The latest
2026 NFL mock draft … with a twist! What every team SHOULD do in Round 1 | NFL.com
Pick 9: Kansas City Chiefs
Kenyon Sadiq
Oregon — TE — JuniorI don’t expect Kansas City to draft this high again any time soon. I know you could play it safe, Chiefs, but let’s get a little dumb and dangerous. Because you’re the Chiefs and you can do it. Tight end might seem weird to some at first blush because Travis Kelce just signed a new three-year contract, but let’s be serious: He’s not playing out that deal. Let’s
get creative here. You can line up Sadiq in the slot. He blocks. He’s tough. And Patrick Mahomes could use another big-bodied target.
2026 NFL draft: Which teams should trade up, down in Round 1? | ESPN
Kansas City Chiefs: Trade up from No. 9
The Chiefs are not going to have this chance very often, are they? Picking at No. 9, the Chiefs can land a player who projects to offer significant upside at a premium position. Coach Andy Reid had to trade two first-round picks to move up for Patrick Mahomes in 2017, and though they appear to have landed a standout left tackle in Josh Simmons, it required taking a leap of faith on a player coming off a serious injury.
Picks on the most premium positions late in Round 1 in recent years have delivered players such as George Karlaftis, Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Xavier Worthy — guys who have ranged from solid to disappointing. It’s entirely possible to land standouts in that range, but it’s always going to be easier to hit on players at the most difficult positions in football if you’re picking in the top 10.
At No. 9, the Chiefs could stay put and hope that one of those players at premium positions like wide receiver or edge rusher fall to them. Armed with extra draft capital from the Trent McDuffie trade, though, this might be an opportunity for general manager Brett Veach to go big. I wouldn’t want to sacrifice that No. 29 pick altogether, but if the Chiefs can use that along with No. 9 to move up and then land another Day 2 pick as part of a deal, it might give them a chance at the sort of pass-rushing prospect they wouldn’t normally see at the bottom of Round 1, such as Texas Tech’s David Bailey. Drafting a player out of Tech didn’t go too poorly the last time the Chiefs tried it, right?
Chiefs Still In the Mix to Draft Top Offensive Skill Player, Per Draft Analyst | Heavy Sports
However, according to NFL Network’s lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid could be reticent to pass on such a top talent if he is available with the team’s first pick in this year’s upcoming draft at #9 overall.
“If Jeremiyah Love’s there [at #9] I think all bets are off.” Jeremiah said on The Joel Klatt Show on Monday. “Walker was him and [Zach] Charbonnet, that was a tag-team group there in Seattle. So obviously you like to have more than one back, I can use him in so many different ways. I’ve got Mahomes coming off of injury, so we’re going to ease him back in.
“We bought Eric Bieniemy back in at coordinator, we want to get this run game going. Now I’ve got two guys and they are going to complement each other very well we can really really get the run game going. Plus both these guys can catch the ball, and Love is like a legit slot receiver if you wanted to put him out there. He can go up there and you can make the case he might be the best slot – probably the best slot – receiver in this draft.”
Tickets on sale for Kansas City Charity Pickleball hosted by Chiefs champions | FOX 4
The Kansas City Charity Pickleball event returns for its second year on May 28 at Chicken N Pickle at 5901 W. 135th Street in Overland Park between 5 and 9 p.m. The event raises money for Variety KC and MoKan Border Collie Rescue.
Chiefs tight end Noah Gray and fellow Super Bowl champion Gehrig Dieter host the event that features 32 teams with a variety of professional athletes and local celebrities, as well as fans who can purchase tickets to play for $200 a team.
If you’re only looking to attend and enjoy the atmosphere, tickets begin at $40, with VIP available for $75. The VIP tickets include a buffet and exclusive rooftop access.
NFL mock draft 2026: Kansas City Chiefs select Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State | SB Nation
With the ninth overall pick in the 2026 SB Nation Community Mock Draft, Arrowhead Pride’s Ron Kopp Jr. and the Kansas City Chiefs select Carnell Tate, wide receiver, Ohio State!
My analysis: The Chargers have missed Tyreek Hill since he was traded to the Dolphins and while they’ve found success as a team since that move, Mahomes has had to carry an offense with an aging Travis Kelce and some young wideouts who just haven’t been able to come up as often as Hill did for the team.
Xavier Worthy has looked good in spurts as the team’s dangerous speedster who can score in a number of ways, but injuries took four games from him in 2025 and he has yet to break 700 yards receiving in either of his first two seasons. Adding another receiver who should demand attention will only further open up the passing game back to a place both Andy Reid and Mahomes prefer. Instead of Reid needing to scheme open his speedsters who lack size and strength in the end zone, Mahomes can now utilize Tate’s notable 50-50 ball skills inside the 20.
Around the NFL
NFL reporter Dianna Russini has resigned from The Athletic less than a week after published photos of her and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel at an Arizona resort prompted an internal investigation at The New York Times-owned sports outlet.
The New York Post last week published the photos of Vrabel and Russini at the Sedona hotel and said they were taken before the NFL owners meetings that began in Phoenix on March 29.
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published. When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful. In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts,” Russini said in a letter sent Tuesday to Athletic Executive Editor Steven Ginsberg and obtained by The Associated Press.
Safety Nasir Adderley signs with Colts, ending retirement | ESPN
Former Los Angeles Chargers safety Nasir Adderley is coming out of retirement, signing Tuesday with the Indianapolis Colts to compete for a roster spot after spending the past three seasons away from the NFL.
Adderley surprisingly retired after the 2022 season at age 25. But in February, he announced his intention to attempt a return to the NFL, writing in a social media post that “health, family, and entrepreneurship were my top priorities, and I’m proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish.”
He added, “The freedom to manage my own schedule was very important to me, but what I didn’t realize was how much I’d miss having football in my life. The competition, the brotherhood, and just being involved in the game that means so much to me and my family. Therefore, I am officially announcing my intention to return to the NFL.”
“I’m not going to get into if there’s a deadline or not. He’s under contract for two more years,” Schoen said of whether the Giants felt a sense of urgency to handle the matter. “We’re not going to put any deadlines on anything. Right now we’re having productive conversations and we’ll see where it goes.”
With contract negotiations failing to progress, Lawrence requested a trade last week and made clear he will not be in attendance for New York’s offseason workout program. The development certainly wasn’t a surprise. Lawrence and the Giants had failed to gain ground on a new deal in each of the last two offseasons and Lawrence’s name circulated prior to the 2025 trade deadline, clearing plenty of space for the trade request to materialize sooner rather than later.
“We’ve had good conversations with his representatives throughout the last five or six days, coach (John Harbaugh), (senior VP of football ops and strategy) Dawn (Aponte), myself, we’ve all been in communication, trying to find some resolution,” Schoen said. “I’ll echo what coach said last week. We’d like for Dexter to be here, and at some point we’ll come to a resolution here, whatever that may be. We’ll see.”
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs Draft: Louisville WR Chris Bell visited Kansas City this week
How he fits with the Chiefs
As Bell recovers from a torn ACL suffered in December, he projects as a long-term pick for the Chiefs. There is a lot about his play style that fits in with Kansas City’s West Coast offensive foundation.
At its core, the team wants playmakers who can make the most of any open space given once the ball is in their hands. It is why wide receiver Rashee Rice has been such a seamless fit into the offense since the day he was drafted, regardless of his ascension into anything more than a high-volume target when he’s on the field.
Bell’s strong physique gives him the ability to play on the line of scrimmage similarly to Rice, relieving lighter receivers like Worthy or Thornton from facing press coverage off the line. If Bell’s downfield abilities can grow, he has the profile of an older, X-receiver in the era of quarterback Patrick Mahomes: Sammy Watkins.
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