The Kansas City Chiefs enter this year's draft with more needs than usual. As a perennial Super Bowl contender, the Chiefs have routinely been able to execute their draft without many immediate needs to be filled, but this year's version of the team has some glaring needs on both sides of the ball.
I suppose I should begin this with the caveat that this scenario doesn't satisfy the needs of anyone who thinks the Chiefs should spend one or both of their picks on defense. Sure, the loss of cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson left the Chiefs needy at cornerback. Kansas City also has a need at defensive end, where Charles Omenihu and Mike Danna both departed. So if you're looking for help on defense, just know that this trade will not help either of those needs.
Instead, this scenario focuses on the offensive side of the ball, where the Chiefs have already added running back Kenneth Walker to the mix. However, quarterback Patrick Mahomes struggled to gel with several of his passing options in 2025, including wide receivers Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown, the latter of whom has now left for Philadelphia in free agency.
The Chiefs hold the 9th and 29th picks in the draft—they earned No. 9 on their own and acquired pick No. 29 (and more) in exchange for McDuffie—but in today's trade scenario, the top eight teams go defense-heavy and the Chiefs decide to trade both first-round picks to Dallas. Here are the details of the hypothetical trade:
• Cowboys acquire: Pick 9 + Pick 29
• Chiefs acquire: Pick 12 + Pick 20
Chiefs double down on offense after trading back
Having missed out on defensive ends David Bailey and Rueben Bain, as well as defenders Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs, the Chiefs instead pivot to the offensive side of the ball. Moving down just three slots, they feel comfortable knowing that they will still have the option of Makai Lemon from USC or Jordyn Tyson from Arizona State. When No. 12 rolls around, Kansas City pulls the trigger on Lemon, a 5'11" receiver who has drawn on-field comparisons to Antonio Brown. "He'll fit in nicely with Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice," the draftniks will tell us, and we will all expect defense with the next pick.
When the Chiefs are once again on the clock at pick No. 20, Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq is still on the board. General manager Brett Veach grits his teeth as he realizes that the opportunity to equip Mahomes through his prime with an unstoppable tandem of pass catchers is too much to pass up. It's a throwback to the 1998 NFL Draft, when the Vikings surprisingly selected Marshall wide receiver Randy Moss even though they had two very good receivers in Cris Carter and Jake Reed. The Chiefs decide to pair Lemon with Sadiq, giving head coach Andy Reid the most talented offense since the 2018 Chiefs team that featured Mahomes, All-Pros Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, and reigning NFL rushing champion Kareem Hunt.
Sure, there are holes on defense. But remember, the Chiefs aren't drafting for 2026. They have to be looking to establish their identity for the next several years—the second half of Mahomes' career. Perhaps most importantly, the odds that the team will be without Kelce and wideout Rashee Rice in 2027 are ever-increasing, thus putting further pressure on the team to establish the receiving corps immediately.
Offensive firepower could redefine the Chiefs' future identity
This team needs bodies on defense, but it needs game-breakers on offense. Certainly, the Chiefs can still add contributors at pass rusher and at cornerback later in the draft.
Thinking back to 2018, there was no more exciting version of Chiefs football than when Mahomes was slinging the ball all over the yard. Teams came to Arrowhead knowing they'd have to score 35 points if they wanted a chance to beat Kansas City. This trade scenario would recharge the Chiefs' offense in an electrifying way, as Mahomes, Walker, Lemon, Worthy, Rice, Kelce, and Sadiq would turn this offense into an all-time must-see TV.
What do you think? If you could trade down with the Cowboys in order to draft Lemon (or Tyson) and then double up with Sadiq, would you do it?
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