Just one of the Kansas City Chiefs' running backs are still on the roster and they have been mocked to draft Notre Dame's star RB with their first-round pick.
It was a weird and rough season for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025 for several reasons.
The Chiefs lost a bunch of one-score games, finished with a 6-11 record, missed the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a brutal season-ending knee injury towards the end of the season.
The defense couldn’t sustain a lot of pressure despite a typical high blitz rate from defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, resulting in just 35 sacks (tied for fifth-lowest).
Offensively, the run game couldn’t generate explosive plays and was paced by Mahomes for much of the season. The two-time Most Valuable Player set a career-high in rushing yards (422) and was just 40 yards shy of running back Isiah Pacheco’s total with 54 fewer carries. Kareem Hunt wasn’t much better than Pacheco despite playing in all 17 games, producing 611 yards on 163 carries, and both are now free agents.
Cap space was a real issue prior to the restructuring of Mahomes’ contract last week, as the team was sitting more than $55 million over the cap. But the Chiefs restructured his deal so that his cap hit went from a whopping $78.2 million to $34.65 million, creating $43.65 million in cap space.
Kansas City still has some ground to make up and are likely to restructure more contracts, like that of star defensive tackle Chris Jones, or cut players to save money, like right tackle Jawaan Taylor.
The Chiefs could use the money they free up to sign a top-notch free agent RB, but a lot of people believe the pairing of Kansas City and standout Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love is a match made in heaven.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. predicted the Chiefs to select Love with the ninth overall pick in his second first-round mock draft, just like he did in his first one back in January.
“Love is No. 2 on my Big Board, showcasing elite-level vision and burst,” Kiper wrote Tuesday. “He can make a house call any time he touches the ball, and with his hands out of the backfield, he can stick on the field on third down.
“Love -- who had 1,372 rushing yards and 18 rushing TDs in 2025 -- could bring a whole new element to the Kansas City offense.”
The Chiefs adding a player of Love’s caliber is exactly what the doctor ordered. The ground game lacked a true star, and it showed. Not only is Love explosive on the ground but he’s a reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield as well.
Love is an electric playmaker and even shows great ability in identifying blitzes and picking up blocks, making him a slam dunk pick for the Chiefs at No. 9.