The Chiefs have the No. 9 pick in the NFL Draft, and Matt Severance breaks down their options
By Matt Severance Apr 20, 2026 at 9:47 am ET • 4 min read
It took me through the first eight selections for the first round of Thursday's NFL Draft from Pittsburgh to finally get to a team where odds have been posted at DraftKings not just on the favorite to be the pick but also the favored position of that choice. Which brings us to the Chiefs at No. 9 overall – so unusual seeing Kansas City pick this high in the Patrick Mahomes era. K.C. went 6-11 in 2025, its worst record since 2012.
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And speaking of the two-time regular-season MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP, the last time Kansas City had a top 10 pick was when it traded up in the 2017 draft to take Mahomes 10th and then basically sat him his entire rookie year in a rarity. You could say that worked out. (And good for me because I didn't even bring up my Chicago Bears passing on Mahomes at No. 2 overall and taking Mitchell Trubisky. Caleb Williams has made me largely forget Mitch.)
In fact, this is Kansas City's first top 20 pick since taking Mahomes. Fellow legendary QBs Tom Brady, Joe Montana and Peyton Manning each added a top 10 pick after their rookie seasons: Ronnie Lott for Montana's 49ers in 1981; Edgerrin James for Manning's Colts in 1999; and Richard Seymour for Brady's Patriots in 2001. The only other time any of those three QBs added a top 10 pick during their careers was Brady's Pats in 2008 (Jerod Mayo at No. 10).
Entering the offseason, running back was unquestionably a major need, and many mock drafts had Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love going to the Chiefs. But now they are +3500 long shots to be the team that selects Love because they don't need him, having signed reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III to a three-year, $43.05 million contract with $28.7 million guaranteed.
Tight end also might have been a need, but future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce opted to return for a 14th season before he rides off into the sunset with Taylor Swift.
Cornerback became a bigger need when Kansas City somewhat surprisingly traded All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams in March. But the Chiefs did quite well in that deal with multiple picks – including the 29th overall this year. So obviously that will factor into their plans at No. 9 and also offers trade-up ammunition.
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An offensive lineman is the +250 favorite to be Kansas City's first player chosen in the draft, and those props mean at any spot, even with a trade. Defensive line/edge rusher (+275), cornerback (+300), wide receiver (+320) and safety (+650) are the only other options below +1000.
The Chiefs don't have a quality pass rusher on the edge opposite George Karlaftis, who had six sacks last year. All-Pro Chris Jones led with seven, but he's a defensive tackle. Jones often has to beat two offensive linemen to pressure the opposing QB because no one else on the Chiefs' roster warrants a double-team. That's partly why they were so bad on third downs last year.
K.C. could use bodies on the D-Line, and GM Brett Veach said at this year's NFL Combine that the team needed to get younger in the defensive trenches. The club took defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott in the 2025 second round, but he sustained a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee last October.
The favorite to be the No. 9 overall pick is Miami pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr. at +300 but he's also a +350 favorite to go the pick before to New Orleans, and I'm not sure he gets past the Saints. Bain's Over/Under draft position spot is 8.5, but the Over is -320.
Even with Kelce back and two good wideouts in Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, Mahomes could use another pass-catcher to give him more options downfield and in the red zone.
LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane (+475), Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano (+500), Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson (+650), Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa (+800) and Alabama safety Caleb Downs (+900) are the other options below +1000.
It's a pretty deep draft on wideouts, so Tyson perhaps could be there with the 29th pick. The CBS Sports Big Board ranks him as the No. 23 overall prospect and No. 5 wideout. The highest on the board at No. 12 is Texas A&M's KC Concepcion, but he's way down at +6000 to go ninth and has an O/U draft spot of 12.5.
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Pick: Chiefs take an offensive lineman at +250 (Fano if there). They might have the pick of the litter at No. 9, which likely won't be the case at other positions of need. Can never go wrong protecting Mahomes.
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