Your Kansas City Chiefs were aggressive in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft, starting with an expensive trade up to get general manager Brett Veach’s guy at pick six (hey, that could be a great nickname for rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane).
Everything came up favoring defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who Veach believes would’ve picked Delane over every other prospect in the class, revealing that in his post-draft press conference. He is the first of our five winners, basking in the gift
of acquiring the draft’s top cornerback.
The logical prediction that we mostly agreed upon: Defensive end and wide receiver would be the focus in round one. So, of course, the Chiefs head into round two with newcomers at cornerback and defensive tackle
It’s way too early to judge, panic, or rant — but that isn’t stopping us from trying to do all three.
Here are some Chiefs who felt the impact of the moves on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
5 Winners
Defensive Lineman Peter Woods: From all accounts, Woods has the character, physical talent, and upside to make him worth a first-round selection.
Like the rest of the Clemson defense, his 2025 season was a bit of a letdown. Then, he wasn’t able to do a full workout at the NFL Scouting Combine, and many projected him to be available in the second round. But the Chiefs saw the potential in the recently turned 21-year-old, who was key to four consecutive Alabama state championships and an ACC Championship at Clemson.
He’s got room to grow, and he’ll be in an ideal room to do so in Kansas City. He’ll play alongside and learn from Chris Jones, be coached by Joe Cullen, Steve Spagnuolo and head coach Andy Reid. He’ll have the opportunity to make an impact right away, but the rotation up front should finally be deep enough to spell him regularly.
If Woods can reach his potential, this pick could end up being ideal for both player and team.
Offensive Tackle Jaylon Moore: Many of us were perplexed at the idea of the Chiefs aggressively using either first-round pick to try to upgrade the right tackle position. There was talk of Reid being “hell-bent” on addressing the offensive line, despite having a starting five in place that is more than capable.
Veach basically confirmed that the smokescreen went as planned. Not only did the Chiefs get their guy at cornerback, but other teams were convinced enough to trade up for the offensive linemen later in the round. At least for now, Jaylon Moore can breathe a little easier with his starting job intact.
EDGE Ashton Gillotte: All conventional wisdom pointed toward the Chiefs adding a top-tier pass rusher early in the 2026 draft. But Kansas City passed on Rueben Bain, Jr. and Keldric Faulk (among others) on Day 1.
Now, with just pick No. 40 to use in the top 100 picks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Veach add to the offensive side of the ball on Day 2. This doesn’t mean that Gillotte won’t have competition: he’s no lock to start opposite George Karlaftis, but his chances certainly are better than they were before the draft began.
Wide receiver Rashee Rice: The road has been rocky for Kansas City’s top wideout, but Rice is still an important player for the upcoming season.
It will be a contract year for Rashee, who already said he’d love to stay in Kansas City and get “JSN Money”. There are a lot of reasons to believe he doesn’t deserve the payday earned by Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but his value to this team and his negotiating leverage got a boost when the Chiefs passed twice on a receiver in the first round.
Losers
Cornerback Kristian Fulton: If round one affirmed the team’s confidence in Jaylon Moore, then it really proved a lack of confidence in the cornerback room.
Kristian Fulton played well toward the end of 2025 and appeared to be in line for a starting role in 2026. But the Chiefs moved aggressively to add Delane at pick No. 6, putting him first in line to man the outside moving forward.
With Nohl Williams and new addition Kader Kohou poised to play key roles alongside Delane, Fulton may find himself buried on the depth chart once again.
General Manager Brett Veach: Look, it’s NOT that Veach didn’t have a good night on Thursday. He upgraded two positions of need with young players projected to have an early impact.
But, at what cost?
Giving up the team’s third-round pick (No. 74) and the earliest of three fifth-round picks (148) in the move for Delane leaves the Chiefs with only one selection on Day 2 (barring additional trades). Veach is now limited in his ability to move up from pick 40, and he will have to sit and watch nearly 70 players come off the board before his next selection after his sole pick on Friday.
Wide receiver and defensive end, the two biggest team needs, are still unaddressed. The limited draft ammunition could lead to just one — or neither — position receiving the boost of a top-100 pick.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes: We could make the case that Mahomes will benefit from the defensive additions; maybe the unit can get off the field quicker and get the ball back into the MVP’s hands. But, for a team that showed (beyond any doubt) that it will only go as far as Mahomes will it, the franchise wasn’t in a hurry to get him any help.
The Chiefs passed on offensive line, wide receivers, and the top tight end in the class on Thursday night. It would be surprising, but it’s very possible that the team doesn’t address offense at all before reaching pick 109.
