Chiefs NFL Draft Review: Immediate Starters, Sleepers and Long-Term Bets

With the weekend arriving, so has rookie minicamp for the Kansas City Chiefs. As the club's draft class and dozens of other prospects get a chance to show off their talent, it's also a prime opportunity for the coaching staff to get a firsthand look at some newcomers.

It serves as a way-too-early chance for the front office to reflect on its recent additions from the 2026 NFL Draft, too. In reality, the true returns on this haul won't be revealed for months or even years to come. That isn't stopping anyone from partaking in some preliminary evaluation, though.

Of the Chiefs' rookies, which ones could come out of the gate with starting jobs? Could some others be flying under the radar? Are there any slow-burning developers from this crop?

Let's review Kansas City's group of 2026 NFL Draft picks and find out.

Immediate Starters

There's only one player from this class who was selected high, fits a direct position of need and could end up with an opportunity to play heavy snaps early.

Cornerback Mansoor Delane

Between Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson going to the Los Angeles Rams, the former via trade and the latter in free agency, the Chiefs lost over 1,500 cornerback snaps from the year prior. Without even considering anything else, it's safe to assume that first-round pick Mansoor Delane will find some reps early on.

Considering the Chiefs moved up to pick No. 6 to select Delane, there's ample reason to believe there won't be much of a runway for him. He's an experienced defensive back with a high football IQ and a boundary profile, which could see him take a starting job from one of Kristian Fulton or Nohl Williams.

To justify the pick, especially in the long run, Delane will have to blossom into a top-flight player. Being a Week 1 starter could be a nice first step.

Sleepers

None of the following three players projects to start any games, but each of them could slide into supporting roles on their respective side of the ball in year one.

Defensive tackle Peter Woods

The Chiefs stood pat at their end-of-first-round pick, No. 29 overall, and benefitted from Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods sliding a bit. Coming off a down 2025 campaign with the Tigers, Woods has some work to do but also possesses an elite-level ceiling.

Not only does Woods move well for an interior lineman, but he competes against the run and is no stranger to getting double-teamed. On top of that, his flashes of dominance could be enough to carry him through the offseason.

All-Pro Chris Jones will always play significant snaps as long as he's under contract. Offseason signing Khyiris Tonga got paid too much to ride the bench. Woods is a rotational player out of the gate, but that could change if someone gets hurt or he shines too brightly.

Defensive end R Mason Thomas

Drafted to the worst room on the team, second-round defensive end R Mason Thomas should theoretically start to kick off his debut campaign... right?

Not so fast. George Karlaftis is guaranteed one starting end spot, and 2025 third-rounder Ashton Gillotte figures to be a better run defender than the undersized Thomas — at least this year. Thomas fits closer into the second bucket of pass rushers with intrigue but question marks.

2023 first-round selection Felix Anudike-Uzomah is entering a contract year. Both he and the Chiefs have an incentive for him to see the field. Thomas can't be forgotten, though, and could be an impactful rusher on obvious passing downs.

Wide receiver Cyrus Allen

This is where things get trickier to forecast. The top of the Chiefs' wide receiver hierarchy seems pretty set in stone, as the trio of Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton will see the field plenty. Behind them, could it be 2025 fourth-rounder Jalen Royals who gets a nod?

That's possible, but Royals also did next to nothing in his initial NFL campaign. With him being brought along slowly and no veterans like JuJu Smith-Schuster in the building to eat up snaps, there's a path to Day 3 pick Cyrus Allen not just making the team but also catching some passes from quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Allen is a snappy route runner and a smart football player. The conflict with him is he's confined to the slot due to his size, and there's overlap with Rice and Worthy there. Could Kansas City work around that? Sure, but expecting too much from the Cincinnati product too soon is risky.

Long-Term Bets

The rest of the Chiefs' rookie class either has too many cooks in the kitchen at their current position or could benefit from some additional development as they get up to speed.

Cornerback Jadon Canady

There's no denying cornerback Jadon Canady's strengths. He's got plenty of collegiate reps under his belt and is a twitched-up athlete who could find himself fulfilling a "starting" nickel role at his peak. Given the Chiefs' offseason to this point, however, it's hard to see that happening in 2026-27.

The Chiefs signed former Miami Dolphins defensive back Kader Kohou in March. They also have safeties Chris Roland-Wallace and Chamarri Conner, both of whom with slot experience, on the roster.

Canady could navigate his way to the 53-man roster, but it'd almost surely be because of special teams. Any serious defensive obligations seem earmarked for 2027 and beyond, barring injury.

Running back Emmett Johnson

This is another forward-thinking move by Kansas City. Prized offseason acquisition Kenneth Walker III will shore up the rushing attack, but backup Emari Demercado is only on a one-year deal. Moreover, 2025 seventh-round pick Brashard Smith didn't flash much in his first season.

Enter Nebraska's Emmett Johnson, who is both a productive runner and a more than passable pass catcher out of the backfield. A limited skill set in pass protection and a lack of available opportunities could keep him out of the lineup for this coming season's purposes.

With that said, as everyone knows, all it takes is one halfback injury to see someone rise up the ranks.

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier

The Chiefs' final pick of the 2026 NFL Draft saw them take a gamble on a potential high-value addition to the quarterback room. In this writer's view, it may have been their best pick of the weekend.

If not for his medicals, LSU signal-caller Garrett Nussmeier would've been selected much earlier. He came into his final collegiate season ranked by many as the top quarterback in the class.

Even if Nussmeier doesn't make the Week 1 roster, he could still give the Chiefs a cost-effective and interesting developmental backup once Justin Fields presumably leaves town next offseason.

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