Kansas City Chiefs 2026 NFL Draft: Picks, biggest needs, best fit and trade predictions

The 2026 NFL Draft kicks off live from Pittsburgh on Thursday, April 23 and the latest crop of rookies will be hearing their names called all weekend long. For the Kansas City Chiefs , the biggest need is an obvious one: Cornerback. The Chiefs decided to trade their best cornerback, Trent McDuffie, to the Rams.

Then subsequently lost their other starting cornerback Jaylen Watson to the Rams in free agency. Needless to say, cornerback is a massive need in Kansas City. Edge rusher is another position group the Chiefs need to upgrade.

MORE: Biggest need for every team entering 2026 NFL Draft Here's everything you need to know about the Kansas City Chiefs for this year's draft, including a round-by-round look at picks and a potential trade candidate already on the roster. Kansas City Chiefs NFL Draft best prospect fit: TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon Per USA TODAY's Ayrton Ostly: Yes, the Chiefs could use an edge rusher and cornerback help after free agency losses, but there's something intriguing about giving Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes an outlier athlete at tight end to succeed franchise icon Travis Kelce. He's young enough to grow into a featured role for the Chiefs as Mahomes looks to return to the AFC QB throne.

MORE: Finding the perfect prospect for every team Kansas City Chiefs NFL Draft trade candidate: WR Xavier Worthy Per USA TODAY's Jack McKessy: After a solid rookie season in 2024, the 2025 season made it appear that Worthy's rookie production may have been a result of Rashee Rice's injury-related absence. The young wideout took a backseat to Rice, tight end Travis Kelce and veteran Hollywood Brown in 2025. The future of the former first-round pick in Kansas City is more uncertain, but it's been proven that NFL teams are willing to take chances on a field-stretching speedster like Worthy in their receiving corps.