Believe it or not, the Kansas City Chiefs have the No. 9 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. That means they are selecting in the top 10 for the first time since selecting Patrick Mahomes in 2017. 

There are a lot of ways they could go with this pick, including a replacement for tight end Travis Kelce if he does indeed call it a career. 

ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. had a mock draft, and he had the Chiefs selecting Notre Dame superstar running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 9 overall. 

Love being linked to the Chiefs is nothing new, and just like the Mendoza-Raiders pairing, Love to Kansas City seems like an obvious pick for the Chiefs to make. 

Here's what Kiper wrote about the selection. 

"You could see it, right? The Chiefs make their first pick in the top 10 since they took Patrick Mahomes at No. 10 in 2017 and promptly use the selection to get a game-changing running back to pair with their star quarterback? Improving the run game could open up the offense in a big way. The Chiefs were in the bottom half of the league in yards per carry (4.2) and runs of 10-plus yards (44) this season, and Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt are both free agents. It's time to inject some juice into this ground attack."

Love has time and time again been pegged to the Chiefs, and over the next few months, that should be a common sight in mock drafts across the internet. 

Mel Kiper Jr.'s big board is always an indication of how talented players are, and that speaks volumes for where Love is ranked. 

"Ignoring positional value, Love is the second-best prospect on my Big Board. Vision. Burst. Power. Speed. Receiving skills. He has it all, and he ran for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns this past season," Kiper wrote. 

Now, maybe the Chiefs' recent memory of selecting Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the first round has them hesitant to grab a running back. And, maybe the fact that the RB position doesn't hold as much value as before gets in their way. 

At the end of the day, grabbing and finding a RB who can be an every-down presence is something they need to address, whether it be in free agency or the draft. 

But, Love is a talented prospect, and even the fact that Kiper has him at No. 2 on his big board shows how skilled he is, so it could be an easy choice if he is still on the board when the Chiefs turn in their draft card.