Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- A rare down year has the Chiefs entering the 2026 NFL Draft with the No. 9 pick, in prime position to address critical roster needs.
- The team has needs at multiple high-impact positions, including bolstering their offensive line protection and adding disruptive pressure from the edge.
- This selection could fundamentally alter the Chiefs' ability to compete for a Super Bowl.
The Kansas City Chiefs have been Super Bowl contenders throughout the Patrick Mahomes era, so the team hasn't been drafting near the top of the NFL Draft. That changed this year, as inconsistent play combined with a Mahomes injury led to the Chiefs bottoming out and earning the ninth pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
So, who should the Chiefs take at No. 9? These seven names have all been mentioned by at least one mock draft over the past month as an option for the Chiefs, so let's rank them from the worst pick to the best pick.
7. WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State
Could the Chiefs use a wide receiver? Sure! At the moment, the team's receivers in 11 personnel are set to be Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton, which is definitely not the NFL's best trio of receivers.
At the same time, quarterback Patrick Mahomes has shown he can succeed without an elite receiving unit. Add in that Rice has shown that he can be a top receiver when he's not suspended for off-field issues and you can see why using the No. 9 pick on a receiver is probably not the best allocation of resources.
That's not to say drafting Carnell Tate — or any other top receiver — would be a bad idea for Kansas City. Tate would make the offense stronger; it's simply that wideout isn't KC's biggest position of need, so if we're ranking by which prospects the team should target, a receiver — even one with Tate's upside — ranks last.
6. CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
The Chiefs could certainly use another corner, as the team is set to enter next season with Nohl Williams and Kristian Fulton, with guys like Kader Kohou and Kaiir Elam currently set to play key roles on the team.
The problem with this class is that the guy you could argue is the best corner is Tennessee's Jermod McCoy, and McCoy hasn't played football since 2024 after missing all of the 2025 season with a torn ACL. That makes him a risky option for the Chiefs — or any team, really — in the top 10 of the NFL Draft.
Also worth mentioning here is that the Chiefs have the No. 29 pick in the first round as well, and multiple good corners are likely available there, including McCoy's Tennessee teammate Colton Hood and Clemson's Avieon Terrell. Taking McCoy early when the team could grab someone at a different position instead feels like it would be a bad use of assets when the team could easily find a starting corner with its other first-round pick.
5. S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
This is where we go from "meh, I can argue against the Chiefs taking this guy" to "yeah, the Chiefs should definitely consider taking this guy."
KC's safety situation feels dire. At the moment, Chamarri Conner and Alohi Gilman look set to be the starters, which is...probably a problem! That's why Caleb Downs makes a ton of sense here, as he's the best safety available and would immediately be a starter for the team. Downs can play every down and is just as good against the run as he is against the pass.
The only argument against taking him here is that Dillon Thieneman and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren are both starting-caliber safeties who might be available when the Chiefs are on the clock for their second first-round pick. If you can get an edge rusher or a tackle here while waiting on safety, you're probably making the smarter move.
The argument against that argument is that those other two safeties could easily be gone by Pick 29. A lot of mocks have them both gone by then, leaving the Chiefs having to grab someone at a different position with that other first-round pick. If the team really wants a safety, taking Downs is the only way to guarantee they get one, assuming he's still on the board there.
4. OT Spencer Fano, Utah
The Chiefs have moved on from Jawaan Taylor, opening up an immediate need at right tackle, and the team could easily move Josh Simmons to the right side if they view someone at Pick 9 as a potential left tackle of the future. There are two options that might be on the board here, and both are worth considering.
Of the two, I have Utah's Spencer Fano ranked second on my board for offensive tackles, thus I have him ranked second of my tackle options here. He's a versatile tackle who can play on either side, but he probably needs to bulk up just a little bit more to be as effective as he could be at the NFL level.
I think one other issue for Fano is that there's not really a consensus re: him being the second-best tackle in this class. Everyone probably agrees that the guy I'm going to mention next is the top tackle, but there are people who view Georgia'a Monroe Freeling or Alabama's Kadyn Proctor as the No. 2 tackle. He's not nearly as safe a pick as...
3. OT Francis Mauigoa, Miami
...Miami's Francis Mauigoa, the best tackle prospect in this class, a player who the Chiefs should jump on drafting if he somehow drops to Pick 9. Mauigoa has the perfect physical build for an elite tackle as well as solid movement and athleticism. The only real knock on him is that he can be a little slow to move his feet, which is a pretty small issue in the grand scheme of things.
The biggest thing standing in the way of the Chiefs drafting Mauigoa is that he's the best tackle prospect in this class, so expecting him to drop to the ninth pick is expecting a LOT, especially when the Cardinals draft third and have a huge need for a tackle.
So while Mauigoa is the tackle I'd take if I was general manager Brett Veach and could draft anyone I wanted, he's less likely to actually be the pick than Fano is simply because other teams are also going to be very high on Mauigoa.
2. EDGE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami
This is my pick for who the Chiefs will actually land with the No. 9 pick. The team needs edge rushing talent to help them get to the quarterback and while Rueben Bain Jr. isn't the best edge rusher in this class, he's the one who is most likely to be on the board when the Chiefs select in the first round.
There's been some concern around Bain because his arm length measured fairly small at the NFL Combine, but I'm really not concerned about that. My view on it is that if Bain's arm length was truly a real concern, it would have been an issue at the college level. This reminds me of the "Joe Burrow has tiny hands" controversy from before his draft — people made a big deal of it, but Burrow's hand size has been a complete non-issue.
Bain would give the Chiefs a ferocious pass rusher who can get off blocks and get into the backfield quickly. He's not the most explosive athlete, but he makes up for it by being savvy player who understands how to impact the game. He'll be fine in the NFL, and if he's who the Chiefs land at Pick 9, the team should be extremely happy.
1. EDGE David Bailey, Texas Tech
This is the best move that the Chiefs could make. Unfortunately, it's also the move that's probably the most unlikely, as David Bailey has been skyrocketing up draft boards lately. The chances that he's still there at Pick 9 feel low.
But if he is there somehow, the Chiefs need to view him as a must-draft player. Heck, I wouldn't be against KC trading up for Bailey, who is a high-level athlete with a bevy of pass-rushing moves who would be able to impact the game from the moment he steps on the field.
Seriously: Bailey is GOOD. Maybe he's a slight bit undersized, but I trust the athleticism to make up for that. Four years from now, I wouldn't be shocked at all if Bailey is a top-five edge rusher in the league.