The Kansas City Chiefs ' 2026 NFL Draft is complete. Here's our initial fire-from-the-hip reaction to all of the picks.
The 2026 NFL Draft has come to a close, and the Kansas City
Chiefs have come away with an absolute hau
l. It started with heavy investments on the defensive side of the ball before pivoting to some savvy decisions on the offensive side on Day 3.
While we really won't know how this class grades out for several years, our fire-from-the-hip grades can serve as a baseline for expectations of what's to come.
Chiefs' final draft grades for the 2026 class
Round 1, No. 6: LSU CB Mansoor Delane
Round 1, No. 29: Clemson DT Peter Woods
Round 2, No. 40: Oklahoma EDGE R Mason Thomas
Round 4, No. 109: Oregon CB Jadon Canady
Round 5, No. 161: Nebraska RB Emmett Johnson
Round 5, No. 176: Cincinnati WR Cyrus Allen
Round 7, No. 249: LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier
Final Verdict
My initial grade for the Delane pick was more about the trade than the player. After hearing the Chiefs' justification, I do think they are smart to move up and secure a player they had ranked as a top-five prospect on their board. The team doesn't expect to be drafting this high often, so getting the guy you want is paramount.
The player deserves a much better grade, so I've decided to upgrade it. Delane proved to be an elite cornerback in the SEC last season. He's the type of player who can travel with and eliminate a No. 1 wide receiver from an opposing team's game plan. As good as he is at limiting receivers and cornerbacks, he's also not afraid to do the dirty work. He'll tackle, play in the slot, blitz, and do whatever diabolical thing Steve Spagnuolo asks of him.
Final Grade:B+
I think I'm probably a little too high on this pick for Kansas City, but I can't help but fall in love with the flashes. His ability to shed single blockers is absolutely elite. When he's on the field with Chris Jones
, it's going to put interior offensive linemen in a no-win situation. His lateral agility and first-step quickness will almost certainly translate.
I think the big thing here is that the Chiefs shouldn't ask him to do too much too quickly. Yes, he played a lot of one-technique in 2025. Then in 2024, he played like over 30% of his defensive snaps on the edge. Joe Cullen and Steve Spagnuolo would be wise to let him settle at the three-technique spot for Kansas City in Year 1 and add layers as he grows and learns.
Final Grade:A-
This pick is only as good as the execution in implementing Thomas into the defense. This is very much a collaborative process between Brett Veach and the coaching staff, so I have no doubt that Steve Spagnuolo signed off on it. The fact that he deviates so far from the prototypical edge rusher in Kansas City is what worries me.
All of that said, there's a lot to be excited about here if it works. Thomas is a dynamic pass-rusher who creates many disruptive plays. He has a penchant for making game-changing plays in the most pivotal moments. Against Auburn this year, for instance, he earned the nickname: " The Closer. " He went off script on a fourth-down play with Auburn backed up against their goal line. He told the entire defensive line to drop back into coverage and allow him to rush solo against the Tigers' O-Line and QB Jackson Arnold . He got past the O-Line and to Arnold, resulting in a safety and an Oklahoma win.
Final Grade:B
Losing Trent McDuffie
didn't just mean the Chiefs lost their No. 1 corner, but it also meant they lost their best slot cornerback. Canady is going to come in and immediately compete with Kader Kohou
for that role. This is a big deal because it will help keep Chamarri Conner
at safety, where he's most valuable to the defense.
He'll be a 23-year-old rookie, but with that comes a ton of experience. He has 42 career starts across five seasons of college football, taking snaps at perimeter corner, nickel corner, and multiple safety positions. He's Tyrann Mathieu-esque in that he can really do it all in the secondary. He's also played in three different systems at Tulane, Ole Miss, and Oregon, which should make it easy and quick for him to adapt to the NFL game.
Final Grade:B-
Kenneth Walker and Emari Demercado weren't enough for Kansas City. They needed to make another addition at the running back position in order to accomplish their offseason goal. That is to completely revamp and rebuild the running game in the image of new RB coach DeMarco Murray and OC Eric Bieniemy.
Johnson isn't the biggest or the fastest in this draft class, but he's absolutely a complete running back. In 2025, he led the Big Ten with 1,451 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. He was second among all FBS running backs in catches with 46 and only had one drop on the season. He's only 22 years old and will have time to grow in the system behind Walker and Demercado.
Final Grade:A
This pick was all about finding a wide receiver who can separate well against man coverage. Allen had a 75% success rate vs. man coverage in 2025, via Reception Perception . While the 22-year-old wasn't a combine invite, he tore it up at the Senior Bowl, showing off elite quickness and separation skills. The guy just knows how to get open, something that the Chiefs' receivers struggled to do consistently a season ago.
Final Grade:B+
The Chiefs haven't drafted a quarterback since Patrick Mahomes in 2017. Some teams believe you should take one every year, even if you already have your guy. This just feels like a valuable dart throw. Nussmeier was considered one of the better prospects in this draft class. However, injuries in 2025 hindered his season and evaluators' opinions of him. At the combine, a cyst was found in his back that contributed to some of the nerve pain he was having in his oblique. There's no risk with this pick, but the upside is special. He threw for 7,699 yards and 52 TDs in 40 games for LSU during his collegiate career. He could be the long-term backup quarterback option behind Patrick Mahomes. Justin Fields is likely a stopgap that could yield the team a compensatory pick in 2028
Final Grade:B
I have a hard time getting upset with this draft class. I know the lack of investment in offense early on was hard for some fans to stomach. By the end of the draft, Veach had added some firepower to the offense at RB and WR. On paper, this looks like one of Veach's best draft classes. Looking across the league, it also looks like one of the better classes of any team in the 2026 NFL Draft. With as much draft capital as Kansas City had going into it, it feels like they got their money's worth and a ton of value on Day 3.
