The Chiefs Pod

2026 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS NFL DRAFT GRADE: C+ Mansoor Delane: C+ Peter Woods: B+ R Mason Thomas: C Jadon Canady: B Emmett Johnson: A+ Cyrus Allen: C+ Garrett Nussmeier: A More positive than not, mostly good prospects taken. However, the class really relies on the defensive staff putting these guys in position to succeed to have a top unit immediately + the offensive staff making it work on offense from a scheme aspect to justify passing on early impact receiving talent that they needed imo. Pick by pick thoughts below... Delane: Like the player, don't love him...still disagree with the process of the price paid to trade up + who was passed on to make it happen. Think he will be a very good CB and probably CB1 immediately, just will have to be elite to justify the price paid Woods: Liked this the more I sat with it...I felt like either 29/40 was going to be a chance to swing for DT upside with Banks/Woods in my ideal draft scenarios. Is the ceiling as high as Caleb? No, but that 2023/4 tape is elite. Day 1 he is a major play action pass rush upgrade + can play with tonga to give CJ a breather + can play with ONL inside and CJ outside to give size with disruption on key downs if they choose to do so (could be multiple up front too which is where the coaching could take this to an A+ with Peter's ability) RMT: C will seem low for a guy that I really liked a lot on tape, he plays with a violent mentality, punches above his weight, and is exactly the type of quick edge pass rusher they need. I just have to see Spags be willing to maximize this player to be impactful on pass rush downs and get him to a place he can play on some 2nd downs too in the right spots. If they commit to more odd/multiple fronts and want to use him this grade will shoot up. (Taking RMT who has below average arm length and passing on bain also is a bit of an annoyance for me, but that is more of a full class criticism) Canady: Legit nickel day one starting upside, maybe a little early, but based on the board was cool with it. Experienced, plays with the right mentality, not sure how much more Merritt can get out of him. Like the versatility, but I hope they keep it mostly simple with him. Johnson: Had a 3rd Round grade so to get a perfect RB2 in the 5th is great to me, fav pick of the class. Natural pass catcher, runs with vision, can make guys miss...lacks elite athleticism, but has enough for me. Felt like it was needed to not only be able to spell K9 on early downs to keep him fresh, but also can hold down the fort if he misses a game. EB/Murray will get him better on the pass pro because he has the frame and want to. Allen: Fine with the swing, has real speed, can play from the slot, but really should not be playing on the line. O'shea has made some really good players after his type of archetype (and guys that didnt have his speed), might be able to do the same here. Nuss: Love the swing on my QB2 in the class to get a legit backup QB at cost control for Mahomes (who now is the vet and does not need a vet behind him imo). Give him a medical redshirt, get the cyst right, let him observe while Fields is the backup. 3 years of cheap QB backup + a possibility of trading him before then is well worth the pick.

Mahomes was a coin flip away from making the Super Bowl with arguably the worst Chiefs defense maybe ever. He hasn’t needed dominant defenses to win championships either. So is this really necessary? Maybe they think it is. But it’s a fair question to ask.

New Cowboys DB Caleb Downs

Kansas City Chiefs defense: EDGE: George Karlaftis IDL: Chris Jones IDL: Peter Woods IDL: Khyiris Tonga EDGE: R Mason Thomas LB: Nick Bolton LB: Drue Tranquill CB: Mansoor Delane CB: Nohl Williams NB: Kader Kohou S: Alohi Gilman S: Chamarri Conner This is a solid unit