Miami's Rueben Bain Jr. is a hot commodity, with multiple top analysts projecting him to the Chiefs' ninth overall pick. Will he fill a key defensive need?
The Kansas City Chiefs are going to be selecting ninth overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, which is something quite new after years of Super Bowl trips.
The Chiefs could select a tight end if Travis Kelce decides to call it a career, but there are plenty of holes on the roster even if Kelce decides to run it back one more season.
Lance Zeirlein, Daniel Jeremiah, Bucky Brooks and Eric Edholm all revealed their mock draft 1.0 editions.
Among them, three of the four had the Chiefs drafting Miami Hurricanes star edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr.
Zeirlein, Edholm and Jeremiah all had Bain going to the Chiefs at No. 9 overall, with Brooks predicting Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love to be the selection.
Here's what Jeremiah wrote about the Bain prediction: "Bain is my favorite fit for the Chiefs. Andy Reid has always had an appreciation for players with a junkyard-dog mentality like Bain possesses, having coached Trent Cole and Brandon Graham in Philadelphia."
ESPN draft expert Matt Miller went in a different direction with his mock draft.
Miller had the Chiefs selecting Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey with the ninth pick and USC safety Kamari Ramsey with the 40th pick, in turn adding two pieces to the defense for Kansas City.
The Chiefs' need for a running back is somewhat obvious, and Love could very well be an every-down back in the NFL, which is a rare breed in today's age.
On the other hand, adding an edge rusher such as Bain would be a huge boost to the defense, and even Miller's mock of adding Bailey is another fit that makes a lot of sense for Kansas City.
The Chiefs hired offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy once again, and that means the offense will have a new look with Matt Nagy calling the plays for the past couple of years.
Love had been a player commonly linked to the Chiefs for some time, and it seems like a smart choice given that the Notre Dame star is a workhorse in the backfield.
Of course, free agency should change the way the Chiefs' mock drafts look. If they sign a running back or edge rusher, maybe they pivot in another direction once the draft begins in April.
Nonetheless, the Chiefs have a top-10 pick and can add a high-impact player at either side of the ball when it's all said and done.