Who will the Kansas City Chiefs select with the ninth pick in the 2026 NFL Draft? We'll know the answer to that question in less than a week. In the meantime, there's still time to speculate about who the Chiefs' first pick in round one will be.
The Chiefs definitely need to address the cornerback position in this draft and Jermod McCoy is one of the best cornerback prospects available. Even with that being the case, Kansas City might want to steer clear of him with that No. 9 pick.
Jermod McCoy too big of a risk for Chiefs to take at No. 9
According to Mike Luciano of FanSided's big board, McCoy is the 23rd best prospect in this draft so taking him at No. 9 would be considered a massive reach. Luciano also points to McCoy's injury history being a red flag and how that will scare teams away.
"McCoy missed the entire 2025 season with an injury. On one hand, that is a red flag that will scare teams away," Luciano wrote. "McCoy would be a lock for the Top 10 if he didn't have the injury concerns surrounding him."
That last sentence is something to keep in mind should the Chiefs take McCoy with the ninth pick. Better yet, if the Chiefs did want to take McCoy, they could spend the ninth pick on another position of need and then circle back and nab McCoy with their additional first-rounder (pick 29). That wouldn't be a reach at all and that way K.C. would have addressed the cornerback position and got him closer in the draft to where he's valued.
Luciano's top five prospects for the Chiefs are Rueben Bain Jr., Caleb Downs, Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, and Sonny Styles. He doesn't have Mansoor Delane, the top cornerback prospect in this year's class, in that bunch, which is interesting.
McCoy could end up being a great player for whichever team takes him in the draft. If that team is the Chiefs, hopefully he's their late first-round selection rather than the ninth overall pick but we'll have to wait and see how everything plays out.
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