Sinking to 6-11 after the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX romp nixed a threepeat bid, the Chiefs hold a top-10 pick entering a draft for the first time since 2013. Kansas City famously traded up to No. 10 for Patrick Mahomes in 2017, but the Mahomes era has featured late-first-round investments due to the sustained success he has brought as a starter.
The Chiefs went 6-8 in games Mahomes finished, regressing after historic close-game success over the previous two seasons, and lost their final three without him. That produced the No. 9 overall pick. Clear needs exist for the AFC dynasty, which lost its top two cornerbacks (Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson) while having some questions at defensive end and wide receiver.
Ely Allen’s PFR mock draft sent Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. to Kansas City, and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler indicates the Chiefs are “firmly” in on the talented sack artist. The Chiefs have a need opposite George Karlaftis, after the team mustered only 33 sacks last season, and will see future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Chris Jones turn 32 this year. Bain would provide a much-needed reinforcement, as 2023 first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah has not panned out through three seasons.
The Chiefs also released Mike Danna and let Charles Omenihu walk in free agency. Capitalizing on this draft’s bevy of first-round-caliber EDGE options makes sense. Bain’s below-average arm length has clouded his draft stock to a degree, though some uncertainty came out of the D-end’s Combine measurements. The Chiefs are comfortable with Bain’s sub-31-inch arm length, per Fowler colleague Matt Miller.
The Chiefs’ Andy Reid-era history of overlooking character red flags could also factor in here. In 2024, Bain was cited for careless driving in an accident that left a woman — one of four passengers in Bain’s vehicle — in a coma for three months before her eventual passing. According to police crash records, Bain’s vehicle struck another car before colliding with the “concrete barriers on both sides of the highway.” No suspected use of drugs or alcohol emerged; no tests to determine such use were performed at the time.
Although this news became public earlier this month, teams have known about the incident for a while. It has not been expected to dock Bain’s stock much. While the Titans might be out on him, a significant first-round fall is not expected. Teams have been viewed as higher on Bain than draft pundits. The Chiefs met with Bain this month. Bain tallied 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss to help Miami to the CFP title game; he totaled 7.5 sacks as a freshman in 2023.
He’d fit Spags so well.