I can use him in so many different ways. I've got Mahomes coming off of injury, so we're going to ease him back in. We brought Eric Bieniemy back to be the coordinator. We want to get this run game going. Now, I've got two guys, and they're going to complement each other very well. We can really, really get the run game going. Plus, both these guys can catch the ball, and Love is like a legit slot receiver if you wanted to put him out there."
Look, it's a fun idea. It really is. But even if Love is there at No. 9, which I don't think he will be, I just don't see the Chiefs pulling the trigger, not unless they're drafting him for someone else as part of a trade.
What's interesting is that if you go back and listen to Jeremiah talk about what Love would look like with the Titans, he mentions how a team would want to get as many carries as possible out of a first-round back, as you just don't know what you'll have after four or five years.
But then he goes into the scenario of Love and Walker sharing the ball? And let's not forget all the talk that the reason Walker left Seattle was because he didn't want to keep splitting carries with Zach Charbonnet. So, there's that factor to consider as well.
Again, this is a fun idea, but it just doesn't seem likely no matter how things shake out.
Add us as a preferred source on Google