Chiefs News 4/20: Cardinals engaged Chiefs in talks to trade pick No. 3

“I think some of that will become more clear next week,” Ossenfort told the media when asked about trade interest from other teams. “I can’t speak with what’s going on in other rooms.” **Chiefs ‘Hell-Bent’ on Draft Trade for Player to Pair With Mahomes: Report | Heavy Sports** Todd McShay of The Ringer reported on Sunday, April 19 that Reid is all-in on shoring up the offensive line with the team’s first pick, which is currently slated at No. 9 overall.

“I am told, again on really good authority, Andy Reid is hell-bent … on figuring out this offensive line and protecting a quarterback who is the epicenter of everything that is success,” McShay said.

According to McShay and co-host Steve Muench, the player Reid will target is either Spencer Fano of Utah or Francis Mauigoa of Miami.

“If the Chiefs don’t move up to three, what if they go to five to get ahead of the Browns?” McShay asked. **Chiefs GM Brett Veach: Alohi Gilman ‘fits that mold’ of safeties Tyrann Mathieu, Justin Reid | NFL.com** The Chiefs inked Alohi Gilman to a three-year contract this offseason, an addition that Veach believes provides Kanas City’s secondary with a talent similar to those of past Super Bowl-winning units.

“Over the years, having a Tyrann Mathieu and then having a Justin Reid — just having a cerebral player there that sees the field, can be a leader back there, get everyone lined up (is important),” Veach said Thursday, via the Kansas City Star. “It doesn’t mean we won’t add, if we can get a similar player that has those leadership capabilities back there, but (we) certainly didn’t want to go through an offseason and kind of come away after the draft and not have a player like that.

“I think (Gilman) fits that mold, and when you had success — you had a guy like the Badger and you had a guy like Justin Reid back there — Alohi fits that bill.”

Success was certainly had employing Mathieu, a one-time Super Bowl champion who played for the Chiefs from 2019-2021, and Reid, who helped the Chiefs to two Lombardi Trophies from 2022-2024. With Bryan Cook, also a two-time Super Bowl champ, departing via free agency, it’s now on Gilman to carry that leadership torch at safety. **Why the Chiefs struggled in 2025 and what it means for the NFL Draft | KMBC 9** **Too many drives stalled out**

The Chiefs converted just 37.4% of third downs, ranking 22nd.

That ties directly into the lack of explosiveness. Too often, they were stuck in long-yardage situations without a reliable way to extend drives.

The addition of backup quarterback Justin Fields could add a wrinkle here, especially in short-yardage packages, but consistency remains the bigger issue.

**Red zone offense was average**

Kansas City converted 57.6% of red zone trips into touchdowns, ranking 14th. That is not a glaring weakness, but it is not elite either.

A more physical run game could help here, along with another big-bodied receiving target.

**Third-down defense kept opponents alive**

On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs allowed opponents to convert 43.6% on third down, ranking 29th. This was one of the biggest problems all season. Drives extended, the defense wore down, and games tilted. **Ideal Pick for Every Team in 1st Round of 2026 NFL Draft | Bleacher Report** **9. Kansas City Chiefs: Edge Rueben Bain Jr., Miami**

The arm-length discussion regarding Rueben Bain Jr. borders on absurd.

Would everyone like Bain to have longer levers than he does? Absolutely.

Do those less-than-ideal appendages take away how dominant he was this past season for the Miami Hurricanes? Absolutely not.

Aside from Fernando Mendoza leading Indiana’s fairytale national championship run, no collegiate player performed at a higher level than Bain last year. He was a disruptive force at all times.

The Kansas City Chiefs should take about 0.01 second to made a decision if he remains on the board with the ninth overall pick.

Kansas City experienced a significant downturn this past season. Patrick Mahomes’ season-ending injury is only part of the discussion. Despite featuring a top-10 defense last season, the Chiefs ranked among the league’s bottom 10 in sacks. George Karlaftis requires a legitimate bookend, and Bain is a true three-down defender.

**Around the NFL**

**Giants trade DT Dexter Lawrence to Bengals for first-round pick | The Athletic**

The New York Giants have agreed to send Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for the No. 10 pick in next week’s NFL Draft, a league source confirmed Saturday to *The Athletic*. The Bengals announced the trade Sunday.

Lawrence passed his physical and the Bengals signed him to a one-year extension through the 2028 season.

The move comes after Lawrence publicly requested a trade April 6. The All-Pro defensive tackle has not attended the team’s voluntary offseason workouts, which began April 7. The day after the news went public, coach John Harbaugh said he wasn’t surprised by the request, calling the prospects of Lawrence staying with the Giants “high.”

“Speaking for the Giants, we want Dexter here,” Harbaugh said. “And I believe Dexter wants to be here. That’s a good formula, but there’s business involved.”

That business was about updating Lawrence’s 2023 extension. At the time, the 2019 first-round pick’s four-year, $90 million extension made him the third-highest-paid defensive tackle in the league. But before this new deal, the 28-year-old Lawrence had dropped to 12th. And with no guaranteed money left on the final two years of his contract, things had been heading toward this point for a while. **NFL draft prospect Zachariah Branch arrested in Georgia | ESPN** Former Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch, who is widely expected to be a Day 2 NFL draft pick, was arrested early Sunday morning in Athens, Georgia, on two possible misdemeanor charges.

Branch is facing misdemeanor charges of obstructing public sidewalks/streets – prowling and obstruction of a law enforcement officer. According to the Athens Clarke County arrest log, he was booked at 1:26 a.m. and released at 3:44 a.m. after posting $39 bond.

According to the police report, which was obtained by NFL Network, an officer alleged that Branch failed “to comply with multiple verbal lawful commands” to not block a public sidewalk.

According to local media, Branch was in attendance for Georgia’s spring game Saturday. His brother, Zion, is a safety for Georgia.

Zachariah Branch was projected to be selected in the second round in a two-round mock draft recently posted by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and is ranked among the top 100 players available by ESPN’s Jeff Legwold, Field Yates, Jordan Reid and Matt Miller. **Titans to exercise fifth-year option on Peter Skoronski’s rookie deal | ESPN** The Tennessee Titans are exercising the fifth-year option for right guard Peter Skoronski, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Saturday.

Skoronski was selected 11th by the Titans in 2023. He started 14 games as a rookie and all 17 games the next two seasons.

Skoronski established himself as one of the NFL’s top-level pass blockers in 2025, a significant improvement from his rookie and sophomore seasons.

The fifth-year option earns Skoronski $19.07 million. Skoronski was entering the final season of his four-year rookie contract.

**In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride**

**Chiefs GM Brett Veach on defensive line: ‘We’re a few short there’**

“When you come into the offseason, and you look at our defensive line, you have Chris Jones and then Omar Norman-Lott, who’s coming off an injury,” Veach reflected. “I still think we need two more.”

“Even with the addition of Tonga, I still think we’re a few short there,” Veach reiterated. “So that will certainly be a definite position of need entering next week.”

Based on Veach’s comments, the Chiefs could be addressing the defensive line position not only early, but also often in next week’s draft. Unlike the offensive line, Veach and the Chiefs see more positional value at the defensive line.

“The defensive line,” Veach pondered. “I do think there are really good, solid pockets in (rounds) three and four, so there is a lot of good depth there.”

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