B-
Kansas City Chiefs
A sensible, unshowy class lands the Chiefs a B-.
by Pondy97 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 5 steals
· 3 reaches
You can fall in love with a player. You are not supposed to marry him in the wrong round. The Chiefs did exactly that with Caden Curry in the 110th overall pick.
They punted on offensive lineman, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. The Stowers pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged.
Wide receiver was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job. The back end got a real overhaul.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 9 they get a ballhawk on the back end, and a steal at that.
In pick No. 29 they get a potential shutdown corner, outstanding value to boot. More want than need.
By-the-book stuff, Caleb Banks at slot 40 squarely in line with his ranking. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Eli Stowers is a better player than pick 68 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They talked themselves into Caden Curry at the 110th pick, and the board did not agree. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
No drama and no debate, Kaytron Allen went about where he belonged in Round 5, Pick 8. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Josh Cameron. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid a round early for Ephesians Prysock in the 176th pick, more than the board wanted. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
They let Jeff Caldwell come to them and pounced at pick 199. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, VJ Payne at the Round 6 slot. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.