Chiefs 2026 NFL Draft Grades: Could Garrett Nussmeier Start Week 1?
The 2026 NFL Draft has come to an end, and we are now on the road to the next football season that will kick off with the Seattle Seahawks at home before a few hours later when the Los Angeles Rams play the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia.
One team that is used to opening regular seasons is the dynastic Kansas City Chiefs, who were in an odd position of picking in the top 10 after three years of reaching the Super Bowl.
As the Chiefs look towards redemption or possibly even a mini-rebuild, here’s how they did over their three days of prospect selections in Pittsburgh.
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Best Pick: Mansoor Delane 1.6, CB (LSU)
The Chiefs had one of the best cornerback duos in the league with Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.
Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams thought so, too, and decided to trade for McDuffie and then sign Watson in the offseason to lock up the dynamic pair.
Needing help in the secondary, Kansas City took the best corner in the draft in Delane, even moving up three spots to take him with the sixth pick on opening night.
Most Interesting Pick: Garrett Nussmeier 7.249, QB (LSU)
From LSU Tiger to another, we are in a wild situation where Nussmeier at the 249th pick might have one of the best chances to be the first rookie QB to start in the NFL.
Patrick Mahomes might miss the first few weeks of the season as he comes back from a torn ACL, and current backup Justin Fields isn’t a world-beater.
When healthy, Nussmeier can sling the ball, and even though he dropped like a rock down the draft board, he might be in one of the better situations to learn how to be a QB in the NFL.
Overall Grade: B-
The Chiefs had a good draft and will be relatively happy with how they came out of it. Time will tell if Delane was worth trading up for, but unlike other teams in the top 10, the Chiefs aren’t going to be satisfied with a positive record and some silver linings.
It’s a team and fanbase that has become accustomed to playing deep into the playoffs, and another top-10 pick next year would be seen as a proper disaster, with the possibility of needing a true rebuild in the kingdom.
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This story was originally published April 26, 2026 at 7:40 PM.