Impact of Justin Fields Trade on Chiefs in New Mel Kiper 2026 NFL Mock Draft

Amid a busy free agency that has seen the Kansas City Chiefs make a couple of key additions on offense, ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. envisions KC going heavy on defense in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft.

In his latest 2026 NFL mock draft, which dropped Tuesday, Kiper predicted the Chiefs to take Miami pass-rusher Rueben Bain Jr. ninth overall and South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse 29th overall.

Kiper's projected top 10 picks in his new mock draft are as follows:

1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
2. New York Jets: David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
3. Arizona Cardinals: Arvell Reese, EDGE, Ohio State
4. Tennessee Titans: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
5. New York Giants: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
6. Cleveland Browns: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
7. Washington Commanders: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
8. New Orleans Saints: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
9. Kansas City Chiefs: Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami
10. Cincinnati Bengals: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU

Kansas City enters the 2026 season in an unfamiliar position, as the team missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2014.

Before that, the Chiefs had made three consecutive Super Bowl appearances, winning it all in 2022 and 2023. As a result, there are lofty expectations that the Chiefs will bounce back and return to championship contention.

However, superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in December, and it is not guaranteed that he will be ready for the start of the 2026 regular season.

That proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the Chiefs' 2025 season, as they lost the rest of their games and finished 6-11, but even when Mahomes was healthy, Kansas City was on the brink of playoff elimination.

Because of that, a shakeup may have been needed, and there is no question that the Chiefs' roster will look different next season.

In addition to trading cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams and losing cornerbacks Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams, linebacker Leo Chenal and running back Isiah Pacheco in free agency, the Chiefs also acquired some notable players.

KC inked the reigning Super Bowl MVP in running back Kenneth Walker III, along with safety Bryan Cook, cornerback Kader Kohou and defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga.

Most recently, the Chiefs sent a 2027 sixth-round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for quarterback Justin Fields.

Fields is coming off another tough year, and he has had his fair share of ups and downs during stops with the Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers and Jets, but he at least gives the Chiefs a talented insurance policy if Mahomes isn't ready for the start of the season or if injury issues persist.

With Walker perhaps finally giving the Chiefs a running game they can rely on as well, it would make plenty of sense for the Chiefs to focus on defense early in the 2026 draft.

QBs Rueben Bain Wants to Sack

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In Bain, the Chiefs would be getting one of the premier pass-rushers in the class, as he was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year last season with 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss.

As for Cisse, he would address the Chiefs' biggest area of need given that they lost three key cornerbacks via free agency and trade.

On the latest big board released by the BR NFL Scouting Department, Bain was ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect in the draft, while Cisse was ranked 53rd.

The Chiefs would still have plenty of needs on both sides of the ball even with the selections of Bain and Cisse, but they would represent a strong foundation on which general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid can build the rest of the draft.