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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Kansas City Chiefs closed a surprisingly bad 2025 season at 6-11, missed the playoffs for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era, and suffered a season-ending torn ACL to Mahomes in Week 15 — a sequence that has left the roster, coaching staff, and organizational direction under scrutiny.
That injury timeline, combined with looming front-office decisions, now shapes how Kansas City approaches the 2026 NFL Draft, where the Chiefs currently hold the No. 9 overall pick.
As speculation builds around which direction GM Brett Veach might go in April, Arrowhead Addict writer Price Carter has argued Kansas City should consider a premium safety in the top 10, singling out Ohio State All-American Caleb Downs as the “safest” high-floor option available.
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Carter’s big-board and scouting breakdown place Downs firmly within Kansas City’s team-specific first-round tier, describing him as a versatile, blueprint-friendly defender capable of stepping into multiple roles within Steve Spagnuolo’s defense from Day 1.
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Downs was a focal point of an elite Ohio State defense, finishing the season with 68 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a sack. That production translated into major defensive honors, including the Jim Thorpe Award, the Lott Trophy, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten, and unanimous All-American recognition, before declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft.
He joined the Buckeyes ahead of the 2024 season after spending his first collegiate year at Alabama under Nick Saban, where he earned SEC Freshman of the Year and first-team All-SEC honors.
Kansas City, meanwhile, enters the draft with legitimate question marks in the defensive backfield. Coverage breakdowns and a lack of reliable depth on the back end have emerged as clear offseason priorities after the Chiefs allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 66.8% of their passes in 2025, the sixth-highest rate in the NFL.
While some draft evaluators argued the Chiefs need to prioritize edge rush or front-seven reinforcements, others, including Carter, see a high-end safety as an underrated immediate-impact option capable of stabilizing the coverage unit.
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Safeties are rarely top-10 selections, but when teams have taken elite safeties early, it has often paid off: Sean Taylor (No. 5, 2004), Eric Berry (No. 5, 2010), and Jamal Adams (No. 6, 2017) are immediate examples of high picks who became immediate difference makers.
Kansas City’s own best draft precedent at the position is Berry, who became a three-time All-Pro, five-time Pro Bowler, and franchise cornerstone for nearly a decade.
The point, therefore, is simple: when a true blue-chip safety exists, landing one early has precedent as a successful roster investment.
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