The Kansas City Chiefs are on the clock again in our 2026 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft.
Earlier in the draft, commenter sprtn66—who is acting as the Chiefs’ general manager in this mock—selected Ohio State safety Caleb Downs with the ninth overall pick. How will they follow up that pick? Add an offensive weapon for Patrick Mahomes? Continue to build out the defense?
Before we get to the selection, head to our 2026 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft tracker. There you’ll find the previous
28 picks, along with links to each article and a grade for each pick, as decided by you, the readers. Don’t forget to cast your vote for each pick with the poll at the bottom of the articles.
Now, onto this pick:
With the 29th pick in the 2026 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select Zion Young, defensive end out of Missouri.
Here’s sprtn66 explaining the pick:
When I picked for the Chiefs at #9 I desperately wanted a pass rusher. After watching Arvell Reese, David Bailey, and Reuben Bain all get picked in front of me I went to plan B and selected S Caleb Downs instead. It’s time to get that edge rusher the Chiefs are in dire need of.
I selected Zion Young, edge rusher out of Missouri. He’s not in the same class as Bain, Bailey, or Reese. Many mock drafts have him going in the second round. In four years at both Michigan State and Missouri, he only had 11.5 sacks. He also had a couple of off-field incidents. He had a misdemeanor assault charge in the infamous tunnel fight with Michigan as a freshman and a DWI arrest in 12/25 that is still pending. That’s the bad news and it doesn’t seem to be affecting his draft status much. Now on with the good news.
I mentioned 11.5 career sacks? In 2025, he had 6.5 of those sacks to go along with 16.5 tackles for loss and tw0 forced fumbles. He has a non-stop motor and plays with a nasty streak offensive tackles will hate. PFF gave him a 86.6 run defense grade, making him one of the best edge setters in this entire draft. He is a prototypical strong side end and can hold the point of attack on run downs and pin his ears back and hunt the QB on obvious passing downs.
He is not a finished product as a pass rusher though. He has a great spin move, a good rip move, and a spin move that is still a work in progress. He can line up with a hand in the dirt or stand up on the edge. He can also slide inside on sub packages. DC Steve Spagnuolo will love his versatility and ability to stay on the field regardless of down and distance. At pick #29 I feel Zion Young is an absolute steal and made to order for the Chiefs defense.
Time to grade the pick. Vote in the poll below and share your expanded thoughts in the comment section:
