The Kansas City Chiefs enter a potentially seismic shift in the offseason, as the team seeks to rebound after a disastrous 2025 campaign. Kansas City concluded this past season with a 6-11 record, failing to make the playoffs and losing Patrick Mahomes to a season-ending ACL tear in the process.
What could go wrong, would go wrong, as the Chiefs went 1-9 in one-score games, and illustrated that there are a lot more blemishes on the roster than they would like to admit.
The silver lining, if there is any, is that when a team falters and goes through a down year, as Kansas City clearly has, it is “rewarded” with a higher pick in the ensuing draft. After what has been the worst season in over a decade, the Chiefs hold the No. 9 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
There are a multitude of avenues Kansas City could go with at this spot, including trading back and recouping meaningful draft capital. However, the overall sentiment is that the Chiefs should prioritize the defensive line, specifically the edge rusher. Kansas City ranked 26th in the NFL in 2025 with 33 sacks.
There are a handful of pass rushers that could be available to Kansas City at its selection, although two of these names could be off the board by the fifth-overall pick. Here is a ranking of those players, in order from most ideal to least ideal. Disclaimer: The Chiefs would be ecstatic to land any of these players.
1. Rueben Bain Jr.
There may be some recency bias with this suggestion, and one game should not be the deciphering factor. However, Bain Jr.’s dominance in the National Championship game against Indiana was jarring.
The 6-foot-3, 275-pound edge rusher recorded one sack, 2.5 tackles for loss, and three run stuffs. Bain Jr. would have at least one more sack if he had not drawn an egregious holding penalty. His lone sack came against Indiana’s left tackle Carter Smith, who had not allowed a single sack all season before Monday night.
Arm length has been a knock on the Hurricanes’ pass rusher throughout the draft process, but that should not deter teams from using a high-end pick on Bain Jr. If that ends up happening, the Chiefs should be thrilled if he falls into their laps at No. 9.
2. Arvell Reese
The Ohio State pass rusher is one of the most compelling prospects in the entire draft, as he converted into an edge rusher in 2025. Before this season, Reese had predominantly lined up as an off-ball linebacker, showcasing his ability to make plays all over the field.
The 6-foot-4, 243-pound edge rusher thrived in his new role this past season, totaling 69 combined tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks in his first season as a pass rusher. His ability to produce elite numbers at both linebacker and pass rusher is tantalizing when considering that Micah Parsons was utilized the same way at Penn State. That is not to say that Reese’s pro comp is the Green Bay Packers’ pass rusher, but he could develop into that type of player at the next level.
3. David Bailey
Bailey may find himself in the last spot in these rankings, but the Chiefs would be counting their lucky stars if the Texas Tech pass rusher was there for the taking at their selection.
The 6-foot-3, 250-pound edge rusher was utterly dominant in his only season in Lubbock after transferring from Stanford. In 14 games, Bailey tallied 14.5 sacks, a 20.2 percent pressure rate, and 23 tackles for loss, which led all pass rushers in the FBS. Bailey may not be considered the best pass rusher in this class, but he would be an ideal fit alongside Chris Jones and George Karlaftis.
