The Kansas City Chiefs prioritize defense again, grabbing a top edge rusher with their second-round pick in this mock draft.
The Kansas City Chiefs made the first trade of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night.
The Chiefs traded up from No. 9 to No. 6, sending No. 74 and No. 148 to the Cleveland Browns to move up three spots and select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.
Delane was widely regarded as the CB1 of this class, and the Chiefs didn't want to take any chances with CB being a glaring need for this team.
It's a bit tough to swallow for the fans, especially because Delane might've been available at No. 9, but Chiefs GM Brett Veach seemed excited to land a top talent such as Delane.
The Chiefs then doubled down on defense by selecting Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods at No. 29 in the end of the first round, so it was all defense on Day 1 for Kansas City.
On Day 2, the Chiefs have just one pick at the moment, which is at No. 40 overall, and they have to address areas such as edge rusher and wide receiver.
ESPN's Matt Miller had a new mock draft for Rounds 2 and 3 released on Friday, and in it, he had the Chiefs selecting Woods' teammate, Clemson edge rusher T.J. Parker.
A lot of mock drafts even had Parker viewed as a first-round pick, so getting three first-round talents in the first 40 picks is a strong haul for Kansas City, even if "reaching" for Delane is something that is brought up time and time again.
"After addressing cornerback and defensive tackle in Round 1, the Chiefs stick with defense and add the long-armed, powerful strongside defensive end in Parker. Wide receiver also would be a consideration here, but the depth at receiver is good enough to wait until later," Miller wrote.
Now, the WR position does need to be addressed, and the best WR entering Round 2 is Washington's Denzel Boston. However, Miller has Boston going a few picks before to the Buffalo Bills, and maybe Alabama's Germie Bernard is an option at No. 40.
The issue is that the Chiefs don't have a third-round pick because they traded it to Cleveland to move up in the first round, so they would have to wait until Day 3 to address the WR position, unless they move back into the third round.
Still, if the Chiefs end up with Delane, Woods and Parker on the first two days, that is a strong way to add to the defense.