The Kansas City Chiefs have been doing their homework on wide receivers ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, taking place soon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Not only is general manager Brett Veach digging in on pass catchers, but he also seems to be doing his homework on a specific type of wide receiver.
The Chiefs have met with both Carnell Tate from Ohio State and Ted Hurst from Georgia State; the team appears to be in the market for a perimeter wideout who can stretch the field down the seams, much like
the role Tyquan Thornton fulfilled in 2025.
Tennessee receiver Chris Brazzell fits this mold, while also offering some additional upside at the position. He told reporters that he formally met with Kansas City during the NFL Scouting Combine.
Background
Brazzell is the son of former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Chris Brazzell, who played mostly on special teams and finished his career with seven receptions for 126 receiving yards.
Brazzell was a three-star recruit coming out of Midland Legacy High School in Midland, TX. He was not heavily recruited, receiving only six offers from universities, with the largest school on the list being Pittsburgh, but Brazzell ultimately decided to begin his college career at Tulane University.
After a productive year in 2023, catching 44 passes for 711 yards and five touchdowns, Brazzell entered the transfer portal and made the jump to the SEC to enroll at the University of Tennessee. It took him a year to get his footing with the Volunteers, but Brazzell broke out in a big way in 2025, catching 62 balls for 1017 yards and nine touchdowns.
His brother, Colin Brazzell, also played for the Volunteers in 2024, but he did not log a snap for Tennessee in 2025.
It’s easy to see why the Chiefs are interested in Brazzell: he is 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds with 40-yard dash speed in the 4.3s. The NFL bloodlines only add to the intrigue.
That being said, let’s take a look at him on the field:
My analysis
At the top of this article, I touted Brazzell as a guy who is going to stretch the field and put pressure on the defense up the seams and on the outside by going deep, and he will.
But he is also a lot more than a tall guy with straight-line speed.
He has an effortless ability to gear up and down out of his breaks, and he knows how to weaponize his speed to get open underneath.
In this clip, he pushes hard upfield against an Alabama cornerback before snapping off the route underneath, creating the sort of separation that you don’t usually see from ballwinners. Usually, this type of receiver over-relies on winning 50-50 balls.
Brazzell understands leverage and body positioning. By utilizing an inside release, he can get his body inside the defender and put pressure on the cornerback to sell the deep route. While the cornerback is digging to catch up and try to regain inside leverage, Brazzell has the uncanny ability for a man his size to sink his hips and snap off the route, so he can work back across the defender’s body, creating enough separation to land a Boeing 747 between him and the defender.
Brazell has a good feel for space and utilizes late hands to ensure opposing defenders are not tipped off to when the ball is arriving. He uses his size to his advantage to complete contested catches. It’s easy to envision the Chiefs finding ways to put the ball in Brazzell’s hands in space.
I like Brazzell as a prospect because he has intangibles you can’t teach, like his speed and overall athleticism — but he also seems to be pretty teachable; he utilized his time at Teenneese to grow as a player.
The Chiefs need to get more explosive on offense, and Brazzell will help them do just that. He has great body control and catches the ball away from his frame. While Brazzell is more of a Z-receiver than a true X-receiver, his above-average route running gives him the edge over a player like Tyquan Thornton or similar-style receivers in the draft.
Fit with the Chiefs
Fit: High
Round grade: Second or Third
Xavier Worthy struggled with staying healthy last season, and with his lack of size, there should be real concern about whether his body can consistently hold up to the rigors of a 17-game season.
On the other side of the hash marks is an even bigger question mark. Rashee Rice’s legal troubles and his inability to create separation, mixed with the drops he’s struggled with, mean that the Chiefs are looking for playmakers to pair with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and Brazzell fits that mold.
