AP Chiefs Mailbag: Answering your top 2026 NFL Draft questions

Wood-z asks:

Where is Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq projected to be drafted? Haven’t heard anything about the Chiefs taking a tight end to replace Travis Kelce. Dane Brugler of *The Athletic*, the gold standard in draft coverage, had Sadiq ranked No. 16 overall in his final draft rankings. He then sent the Oregon tight end to the Baltimore Ravens with the 14th pick in his mock draft this week. Sadiq is one of my favorite fits for the Chiefs in this class. I think his blocking will get him on the field earlier than most rookie tight ends. Even with only 300 to 500 receiving yards as a rookie, Sadiq’s impact would be felt beyond the box score. He would help open holes for running back Kenneth Walker. He would add a layer of protection for quarterback Patrick Mahomes and offer another safety valve to escape pressure. He would help the team manage Kelce’s usage. Sadiq’s combination of size and speed would open up space for the wide receivers. Sadiq will probably settle in as a different style of tight end than Kelce, but a year of working him into the offense and having him ready to take over in 2027 would probably pay dividends over the next few seasons. I don’t consider him a likely Chiefs fit because the ninth selection is probably too rich for him, and I am very confident Sadiq’s name will be called before the 29th pick. We do know that he visited the Chiefs on the day that Kelce officially re-signed to play his 14th season. It is a deep tight end class, and I am fairly confident the Chiefs will address the position. There isn’t another Sadiq, however, with the flexibility to take heavy snap loads either in line or out of the slot and quickly switch between the two roles. Sadiq can be placed at any offense and line up with any other tight end in 12 or 13-personnel packages and be a highly productive player.

Chief\_Snow asks:

It seems to be pretty commonly believed that this year’s draft is sub par. Do you think most people have too high of expectations for our potential draftees? People have way too high expectations for rookies in general. To hear much of Chiefs Kingdom talk, it’s like the 2025 draft never happened outside of left tackle Josh Simmons (who also has numerous doubters) and cornerback Nohl Williams. Truthfully, the 2026 season was always going to be the measuring stick for the 2025 class. I do not feel this class is overly stocked with transcendent star talent. If I could pick a year to have a top ten selection, it certainly wouldn’t be 2026. I think it is a very interesting class from the back half of round one until probably the start of the fifth round. I think we are going to look back and see a lot of good players who found the right scheme fit. The Chiefs should have no problem getting sufficient starter snaps out of this year’s class. But finding someone to build any position group around is going to be a tall ask.

MattPlace asks:

Imagine you’re thrilled with this rookie class. The Chiefs selected many of your top choices. Would that be enough to put the Chiefs back into Super Bowl contention? Or do you see this being a 2-year rebuild/retool? I’d say the biggest determining factor in how far the 2026 Chiefs can go is whether augmenting the run game with running back Kenneth Walker opens up the offense enough for the passing game to at least get back to the 2022 level. Of remaining concerns, the biggest thing I need to feel at the end of draft weekend is that the pass rush is improved. There are multiple paths for that. Maybe they believe one of the top pass rushers can annually rack up 10 sacks and go get him. Maybe they wait and add two pass rushers with five to seven sack potential. Maybe they make a trade. But if I don’t feel better about the pass rusher at the end of this week, I will have a hard time seeing the Chiefs as an immediate Super Bowl threat. If they improve the pass rush, I think Kansas City can have a quick rebound back to title contention if the offense rebounds. You don’t need a perfect roster to win the Super Bowl.

KCDane asks:

What’s the worst case scenario for KC to be in after round 1&2? I think the Chiefs need to add an offensive weapon early, whether a wide receiver or a pass-catching tight end. There are good options at both positions on Day Three, but they will be more one-dimensional talents who we have seen struggle to carve out a role as rookies. If they don’t add another playmaker for Mahomes in the first two rounds, I think the passing game probably is what it is. It would be a tough pill to swallow to not address the pass rush in either of the first two rounds. But the position group is deep. They would probably have to take multiple swings starting in round three, but I think they could find a pair of complementary edge rushers that could be schemed into early contributions in 2026.

RoyalsFanBill:

I believe Notre Dame RB Jerimiyah Love is one of the best talents in the draft and I think there is a strong chance he is there at 9. Would the chiefs take him if he is the BPA? I don’t think they would. On top of Walker, set to make over $14 million per season through 2028, the ninth overall selection will make almost $8 million annually on his four-year contract. That would be an almost unprecedented commitment to the running back position, no matter how good Love is. The Chiefs really need a player at a position where a four-year, $30.8 million contract would represent a bargain. I also disagree that Love has a strong chance to be there at nine. In a class where defensive talent far outweighs that on offense, I expect the draft’s best playmaker to go in the first eight selections. If he is still there at nine, the Chiefs could probably find a trade-down partner because this draft is very light on running backs. *Thank you for reading this week’s **Arrowhead Pride Mailbag**!* *We will be back after the draft week with your thoughts. Keep watching **The Feed** for an opportunity to ask your questions.*