It's been a long season for the Kansas City Chiefs. Depending on when you clicked on this, the team is either on the brink of playoff elimination, eliminated from the playoffs, or has just managed to stave off elimination for at least another week. Considering it's only Week 15 and the Patrick Mahomes-era Chiefs have had a standing appointment for the AFC Championship Game, that's not the situation any of us expected this team to be in.
Kansas City doesn't need to tear it all down, but the status quo isn't working either. It's time to rethink some of the roster-building philosophy, from how the team has cobbled together its receiver room to how it seems to have no real sense of what it's doing at running back. Here's a three-round mock draft that can help Kansas City address its issues and get the team back to Super Bowl contention in 2026.
Round 1, Pick 14: WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State
The Chiefs have been searching for a true No. 1 receiver since moving on from Tyreek Hill. The problem with that search is that they haven't been drafting high enough to get one of those guys. Landing Rashee Rice in the second was a good move, but this is a chance to actually get a first-round receiver in a draft with three or four really good receivers.
I'm assuming the Chiefs will miss out on the No. 1 receiver in this class, Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson, but there shouldn't be a run on the rest of the wideouts until after KC picks, giving the team its choice of guys.
I like Washington's Denzel Boston, so no offense to him, but Kansas City's choice here is between Ohio State's Carnell Tate and USC's Makai Lemon. There probably isn't a wrong answer, but Tate feels more pro-ready and has the advantage of coming from the wide receiver factory that is Ohio State. With the Chiefs needing immediate help for Mahomes, Tate makes the most sense in this spot.
Round 2, Pick 45: OT Trevor Goosby, Texas
It's time for the Chiefs to replace right tackle Jawaan Taylor, as basically the only thing he does at this point is commit penalties.
I'll admit that I haven't dug into the offensive line prospects in this class very deeply yet outside of obvious first-round options like Spencer Fano and Kadyn Proctor, so I can't necessarily tell you why Texas tackle Trevor Goosby is my pick here over, for example, Clemson's Blake Miller, but I can say that Kansas City needs to find help protecting the edge.
Mahomes is being pressured on 23.5 percent of dropbacks, on track for the highest pressure rate of his NFL career. He's already tied his career high for total scrambles with four games left to play. The Chiefs aren't giving him a pocket as clean as he's used to, and it's definitely disrupted some of the timing between Mahomes and his receivers. Adding a lineman in the second round is a low-risk way of bolstering this line and hopefully giving Mahomes more time to work in the pocket.
Round 3, Pick 76: RB Jadarian Price, Notre Dame
This is a weird running back class. The only player who looks like a lock to be an NFL star is Jeremiyah Love, the Heisman finalist who will probably be gone by the time Kansas City picks. If he's on the board, then the team will have a tough choice. First-round running backs are risky because of positional value, but it's also a major need for the Chiefs. Isiah Pacheco seems to have hit a wall, while Kareem Hunt isn't getting younger.
Let's assume, though, that Love goes to Cincinnati or Minnesota. That would leave the Chiefs waiting until Day 2 for a running back. Notre Dame's Jadarian Price's numbers might not pop since he's behind Love in the Irish pecking order, but he's an explosive back who can make things happen in the open field. Kansas City lacks that right now, and it would add a needed dimension to the offense.
But the Chiefs shouldn't stop there. The free-agent running back class is really solid this offseason, so the team could totally revamp things. Add a between-the-tackles guy in free agency and then draft Price in Round 3, and suddenly what has been a big weakness in 2025 looks like a major positive heading into the 2026 season.