Entering the offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs have a laundry list of tasks. General manager Brett Veach’s work is cut out for him, to say the least, following a 6-11 campaign.
Balancing current and future contracts, free agency, in-house personnel and coaches is easier said than done. That’s without even considering April’s 2026 NFL Draft. Being armed with their best pick in over a decade — ninth overall — could aid in acquiring talent.
In a choose-your-own-adventure scenario, what makes the most sense? A recent projection took the road that may be far less traveled among Chiefs fans.
New 2026 NFL Mock Draft Sends Jeremiyah Love to Chiefs
In a January 12 mock draft for Pro Football Focus, Max Chadwick has Veach taking a running back.
It’s now-former Notre Dame star Jeremiyah Love coming to the Chiefs. Chadwick believes the team has a clear need for present and future talent at the position.
“Both Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco are unrestricted free agents this offseason, and it seems likely that the Chiefs will part ways with one or both of them,” Chadwick wrote. “Kansas City instead finds its future at running back with Love here. After posting a 91.1 PFF grade as a sophomore in 2023 (fifth), he followed that up with a nation-leading 93.1 grade this season.”
There’s no denying Love’s talent. Players don’t amass 40 total touchdowns in two years on accident. Once he became a starter after 2023, the former Fighting Irish standout averaged 6.9 yards per carry in back-to-back seasons. That, paired with 56 missed tackles forced and an average of 4.5 yards after contact per attempt, makes him an enticing prospect for running back-needy teams.
The rub here could be regarding who Chadwick has Kansas City taking Love over. Of the next five picks, there’s a legitimate case to be made for three of them. Edge rusher prospects David Bailey (Texas Tech) and Keldrick Faulk (Auburn) went 10th and 12th, respectively. At pick No. 14, USC wide receiver Makai Lemon goes to the Baltimore Ravens.
Opting for a halfback over a wideout or defensive lineman could be viewed as a luxury move. Given the season they just had, it’d take a very special set of circumstances for that to be sensible for the Chiefs.
Does Kansas City Need to Select a RB Early in Draft?
With that in mind, it’s worth remembering the timing of the draft. It takes place a month-plus removed from the start of free agency. Historically, Veach hasn’t tended to enter the draft with glaring holes on the roster. It’d be a surprise to see him leave running back untouched in the months of March or April pre-draft.
It’s impossible to dance around the need for improvement, though.
Kareem Hunt, while a valuable short-yardage piece, is nothing more than that. The Chiefs’ 2025-26 leader in attempts (163), rushing yards (611) and touchdowns (8) turns 31 in August. He also averages just 3.6 yards per carry since 2022. Isiah Pacheco, whose rookie contract is expiring, netted 3.8 yards per attempt across 2024 and 2025. Rising rookie Brashard Smith is a fun piece, but he can’t be the primary back or anything close to it.
Head coach Andy Reid knows this can’t be his rushing attack for another year. Following the conclusion of the season, he admitted defenses must respect it moving forward.
“There wasn’t enough respect there that needs to be given,” Reid said. “So we’ve got to run the ball more efficiently, especially on first or second down on those run downs [and] in those run situations, just to stay positive with that. Somewhere you’d like to have a few bigger plays in that area. Not three [or] four yards, every once in a while, you need to hit on a few.”
The Chiefs had the fewest rushes of 20-plus yards (3) during the regular season. It’s obvious that something must change, certainly on the personnel front but also perhaps in relation to scheme.
But unless Veach addresses everything on his list and checks it twice, spending a premium pick on Love isn’t the best allocation of a rare resource.
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