2026 Draft Notes (4-17-26) by Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs COMMUNICATIONS STAFF Contact Information

Brad Gee Vice President of Football Communications (816) 920-4349 bgee@chiefs.nfl.com

Cydney Glaze Sr. Director of Football Communications (816) 920-4352 cglaze@chiefs.nfl.com

Kelsey Boal Football Communications Manager (816) 920-4355 kboal@chiefs.nfl.com

Johnny Chapple Football Communications Coordinator (816) 920-4403 jchapple@chiefs.nfl.com

Luke Shanno Vice President of Corporate Communications (816) 920-4351 lshanno@chiefs.nfl.com

Olivia Tavernier Corporate Communications & Publicity Coord. (816) 920-4691 otavernier@chiefs.nfl.com

KANSAS CITY Chiefs hold NINE PICKS in 2026 nfl draft

The 2026 NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh, Penn., and will be broadcast on NFL Network, ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Fans can follow the Draft online at Chiefs.com or by following the Chiefs on X (formerly Twitter) as the club provides full video highlights, biographical information and analysis following each Chiefs Draft selection. Voice of the Chiefs Mitch Holthus and Chiefs Senior Team Reporter Matt McMullen will host a Live Draft Watch Party on Thursday during Round 1. The stream will go live approximately 10 minutes before the Chiefs are on the clock. It will be available on the Chiefs YouTube page. This year’s draft will have 257 selections. There are 33 compensatory picks, including one special compensatory selection. Kansas City has nine selections in the 2026 NFL Draft.

2026 NFL DRAFT ORDER

1) Las Vegas Raiders

2) New York Jets

3) Arizona Cardinals

4) Tennessee Titans

5) New York Giants

6) Cleveland Browns

3-14 .176 .538

3-14 .176 .552

3-14 .176 .571

3-14 .176 .574

4-13 .235 .524

5-12 .294 .486

7) Washington Commanders 5-12 .294 .507

8) New Orleans Saints

6-11 .353 .495

9) Kansas City Chiefs 6-11 .353 .514

10) Cincinnati Bengals

6-11 .353 .521

11) Miami Dolphins 7-10 .412 .488

12) Dallas Cowboys 7-9-1 .441 .438

13) Los Angeles Rams (From Atlanta) 12-5 .706 .526

14) Baltimore Ravens 8-9 .471 .507

15) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8-9 .471 .529

16) New York Jets (From Indianapolis) 3-14 .176 .552

17) Detroit Lions 9-8 .529 .490

18) Minnesota Vikings 9-8 .529 .514

19) Carolina Panthers 8-9 .471 .522

20) Dallas Cowboys (From Green Bay) 7-9-1 .441 .438

21) Pittsburgh Steelers 10-7 .588 .503

22) Los Angeles Chargers 11-6 .647 .469

23) Philadelphia Eagles 11-6 .647 .476

24) Cleveland Browns (From Jacksonville) 5-12 .294 .486

25) Chicago Bears 11-6 .647 .458

26) Buffalo Bills 12-5 .706 .471

27) San Francisco 49ers 12-5 .706 .498

28) Houston Texans 12-5 .706 .522

29) Kansas City Chiefs (From LAR) 6-11 .353 .514

30) Miami Dolphins (From Denver) 7-10 .412 .488

31) New England Patriots 14-3 .824 .391

32) Seattle Seahawks 14-3 .824 .498

DRAFT INFO & MEDIA AVAILABILITY

DRAFT SCHEDULE

• Thursday, April 23 – 7:00 p.m. CT (Round 1 – 8 Minutes Per Pick)

• HC Andy Reid – After First Player Selected

• GM Brett Veach – End of 1st Rd. (Approx. 10:30 p.m.)

• Friday, April 24 – 6:00 p.m. CT (Round 2 – 7 Minutes, Round 3 – 5 Minutes Per Pick)

• Assistant General Manager Mike Bradway – End of 3rd Rd. (Approx. 10:15 p.m.)

• Saturday, April 25 – 11:00 a.m. CT (Rounds 4-6 – 5 Minutes, Round 7 – 4 Minutes)

• Area Scouts Post-Pick on the Final Day

• Monday, April 27 – 11:30 a.m. CT

• Post-Draft Recap Zoom

Additional Notes

• All drafted players will be made available via Zoom shortly after being selected.

• Times/availability are subject to change. The Chiefs Communications staff will send out email updates as necessary.

2026 CHIEFS SELECTIONS (AS OF APRIL 17)

In Brett Veach’s career as a personnel executive, he has been a part of two front offices (Philadelphia and Kansas City) working closely with Head Coach Andy Reid. The 2026 Draft marks Veach’s 20th Draft and he has had a hand in selecting 14 first-round picks, four in Philadelphia and 10 in Kansas City.

Yr. No. (Overall) Selection (School)

2007 (PHI) -- No First-Round Selection

2008 -- No First-Round Selection

2009 19

2010 13

2011 23

2012 12

WR Jeremy Maclin (Missouri)

DE Brandon Graham (Michigan)

G Danny Watkins (Baylor)

DT Fletcher Cox (Mississippi State)

2013 (KC) 1 T Eric Fisher (Central Michigan)

2014 23

2015 18

LB Dee Ford (Auburn)

CB Marcus Peters (Washington)

2016 No First-Round Selection

2017 10 QB Patrick Mahomes (Texas Tech)

2018 No First-Round Selection

2019 No First-Round Selection

2020 32

RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (LSU)

2021 No First-Round Selection

2022 21

CB Trent McDuffie (Washington)

2022 30 DE George Karlaftis (Purdue)

2023 31 DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah (Kansas State)

2024 28

WR Xavier Worthy (Texas)

2025 32 T Josh Simmons (Ohio State)

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid has had 22 first-round selections as a head coach in the NFL. Since his arrival in Kansas City in 2013, he has held both the first (2013) and last (2020, 2023, 2024, 2025) pick in the first round of the draft. Of the 22 players selected, there were 10 offensive players and 12 defensive players taken.

Yr. No. (Overall) Selection (School)

1999 (PHI) 2

QB Donovan McNabb (Syracuse)

2000 6 DT Corey Simon (Florida State)

2001 25

2002 26

WR Freddie Mitchell (UCLA)

CB Lito Sheppard (Florida)

2003 15 DE Jerome McDougle (Miami)

2004 16 T Shawn Andrews (Arkansas)

2005 31 DT Mike Patterson (Southern California)

2006 14 DT Brodrick Bunkley (Florida State)

2007 -- No First-Round Selection

2008 -- No First-Round Selection

2009 19

WR Jeremy Maclin (Missouri)

2010 13 DE Brandon Graham (Michigan)

2011 23

2012 12

G Danny Watkins (Baylor)

DT Fletcher Cox (Mississippi State)

2013 (KC) 1 T Eric Fisher (Central Michigan)

2014 23

LB Dee Ford (Auburn)

2015 18 CB Marcus Peters (Washington)

2016 No First-Round Selection

2017 10

Patrick Mahomes (Texas Tech)

First-Round Selection

2020 32 RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (LSU) 2021 No First-Round Selection

2022 21 CB Trent McDuffie (Washington)

2022 30 DE George Karlaftis (Purdue)

2023 31 DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah (Kansas State)

2024 28 WR Xavier Worthy (Texas)

2025 32 T Josh Simmons (Ohio State)

• In 2026, Kansas City traded CB Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick (29th overall), a 2026 fifth-round pick (169th overall), a 2026 sixth-round pick (210th overall), as well as a 2027 third-round pick.

• In 2025, Kansas City traded its first-round pick (31st overall) to Philadelphia, in exchange for the 32nd overall pick used to select T Josh Simmons and a fifth-rounder (No. 164). Kansas City then sent their fifth-round pick (164th overall) and seventh-round pick (226th overall) to Pittsburgh for their fifthround pick (156th overall), ultimately selecting LB Jeffrey Bassa

• In 2024, Kansas City traded the No. 32 overall pick to Buffalo, along with a third-round pick (95) and a seventh-round selection (221) in exchange for the 28th overall pick used to select WR Xavier Worthy, a fourth-rounder (No. 133) and a seventh-rounder (248).

• In 2022, Kansas City traded WR Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 2022 first-round pick (29th overall), a 2022 second-round pick (50th overall), a 2022 fourth-round pick (121st overall), as well as a 2023 fourth-round pick and a 2023 sixth-round pick. Kansas City then traded a 2022 first-round pick (29th overall), a 2022 third-round pick (94th overall) and a 2022 fourth-round pick (121st overall) to the New England Patriots for their 2022 first-round pick (21st overall) to select CB Trent McDuffie

• In 2021, Kansas City traded its first-round pick (31st overall), third-round pick (94th overall) and a fourth-round pick (136th overall), along with a 2022 fifth-round pick to Baltimore in exchange for T Orlando Brown, a second-round pick in 2021 (58th overall) eventually used to select LB Nick Bolton and a sixth-round pick in 2022.

• In 2019, Kansas City traded its first-round pick (29th overall), third-round pick (93rd overall) and a 2020 second-round pick to Seattle in exchange for DE Frank Clark and Seattle’s third-round pick (84th overall) eventually used to select DT Khalen Saunders.

• In 2017, Kansas City traded its first-round pick (27th overall), third-round pick (91st overall) and a 2018 first-round pick to Buffalo in exchange for Buffalo’s first-round pick (10th overall) to draft QB Patrick Mahomes.

• In 2016, Kansas City traded its first-round pick (28th overall) to San Francisco in exchange for a second-round pick (37th overall), fourthround pick (105th overall) and a sixth-round pick (178th overall) eventually used to draft DT Chris Jones, OL Parker Ehinger and DB D.J. White, respectively. Kansas City gave San Francisco its seventh-round selection (249th overall) as part of the trade.

• In 2011, Kansas City sent its original first-round pick (21st overall) to Cleveland in exchange for Cleveland’s first-round pick (27th overall and became 26th overall), eventually used on WR Jon Baldwin, and the Browns third-round pick (70th overall), used to select LB Justin Houston

• In 2003, Kansas City sent its original first-round pick (16th overall) to Pittsburgh in exchange for the Steelers first-round pick (27th overall) used on RB Larry Johnson, its third-round pick (92nd overall), used on CB Julian Battle, and its sixth-round pick (200th overall), which was subsequently traded to the N.Y. Jets.

• In 2002, Kansas City acquired Dallas first-round pick (sixth overall), eventually used on DT Ryan Sims, in exchange for the Chiefs first-round pick (eighth overall), a third-round pick (75th overall) and a sixth-round pick in the 2003 NFL Draft.

• In 2001, Kansas City obtained QB Trent Green and St. Louis fifth-round pick in exchange for the Chiefs first-round draft pick (12th overall).

• In 1995, Kansas City sent its original first-round pick (19th overall) to Jacksonville for the Jaguars first-round pick (31st overall), eventually used on T Trezelle Jenkins, their third-round pick (97th overall), eventually used on LB Troy Dumas, Jacksonville’s fourth-round pick (134th overall), eventually used on QB Steve Stenstrom, and a fourth-round pick in the 1996 NFL Draft, which the Chiefs traded away as part of a package that led to the drafting of LB Donnie Edwards in the fourth-round (98th overall) of the 1996 Draft.

• In 1993, the Chiefs sent their first-round pick (18th overall) to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for QB Joe Montana, S David Whitmore and San Francisco’s third-round pick (96th overall) in the 1994 NFL Draft, which was used to select WR Chris Penn

• In 1988, the Chiefs obtained Detroit’s first-round pick (second overall), which was used to select DE Neil Smith, in exchange for Kansas City’s original first-round pick (third overall) and second-round pick (29th overall).

• In 1982, Kansas City sent its first-round pick (16th overall) and a thirdround pick (73rd overall) to St. Louis for the Rams first-round pick (11th overall), which was used to draft WR Anthony Hancock

• In 1979, the Chiefs sent a second-round pick (31st overall) and a secondround pick in the 1980 Draft to Houston for the Oilers’ first-round pick (23rd overall), eventually used on QB Steve Fuller.

• In 1975, Kansas City obtained DE John Matuszak from Houston in exchange for DT Curley Culp and the Chiefs first-round pick (sixth overall).

REID’S PAST FIRST-ROUND PICKS

A total of 25 players currently on the Chiefs roster were drafted by the team, including five Pro Bowlers. Below is a round-by-round listing of the players on the 2026 roster that were drafted by the club. *Designates Pro Bowl selection.

1st Round (5)

2017 - QB Patrick Mahomes (10), Texas Tech*

2022 - DE George Karlaftis (30), Purdue 2023 - DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah (31), Kansas State

2024 - WR Xavier Worthy (28), Texas

2025 - T Josh Simmons (32), Ohio State

2nd Round (6)

2016 - DT Chris Jones (37), Mississippi State*

2021 - LB Nick Bolton (58), Missouri

2021 - C Creed Humphrey (63), Oklahoma* 2023 - WR Rashee Rice (55), SMU

2024 - OL Kingsley Suamataia (63), BYU

2025 - DT Omarr Norman-Lott (63), Tennessee

3rd Round (4)

2013 - TE Travis Kelce (63), Cincinnati* 2023 - OL Wanya Morris (92), Oklahoma

2025 - DE Ashton Gillotte (66), Louisville

2025 - DB Nohl Williams (85), California

4th Round (4)

2023 - DB Chamarri Conner (119), Virginia Tech

2024 - TE Jared Wiley (131), TCU

2024 - DB Jaden Hicks (133), Washington State

2025 - WR Jalen Royals (133), Utah State

5th Round (3)

2021 - TE Noah Gray (162), Duke

2024 - OL Hunter Nourzad (159), Penn State

2025 - LB Jeffrey Bassa (156), Oregon

6th Round (1)

2021 - G Trey Smith (226), Tennessee*

7th Round (2)

2024 - OL C.J. Hanson (248), Holy Cross

2025 - RB Brashard Smith (228), SMU

FIRST-ROUND HISTORY BREAKDOWN

Since the inception of the common draft in 1967, the Chiefs have used their first-round pick to draft a variety of positions. The club has not picked in the first round nine times, and the club has drafted two first-rounders five times. The club has selected first overall once and in the top-10 14 times. The Chiefs currently have the 9th and 29th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Below are the Chiefs 14 draftees taken within the first 10 picks of their respective drafts and total first-round selections by position.

General Manager Brett Veach’s 2021-25 NFL Draft classes have stepped onto the field and had immediate

A STRONG FOUNDATION

The Chiefs 2026 roster returns a lot of experience while also welcoming several new faces via free agency. The Chiefs return 23 players who have played in at least one of the team’s five Super Bowl trips over the past seven years and 10 who have played in at least three of them.

Name Notes

DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah Played SB LVIII and LIX

P Matt Araiza Played SB LIX

LB Nick Bolton Started SB LVII, LVIII and LIX

K Harrison Butker Played SB LIV, LV, LVII, LVIII and LIX

OL Mike Caliendo Played SB LVIII; Started LIX

LB Cole Christiansen Played SB LVIII

LB Jack Cochrane Played SB LVII and LVIII; IR LIX

DB Chamarri Conner Played SB LVIII; Started LIX

TE Noah Gray Started SB LVII and LVIII; Played LIX

DB Jaden Hicks Played SB LIX

C Creed Humphrey Started SB LVII, LVIII and LIX

DT Chris Jones Started SB LIV, LV, LVII, LVIII and LIX

DE George Karlaftis Started SB LVII, LVIII and LIX

TE Travis Kelce Started SB LIV, LV, LVII, LVIII and LIX

QB Patrick Mahomes Started SB LIV, LV, LVII, LVIII and LIX

OL Wanya Morris Played SB LVIII

WR Nikko Remigio Played SB LIX

WR Rashee Rice Started SB LVIII; IR LIX

CB Chris Roland-Wallace Played SB LIX

G Trey Smith Started SB LVII, LVIII and LIX

LB Drue Tranquill Played SB LVIII; Started LIX

LS James Winchester Played SB LIV, LV, LVII, LVIII and LIX

WR Xavier Worthy Started SB LIX

NEWCOMER IMPACT

Chiefs Kingdom saw 10 rookies participate in the 2025 season, seven of which started at least one game.

*Denotes started in at least one game.

Name How Acquired

LB Jeffrey Bassa D5-25

LB Ethan Downs FA-25

DE Ashton Gillotte D3a-25*

DB Kevin Knowles CFA-25

LB Cooper McDonald CFA-25*

DT Omarr Norman-Lott D2-25*

WR Jalen Royals D4-25*

T Josh Simmons D1-25*

RB Brashard Smith D7-25*

CB Nohl Williams D3b-25*

The Kansas City Chiefs coaching staff introduced four new faces for the 2026 season. The Chiefs announced three coaches returning to Kansas City and one position change after the departure of eight coaches following the 2025 campaign.

Coach

2025 Role

2026 Role

Eric Bieniemy Running Backs - CHI Offensive Coordinator

Terry Bradden Defensive Line - Nebraska Asst. Defensive Line

CJ Cox Safeties - Coastal Carolina Def. Quality Control

Andre Curtis Def. Pass Game Coord. - DAL Def. Backs/Safeties

Matt House Sr. Defensive Asst. - KC LBs/Outside LBs

DeMarco Murray Running Backs - Oklahoma Running Backs

Chad O’Shea Pass Game Coord./WRs - CLE Wide Receivers

Nate Pagan Wide Receivers - Villanova Off. Quality Control

OLD AND NEW FACES

THE NEW GUYS

During the 2026 offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs signed six new players and traded for one. Below is a list of the new faces in the locker room.

RB Kenneth Walker

• Played in 17 games (17 starts) for the Seahawks in 2025.

• 2025: Rushed for 1,027 yards and five touchdowns on 221 carries. Named Super Bowl LX MVP after rushing for 135 yards on 27 carries.

• Career: 3,555 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns on 821 carries. 1,005 receiving yards on 133 receptions and two touchdowns. 4,560 scrimmage yards. Named to PFWA All-Rookie team in 2022.

• Originally entered the NFL as a second-round draft pick (41st overall) by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2022 NFL Draft.

S Alohi Gilman

• Played in 17 games (17 starts) for the Chargers (five starts) and Ravens (12 starts) in 2025.

• 2025: 89 tackles (49 solo), nine passes defensed, two fumble recoveries, one quarterback hit, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and one touchdown.

• Career: 306 tackles (193 solo), 27 passes defensed, six fumble recoveries, five interceptions, five forced fumbles, four tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, 1.0 sack and one touchdown.

• Originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick (186th overall) by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2020 NFL Draft.

NT Khyiris Tonga

• Played in 14 games (eight starts) for the Patriots in 2025.

• 2025: 24 tackles (nine solo), two passes defensed, two quarterback hits and two tackles for loss.

• Career: 113 tackles (46 solo), six quarterback hits, six passes defensed, five tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and 0.5 sack.

• Originally entered the NFL as a seventh-round draft pick (250th overall) by the Chicago Bears in the 2021 NFL Draft.

QB Justin Fields

• Played in nine games (nine starts) in 2025 for the Jets.

• 2025: 128-of-204 (62.7%) for 1,259 passing yards with seven touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 89.5. Rushed for 383 yards and four touchdowns on 71 carries.

• Career: 812-of-1,323 (61.4%) for 9,039 passing yards with 52 touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 84.7. Rushed for 2,892 yards and 23 touchdowns on 489 carries.

• Originally entered the NFL as a first-round draft pick (11th overall) by the Chicago Bears in the 2021 NFL Draft.

CB Kader Kohou

• Placed on IR for 2025 season.

• Career: 180 tackles (148 solo), 28 passes defensed, 13 tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 1.0 sack.

• Originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent by the Miami Dolphins in 2022.

RB Emari Demercado

• Played in 13 games with the Cardinals in 2025.

• 2025: 312 rushing yards on 44 attempts while hauling in 13 receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown.

• Career: 819 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 126 attempts. 324 receiving yards and one touchdown on 50 receptions.

• Originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent by the Arizona Cardinals in 2023

CB Kaiir Elam

• Played in 14 games (seven starts) with the Cowboys (seven starts) and Titans (four games) in 2025.

• 2025: 33 tackles (22 solo), two passes defensed, two fumble recoveries and one tackle for loss.

• Career: 111 tackles (77 solo), eight passes defensed, four tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions.

• Originally entered the NFL as a first-round pick (23rd overall) by the Buffalo Bills in the 2022 NFL Draft.

2006

2005

Boomer Grigsby 138 Illinois State 5b To Tennessee in 2005 DE Carlos Hall trade. 5c CB Alphonso Hodge 147 Miami (Ohio) 6a T Will Svitek 187 Stanford 6b DE Khari Long 199 Baylor 7a QB James Kilian 229 Tulsa 7b T Jeremy Parquet 238 Southern Miss.

To Philadelphia in 2004 T John Welbourn trade.

DT Ryan Sims 6 North Carolina

DT Eddie Freeman 43 Ala. - Birmingham

To Dallas in first-round trade. 3b To St. Louis in compensation for Dick Vermeil.