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We are exactly one month away from the 2026 NFL Draft!
As Pro Days happen and draft profiles are finalized, there has never been a better time for mock drafts, especially from veteran draft analysts like The Ringer’s Todd McShay.
In his newsletter, “The McShay Report,” he authored his third mock draft of the offseason, matching the Kansas City Chiefs with three draft prospects with the ninth, 29th and 40th picks.
9. Kansas City Chiefs: CB Mansoor Delane, LSU
Brett Veach could go in a few different directions, but Delane would be tough to pass on. He’s the clear-cut CB1 in this class, displaying an excellent blend of man and zone coverage skills. He’s one of the smartest cornerbacks that I’ve studied in the past few years and should be a plug-and-play impact starter for KC after the departures of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.
There are also whispers about Jeremiyah Love being the pick if he’s still available. An edge like Rueben Bain Jr. or David Bailey would also be in play if they’re still on the board, as would a tackle such as Spencer Fano.
29. Kansas City Chiefs (via LAR): Edge Gabe Jacas, Illinois
I didn’t go into this exercise planning to give Kansas City two defensive players in Round 1. Ideally, I would’ve liked to use one of these picks to support Patrick Mahomes—whether at offensive tackle, wide receiver, or even running back if Love were available. But based on how the board fell, the Chiefs come away with the top cornerback in the class and one of the most underrated defensive prospects in Jacas.
I’m higher on Jacas than most—and I’m comfortable with that. He’s a throwback: a four-year player and three-year starter who improved each season, culminating in 19 sacks and seven forced fumbles over his final two years. As a pass rusher, his game is built on heavy hands, core strength, instincts, and a blend of relentless motor and toughness. His gap discipline against the run is still developing, but he made noticeable strides in 2025. When given opportunities, he’s a true disruptor and finisher.
40. Kansas City Chiefs: WR Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee
My analysis
Delane has become a popular pick for the Chiefs since the organization traded cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams, then watched free-agent cornerback Jaylen Watson sign there as well. We covered the analysis of Delane in a piece last week.
In this mock draft, Kansas City elects to pick Delane over the following players that were drafted with the following five picks:
S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
WR Makai Lemon, USC
CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
OT Spencer Fano, Utah
McShay notes that the Chiefs may still be interested in taking Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, who is taken with the fifth pick in his writing.
It would be a questionable roster-building strategy for Kansas City, considering the ninth pick is projected to earn a contract with a total value of nearly $31 million. When you combine that with the $45 million deal signed by Kenneth Walker, it makes for overkill at a position that does not require that amount of total investment.
As for the team’s second selection of the first round, McShay paints himself into a corner of selecting a defensive player, acknowledging he wants to bolster the offense with this pick.
Edge rusher Gabe Jacas has been climbing up the draft rankings through the pre-draft process. The Illinois product was one of the most productive pass rushers in the country last season, finishing with 11 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. He also added three forced fumbles, totaling seven throughout his college career.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Jacas measured 6 feet 4 inches tall and 260 pounds, showing off 33-inch arms and 10-inch hands. He did not participate in any drills or athletic tests, except for 30 reps on the bench press. That was the second-most reps among the defensive linemen who participated.
Over four seasons at Illinois, Jacas recorded 85 snaps in the B-gap according to Pro Football Focus; only five of those plays happened in 2025, but he has the physicality to play up and down the line in the trenches. He led all Illini defenders in Stops (28), tackles that constitute a failure for the offense.
With the team’s second-round pick, McShay takes his shot at boosting the Kansas City receiving corps with Tennessee wideout Chris Brazzell. With over 2,000 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in three college seasons, he could be a big-play threat in a similar mold as Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate, who was taken before the Chiefs could select him in this mock draft.
After standing out at Tulane as a redshirt freshman, Brazzell transferred to Tennessee and developed into the team’s leading receiver by yards and touchdowns in 2025. He aligned on the outside for 94% of his pass snaps in 2025, according to PFF, and the average depth of his targets was 15.7 yards. 42 of his 61 receptions resulted in a first down.
On passes thrown 20 or more yards downfield, Brazzell caught 13 passes and six touchdowns. He did not register a drop on any of his 23 deep targets.
At the NFL Combine, Brazzell measured 6 feet 4 inches and 198 pounds, with hands 9 inches long and arms 32 3/8 inches long. He recorded a 40-yard dash time of 4.37 seconds with a 10-yard split of 1.52 seconds.
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