The Kansas City Chiefs have several roster holes that need to be filled during the 2026 NFL Draft in April.
The Kansas City Chiefs find themselves in unfamiliar territory, drafting inside the top 10 of this year’s draft after going 6-11 this season.
It has been over a decade since the Chiefs are picking this high in the draft. The last time Kansas City selected within the top 10 was 2017, when they traded up to draft two-time Most Valuable Player Patrick Mahomes with the 10th overall pick.
Prior to that, the last time the Chiefs’ own pick was top 10 was the 2013 National Football League Draft, when the team drafted offensive tackle Eric Fisher with the No. 1 pick. It has been quite a while since the Chiefs were bad enough for their pick to be inside the top 10.
Kansas City has the ninth overall pick in the first round and the 40th overall pick in the second round this time around, with several clear needs on both sides of the ball.
ESPN’s Matt Miller studied over 100 draft prospects last week at the Senior Bowl and constructed a mock draft for the first two rounds, with the Chiefs locking up an edge rusher and safety.
Miller has the Chiefs selecting Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey with the ninth pick and USC safety Kamari Ramsey with the 40th pick.
“Kansas City has needs at several positions, namely right tackle, edge rusher and cornerback,” Miller wrote Monday. “And it could go with the highest-ranked player at those positions -- which would be Bailey, who tied for the FBS lead with 14.5 sacks last season.”
The Chiefs struggled mightily when it came to pressuring the quarterback and getting sacks, which had a huge impact throughout the season. Though the defense ranked sixth in points allowed per game (19.3), not getting a ton of pressure created vulnerabilities.
“Although he isn't the big-bodied defensive end Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo prefers, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Bailey has speed off the snap and the ability to chase down quarterbacks. The Chiefs had only 35 sacks as a team in 2025 (tied for 22nd in the NFL), so Bailey would give their pass rush a jolt with his agility and power.”
Adding the skillset and athleticism that Bailey brings to the table could revitalize a solid defensive line that was just lacking in certain areas this season. The Chiefs need another explosive edge rusher to complement George Karlaftis and defensive tackle Chris Jones for the foreseeable future.
Ramsey would be a replacement for safety Bryan Cook, a reliable defender that is set to hit free agency this offseason.
“With Bryan Cook set to hit free agency, the Chiefs have a hole at safety with no up-and-coming prospect ready to fill it. Ramsey is a ball-hawking, rangy free safety who can play in a split or single-high safety look.”
Ramsey is versatile and would fit well in Kansas City’s defensive scheme. He plays exceptionally well in coverage and can do a little bit of everything, a nice quality to have and one a lot of teams look for in a safety.