Kansas City Chiefs 2026 Mock Draft Roundup 3.0

Throughout the year and leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft, we will update our Kansas City Chiefs Mock Draft Roundup showing picks for the Kansas City Chiefs from several prominent sites and draft analysts.

The following are picks from recent NFL mock drafts for the Kansas City Chiefs:

NFL.com — Charles Davis

9. Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami (FL)

The best move for Kansas City would be to trade down and acquire more picks. In this scenario, they stick and add another pass rusher.

The Athletic — NFL Writers

9. Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

A sneaky need for the Chiefs is at receiver, where they have only two players under contract beyond 2026 (Xavier Worthy and Jalen Royals). This draft fell in a positive way, then, with Tate the first receiver off the board. He's a good team fit, as well. The Chiefs typically target run-after-catch guys, but too often last year, they were in need of an outside receiver who could create route separation and be a contested-catch option. Tate — he most often draws George Pickens comps from draft analysts — would be a welcome addition for new receivers coach Chad O'Shea, while also giving Patrick Mahomes a QB-friendly option for years to come.

CBS Sports — Fornelli

9. Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

Carnell Tate was always overshadowed by Jeremiah Smith at Ohio State, but that's more about Smith than Tate. After all, Chris Olave and Emeka Egbuka were often overshadowed by other Buckeyes receivers, and they've turned out pretty well. Tate is smooth in everything he does. He's not a burner and isn't overly special after the catch, but he gets open routinely.

MORE: Continue reading our 2026 Kansas City Chiefs Mock Draft Roundup

More roundups: NFL Teams | NFL Draft Prospects


2025 NFL Draft Grades: Kansas City Chiefs

The 2025 NFL Draft is now in the rearview mirror, and we have compiled a consensus ranking using NFL draft grades from a variety of sites.

What draft grades have the media given to the Kansas City Chiefs? What are they saying about the Chiefs' 2025 draft haul?

CBS Sports - Grade: A

Best Pick: First-round tackle Josh Simmons is the best offensive lineman in this draft. If not for a torn meniscus suffered early last season, he would have been a top-10 pick. The Chiefs can be patient with him, but he's their long-term left tackle.

Worst Pick: Second-round defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott has talent, but there were questions about his attitude leading into the draft. Some teams were turned off by him. The second seems a little high for him.

The Skinny: I really liked their draft. Simmons will be a star. Norman-Lott can be really good. Third-round edge Ashton Gillotte was one of my favorite players in this draft and was on my Better-Than team. Third-round corner Nohl Williams and fourth-round receiver Jalen Royals will be nice additions and I liked seventh-round back Brashard Smith.

ESPN - Grade: B+

Top needs entering the draft: Offensive tackle, defensive tackle, running back and tight end

There was no way the Chiefs could exit the first two days of the draft without some serious offensive line improvements, even while slotted to pick down the board at No. 31. It doesn't take a brilliant football mind to watch last season's Super Bowl and know pass protection was a major factor in Kansas City's blowout loss to Philadelphia. The Chiefs paid Jaylon Moore starting left tackle money in free agency, but he was a backup last season. And Jawaan Taylor hasn't exactly been set-and-forget at right tackle. Even the once-mighty interior took a hit this offseason, when GM Brett Veach traded Joe Thuney to Chicago.

Not only did the Chiefs do something about it late on Day 1, they also picked up an extra fifth-rounder. They traded back one spot with the Eagles and finished Round 1 with Josh Simmons, who might have been the top offensive tackle in the class if not for a knee injury in the middle of last season. He's terrific in pass protection and came at great value. I had him No. 15 on my Big Board. Even if he's not quite ready for training camp, the Chiefs have Moore and Taylor. Once Simmons is fully healthy, he could be the answer as Patrick Mahomes' blindside protector.

The Chiefs got a pass-rushing 3-technique (Omarr Norman-Lott), penetrating edge rusher (Ashton Gillotte) and ball-hawking corner (Nohl Williams) on Day 2. They reached for Norman-Lott -- my No. 142 player went at No. 63 -- but he fills a need. I love Gillotte's game, and "First Draft" fans know that. I had him as one of my "Orange Crushers" this year. And Williams picked off seven passes to lead the FBS last season. Nice little Friday night for Veach & Co.

Kansas City pivoted back to offense Friday, getting a vertical receiver in Jalen Royals and physical running back in Brashard Smith. The Royals pick, in particular, was great. He was No. 72 on my board, but K.C. got him at No. 133 overall. He scored 21 touchdowns over the past two seasons. And Smith is a converted receiver with 4.39 speed. Mahomes has to be pleased.

The only thing that kept Kansas City from the coveted "A" grade was not taking a tight end. Travis Kelce is 35 years old now, so the Chiefs need an heir apparent.

MORE: Kansas City Chiefs 2025 NFL Draft Grades Roundup


Kansas City Chiefs 2025 NFL Schedule

Below you will find the weekly regular-season schedule for the Kansas City Chiefs.

WeekDateOpponentResults
Week 1Fri., Sept. 5at Los Angeles ChargersL 27-21
Week 2Sun., Sept. 14vs. Philadelphia EaglesL 20-17
Week 3Sun., Sept. 21at New York GiantsW 22-9
Week 4Sun., Sept. 28vs. Baltimore RavensW 37-20
Week 5Mon., Oct. 6at Jacksonville JaguarsL 31-28
Week 6Sun., Oct. 12vs. Detroit LionsW 30-17
Week 7Sun., Oct. 19vs. Las Vegas RaidersW 31-0
Week 8Mon., Oct. 27vs. Washington CommandersW 28-7
Week 9Sun., Nov. 2at Buffalo BillsL 28-21
Week 10BYE
Week 11Sun., Nov. 16at Denver BroncosL 22-19
Week 12Sun., Nov. 23vs. Indianapolis ColtsW 23-20 (OT)
Week 13Thu., Nov. 27at Dallas CowboysL 31-28
Week 14Sun., Dec. 7vs. Houston TexansL 20-10
Week 15Sun., Dec. 14vs. Los Angeles ChargersL 16-13
Week 16Sun., Dec. 21at Tennessee TitansL 26-9
Week 17Thu., Dec. 25vs. Denver BroncosL 20-13
Week 18Sun., Jan. 4at Las Vegas RaidersL 14-12

Also, check out the following resources:


Kansas City Chiefs - 2025 Draft Results

The table below are all of the 2025 NFL Draft picks selected by the Kansas City Chiefs.

RoundOverallPlayerPositionSchool
132Josh SimmonsOTOhio State
263Omarr Norman-LottDTTennessee
366Ashton GillotteEDGELouisville
385Nohl WilliamsCBCalifornia
4133Jalen RoyalsWRUtah State
5156Jeffrey BassaLBOregon
7228Brashard SmithRBSMU

More: 2025 NFL Draft Results - Kansas City Chiefs Draft History


Kansas City Chiefs 2025 Fantasy Football Projections

Updated: Saturday, August 30, 2025

Our 2025 fantasy football projections below are for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Projected fantasy points are based on half-PPR scoring.

MORE: Fantasy football projections for more NFL teams

Embed from Getty Images

QUARTERBACKS

PlayerAtt.Comp.YardsTDINTRushYardsTDPoints
Patrick Mahomes566.5381.34135.528.8911.3366.1343.72.15305.59
Gardner Minshew36.223.3253.41.450.724.412.10.1316.49
QB Totals602.7404.64388.930.3412.0570.5355.82.28322.08

Patrick Mahomes: Outside of his one-game rookie season, Mahomes set or tied career lows in passing yards (3,928) and touchdowns (26). Like Joe Burrow, Mahomes has enough mobility to make and extend plays, but he doesn't use it to rack up significant rushing production (307-389 rushing yards in five consecutive seasons). After finishing as a top-four fantasy quarterback in four of his first five seasons as a starter, Mahomes has finished as the QB8 and QB12, respectively, over the past two seasons. The talented trio of Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown (when healthy and active) provide hope for Mahomes to return to his previous levels of elite production.

MORE: Continue reading our Kansas City Chiefs 2025 Fantasy Football Projections