Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will be going into the 2026 NFL Draft with hopes of adding some serious talent to their roster. With nine total picks, including two in the first-round, the goal will be to grab a Mahomes-esque talent. However, an NFL Insider believes the team needs to add talent on the defensive side to complement their strong attack.
“Leave Pittsburgh with enough defensive talent to start the new era of Super Bowl contention under Mahomes,” Solak wrote on ESPN. “Sounds easy enough!”
The 2026 NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from April 23–25, 2026. Although all the teams have potentially locked in their decisions, Solak particularly focused on how improving their defense would help the Chiefs restart their run of domination.
2025 marked their first losing season since 2012 in the NFL. It also broke an 11-year streak of winning seasons and consecutive playoff appearances under Andy Reid, which ran from 2013 through 2024. But it was not just because of poor performances; the Chiefs suffered quite a bit from injuries last season.
With players like Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy, and Kenneth Walker III, the offense looks stacked and capable of contending for another Super Bowl. However, the problems in defense are known to everyone, including executives in the franchise, who are working towards improving the roster through the draft.
Chiefs GM Brett Veach agrees about the weak defensive line
The GM of the Kansas City Chiefs, Brett Veach, was quite vocal about the problems with the team’s defense. In the 2025 season, a notable issue for the defense was a 6% sack rate on third-and-longs, which ranked 29th in the league. This seemingly hindered their ability to get off the field in critical moments.
Although Chris Jones stands as one of the leaders in their defensive line, the Chiefs need more additions. As of now, Khyiris Tonga stands as a key player, who they signed on a three-year $21 million contract. But as per Veach, that would not be enough.
“When you come into the offseason, and you look at our defensive line, you have Chris Jones and then Omar Norman-Lott, who’s coming off an injury,” said Veach. “I still think we need two more. Even with the addition of Tonga, I still think we’re a few short there. So that will certainly be a definite position of need entering next week.”
The Chiefs also lost key players like Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, which is why they would be looking at Peter Woods or Caleb Banks to provide help to Jones.
While adding a few offensive members would be something the front office would consider, it looks like the Patrick Mahomes-led team could go heavy on defensive talents, especially in the first round of the draft.
