The Denver Broncos have shocked the NFL world in each of the last two seasons, making the playoffs in 2024 and 2025 and coming within one game of the Super Bowl. All of a sudden, after years of dysfunction, Denver is a juggernaut.
And on the flip side, the Kansas City Chiefs have fallen quite hard. After winning 15 games in 2024 but getting blown out in the Super Bowl, the team won nine fewer games in 2025 and missed the playoffs for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era.
Not many saw this coming, but when you look closely at the Chiefs roster, you'll see a ton of roster holes and many draft picks that just have not panned out. Well, Kansas City has two first-round picks in this year's NFL Draft, the ninth and 29th overall selections. Could now be the year where the Chiefs actually make good use of those picks? This recent mock draft would definitely sway that way...
The Denver Broncos may be forced to watch the Chiefs hit a home run in Round 1 of the NFL Draft
Nick Shook's latest mock draft on NFL.com would actually, on the surface, be quite the haul for the Chiefs and would make life a lot tougher for the Broncos in 2026 and beyond:
"9. Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
The Chiefs lost two corners to the Rams in March, one (Trent McDuffie) via trade and one (Jaylen Watson) via free agency. General manager Brett Veach immediately addresses the need by taking the most consistent corner in this class. With the ability to erase an opposing top target and get involved in defending the run, Delane should do his best to replace McDuffie's impact.
29. Kenyon Sadiq
Congratulations, Chiefs fans. The top tight end and best long-term replacement for Travis Kelce is still on the board when the time comes for your team to make a selection. Cornerback could use an addition, but GM Brett Veach can’t pass up the opportunity to add a freakishly athletic TE to a team that has won championships in part by relying on the position."
Sure, there is no guarantee that Mansoor Delane or Kenyon Sadiq would pan out in the NFL, but both are seen as top players at their respective positions. Delane is the most polished cornerback in the class and is going to start from day one.
He played his college football at LSU, a defensive back factory, and simply does the important things well. Delane doesn't need much development and would give the Chiefs a long-term solution at the position. The same is true for Sadiq, who is not only a high-end receiver, but he's got blocking ability as well.
In a tight end-rich draft, Sadiq is the best and is honestly the one true first-round prospect of this entire class. He did overlap for a year at Oregon with Bo Nix, but now that Denver doesn't have a first-round pick, there is obviously little to no chance that Sadiq ends up with the Broncos.
We have seen first-hand how effective a top tight end can be in the Chiefs offense, and with Travis Kelce likely playing just one more season, Kansas City would be laying the groundwork for a long-term solution here, but Sadiq is also an immediate impact player.
The Chiefs roster is still largely on the weaker side, but landing two immediate impact players at positions of need and also likely getting the best players available would be a surprisingly strong haul from Kansas City, which would make life quite difficult for Denver.