The Kansas City Chiefs are drafting in the top ten for the first time in forever, and the experts are proposing all sorts of possibilities. Dane Brugler of The Athletic has the Chiefs selecting Ohio State safety Caleb Downs in his latest mock draft, and Jesse Newell did a rundown on whether Downs would be a good fit for Kansas City.
Start with some draft logic. The Chiefs need a replacement at tight end for Travis Kelce, either now or in the near future, and they could also use a receiver with size to make plays on the boundary given that all of their current options are on the smaller side.
Selecting a safety would go against the grain of that logic, but Brugler considers Downs a “difference maker,” adding that he’s the best safety prospect since Eric Berry, whom the Chiefs chose in the top ten 16 years ago.
Downs’ draft position makes sense, according to Newell. He’s currently rated at 6.5 as a possible top ten pick, so Downs would need to slide a bit to be available for Kansas City.
Adding a safety also fits the Chiefs’ needs. Current safety Bryan Cook is a free agent, he’s probably not going to fit Kansas City’s budget for the position after having what Newell called a “career year” in 2025.
The rest of this forecast simply doesn’t fit, for several reasons. One is that Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has a history of turning late-round and undrafted players into contributors in the secondary, assuming Spagnuolo’s interviews for a head coaching job are unsuccessful, which is likely given his age.
Also, the Chiefs aren’t likely to use this pick to fill a non-premium position, and everyone knows Kansas City has bigger needs. GM Brett Veach has a history of using top draft picks to fill positions that command the most money in free agency, with the specifics there being defensive end, cornerback, receiver and left tackle.
If you go by that logic, a receiver or defensive lineman would make more sense, and Newell mentions defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. of Miami as a possibility, although his arm length isn’t up to what Spagnuolo usually prefers. The hot receiver targets are Carnell Tate of Ohio State and Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson if the Chiefs want to go that route, and both would undoubtedly help quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
It’s all a bit of a muddle right now, and we haven’t even gotten into mock-draft rumor season yet. The one thing we do know is that the Chiefs are under a lot of pressure to hit with this pick, given that drafting in the top ten is hopefully a once-in-a-decade affair during the Mahomes Era.