Why Jeremiyah Love-Chiefs Draft Talk is All Smokescreen

However, the Chiefs signed former Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III to a three-year, $43.05 million contract, which includes $28.7 million fully guaranteed. The Love-Kansas City connection instantly evaporated, but over the last couple of weeks, the link between the superstar prospect and Kansas City has been reignited.

Earlier this week, NFL draft analyst Todd McShay explained one rumor he has heard leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft.

• "There's still some thought from people that know or who are dialed in, that if Jeremiyah Love is sitting there at nine, that could be the pick for the Chiefs."

While appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah added more fuel to the fire.

• "If he starts to get towards seven, I would think you might even get some phone calls from some teams," Jeremiah said of the possibility of Love's potential marginal slip. "I know Kansas City already signed [Kenneth] Walker, but this guy paired with Kenneth Walker in Kansas City would be pretty insane."

While those are two legitimate and credible analysts, this feels like an obvious smokescreen set by someone within the Chiefs' organization. Here are a couple of reasons why Kansas City could be setting a trap for teams around the league.

Fake Interest Could Cause Teams to Jump Kansas City

The Chiefs are in somewhat of a precarious position at No. 9 because all of the tier-one pass rushers - Arvell Reese, David Bailey, and Rueben Bain Jr. - could all be off the board by the time they are on the clock.

However, if teams outside the top 10 are worried that the Chiefs could select Love, those organizations could trade up to No. 7 or No. 8, allowing one of Kansas City's preferred targets to slip to No. 9.

Chiefs Could Accumulate Additional Draft Capital

This would be contingent on Love falling all the way to Kansas City, but if that occurs and teams believe that general manager Brett Veach is seriously considering adding the Notre Dame running back to the backfield, the Chiefs could drive up the asking price to trade down from No. 9.

All it takes is one team to show significant interest in arguably the best prospect in the entire class to pay a king's ransom to Kansas City. So, the Chiefs have to give off the signal that Love is still legitimately an option with that pick, despite signing Walker III to a lucrative contract.