Reacting to Chiefs' First-Round Pick in Kiper's Latest Mock Draft

• "[Jeremiyah] Love is No. 2 on my Big Board, showcasing elite-level vision and burst. He can make a house call any time he touches the ball, and with his hands out of the backfield, he can stick on the field on third down," Kiper stated. "Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt are free agents, and they weren't exactly lighting up the ground game last season anyway. Love - who had 1,372 rushing yards and 18 rushing TDs in 2025 - could bring a whole new element to the Kansas City offense."

Why This Pick Makes Sense

As Kiper explained, the Chiefs' rushing attack was lifeless last season and needs a jolt of energy in 2026. Love not only provides elite production on the ground, but he can also provide an explosive element in the passing game and help Patrick Mahomes pile up "cheap" yards on simple checkdowns. Kansas City's offense depended too much on the 30-year-old quarterback to manufacture plays out of thin air, with no reliable escape valve in the backfield.

That needs to change next season, and Love is the best running back prospect in the draft, and is arguably better than all of the options on the free agent market.

Why This Pick Does Not Make Sense

Don't get me wrong, Love is an electrifying running back and is arguably the best overall prospect in this year's draft class, but considering who was still on the board, this would be a frustrating pick by the Chiefs. In this mock, Kiper had Kansas City passing on pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr. and allowing the Cincinnati Bengals to select the Miami Hurricanes' product at the very next pick.

This would be an infuriating development, as the Chiefs would not be addressing a position that has proven to be difficult. Additionally, there may not be a better opportunity for Kansas City to land a premier pass rusher than now. The Chiefs do not want to be drafting this high again as long as Mahomes is the quarterback, and they need to take advantage of being this high on the board.