With the NFL Combine in full swing and Mock Drafts in high gear, every forty-time and interview is fueling the buzz. The Kansas City Chiefs are front and center. At the center of all this attention is the question of what the team will do with the ninth pick. One prospect is lobbying to be that pick.
If you ask every NFL Draft expert, the best player in the 2026 NFL Draft is Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. He’s a game-changer and could impact the Chiefs’ offense this season in a similar way to how Patrick Mahomes did in 2018 when he became a starter.
Yes, I know that drafting a first-round running back hasn’t been the best decision for most of the 32 NFL teams. However, Love is special. No offensive player has dominated college football over the last two years like Love. Forget the yards, catches, or touchdowns. He’s generally regarded as the best player on the field when the Irish play football.
General Manager Brett Veach has been strong in his comments at the NFL Combine, saying he needs to build a new running game. With only Brashard Smith under contract for 2026, it’s clear Kansas City has to build on the position’s success and depth.
Isiah Pacheco, Damien Pierce, and Kareem Hunt are all free agents. With the NFL’s version of March Madness ten days away, Kansas City has been linked to Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker and Breece Hall.
Seattle has indicated that, despite Walker’s success in the Seahawks’ postseason triumph, they are leaning toward letting their star running back test the free-agent waters. The Jets are threatening to tag Hall, but he’s indicated a desire to sign with the Chiefs if he becomes a free agent.
So, how do those pursuits push the Chiefs away from the ninth pick?
Walker is precisely the patient running back the Chiefs need, and I think pairing him with Smith would be an ideal situation for new Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
Hall is a true home run threat, and he nearly became a Chief at the trade deadline, but the Jets kept moving the goalposts on compensation. If he’s tagged, I can’t see a scenario in which Veach offers any draft picks to the Jets to secure Hall for the Chiefs.
Either way, Walker will be the first back signed in free agency, but with Love looming as a possibility for the Chiefs at pick nine, Veach has a tough choice to make.
I would not want to make this call, but I’m leaning toward drafting Love. He’s not Clyde Edwards-Helaire; he’s closer to the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor.
Love was interviewed on the Rich Eisen Show and spoke glowingly about playing with Mahomes. Though he’s heard multiple reports that he could be the choice for the New York Giants or New Orleans Saints, you could tell from his tone (and smile) that being drafted by the Chiefs would be his choice.
Love grew up in St. Louis and considers Missouri his home, so he’s aware of the synergies that seem too good to be true.
The Chiefs could use Love like Jamaal Charles, who was as gifted a running back this organization has ever drafted. Yes, he was a third-round find, but passing on Love, despite the need for a pass rusher, might be a pivotal moment in the Chiefs’ mini rebuild.
Again, Love is clearly the choice, as two of the top pass rushers are selected before the Chiefs are on the clock. Yet Kansas City could also find itself taking the first wide receiver off the board.
This is a dilemma the Chiefs have created by ignoring the running back position for two years. Pacheco has been miserable and injury-prone since his rookie season.
Hunt has been solid, and I could see the Chiefs bringing him back as their short-yardage thumper. He would also be a tremendous teacher for Love.
The good news about this situation will unfold very shortly. If Kansas City signs Walker, then Love won’t be the pick. That means the pick will be a pass rusher, defensive tackle, or wide receiver.
Of course, with Love out of the picture, another team could find Kansas City willing to move down in the draft to land the premier Notre Dame back.
Love will get some combined love today, so I’m sure this debate will take on a whole new level.
