The Kansas City Chiefs can add immediate impact players with their two selections in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Many experts believe they will use one of those picks on a cornerback. It makes sense given that is one of their top roster needs, and it’s a premium position. Some first round cornerback options the Chiefs could choose from include Mansoor Delane, Avieon Terrell, Jermod McCoy, and Colton Hood.
Kansas City Chiefs Urged to Wait Until After First Round of Draft to Select Cornerback
Despite the need for a cornerback, Kansas City has plenty of other holes throughout their roster to address. While naming every NFL team’s “dream scenario” for the draft, Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated suggested that the Chiefs should hold off on a corner in the first round, and take tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 9 and edge rusher Akheem Mesidor at No. 29.
“The Chiefs have a massive need at corner after losing Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. But there’s depth at cornerback in this year’s class and a few intriguing prospects could be available in the later rounds. Kansas City should look ahead and add Sadiq to eventually replace Travis Kelce. He can learn from one of the best ever at the position while offensive mastermind Andy Reid builds a unique set of plays for the athletically gifted Oregon tight end. (Sadiq ran a 4.39 at the scouting combine.) As for their second first-round pick, the Chiefs can add depth to the defensive line, an area that struggled last season. Chris Jones turns 32 in July and George Karlaftis needs help on the opposite side.”
Sadiq and Mesidor would certainly fill some big needs for Kansas City. Although star tight end Travis Kelce is back for the 2026 season, Sadiq would give the Chiefs another dynamic pass catcher, which they could really use. Learning under Kelce for a year would be tremendous for Sadiq’s development.
Older prospects like Mesidor (25 years old) tend to be frowned upon, but another way to look at it is that he is as experienced and polished as a rookie can get. Mesidor would likely be a starter right off the bat and take some pressure off of Chiefs’ defensive linemen George Karlaftis and Chris Jones.
Kenyon Sadiq Has Already Met Travis Kelce
GettyOregon TE Kenyon Sadiq
While speaking to SI’s Oregon Ducks reporter Bri Amaranthus, Sadiq revealed that he met Kelce during his top-30 visit with the Chiefs last month.
“He just came down the hallway from signing his contract,” Sadiq said. “He’s just a super cool guy, especially everything that everyone has told me about him. He’s a super down-to-earth person, he’s not going to try to ego you by any means or anything like that. I think that’s pretty rare, especially being the celebrity or caliber that he’s at. So it was really cool. He’s a cool guy.”
Where Sadiq will end up being drafted is a bit of a mystery, ranging between being a top 10 pick and going at the end of the first round. The Chiefs may not necessarily need him in 2026, but they wouldn’t have to worry about the tight end position for a long time if they take him. Other TEs Kansas City has on its roster include Noah Gray, Jared Wiley, Jake Briningstool, and Tre Watson.
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