Kansas City

Chiefs

Mahomes has a chance to return in time for Week 1 after suffering season-ending ACL and LCL tears last year. It sounds like the plan is to rely on the run game and the defense for the first half of the season, as Mahomes “is working back from that injury.” For those concerned that the Chiefs might stick with that game plan all year, Veach adds that he hopes by “mid-season [or] late season, Pat’s in that groove and we have this thing cooking.” We believe he’s saying that the Chiefs intend to increase their passing frequency as the season progresses and we will continue to monitor Mahomes’ offseason participation. For now, RB Kenneth Walker looks like a safe bet to handle a hefty workload this year.

Kansas City traded up to take Johnson with the 161st overall pick in the draft, adding the Nebraska product to a revamped backfield alongside free agency splash signing Ken Walker III and Emari Demercado. “He’s a juke button, he has very good feet, vision, feel, and he’s very good out of the backfield,” Nutt said of Johnson, 22, who had a 100th percentile college dominator rating at Nebraska along with a 99th percentile college target share. Arrowhead Pride’s Ron Kop, Jr. said the rookie is “projected to be the immediate backup to Walker in the lead-back role, but don’t be surprised if Johnson earns his way onto the field on pass downs or in other situations.” Johnson, who had 1,823 total yards in 2025, is a good candidate to catch major redraft stream this summer.

Smith spent eight seasons with the Buccaneers, who drafted him in the 2015 NFL Draft’s second round, before signing a one-year deal with the Chiefs back in 2023. He has not played since that season. In 2020, Smith’s Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV and in 2023, his Chiefs defeated the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. Smith was also named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2015. He earned more than $66.6 million over the course of his career.

Anthony Jr. (6’6"/258) started all four of his seasons at Duke, giving him over 1,700 career defensive snaps with a couple hundred more on special teams. He peaked at 7.5 sacks with 13 TFLs in 2025. His advanced numbers weren’t quite as impressive. He ranked 104th among EDGE defenders in pressures (32) and had a 33.3 percent missed tackle rate, which is one of the highest marks in the class. Antony Jr. has enough bend to turn the corner and chase down quarterbacks, but he’s a liability in the run game and tends to get manhandled if he doesn’t get by tackles on his first go. He will need a year on a practice squad to develop his power at the NFL level.

A strong athlete coming out of Wyoming, Gyllenborg (6’6/249) is a solid receiver with room to grow as a blocker. He dealt with injuries in his final two seasons, with a 30/425/3 receiving line in 2024 and a 24/217/1 line in 2025. Gyllenborg initially played basketball in high school and had limited football experience, but his size and athletic traits led to recruiting interest from colleges. As a raw late-bloomer for football, Gyllenborg’s 4.60 40-yard dash and large frame give him the athletic profile NFL teams like to bet on. He will need to be developed further as an inline blocker in order to provide more to a tight end room beyond speed and ball skills in the passing game. Gyllenborg’s athletic upside will give him a chance to make the Chiefs’ roster.

After spending three seasons with Lindenwood, Caldwell (6’5/216) transferred to Cincinnati and finished his college career with a 32/478/6 line as a senior. This came after he tallied 1,011 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior for Lindenwood. Caldwell is a tall, speedy prospect with athletic traits that will need to be developed. He doesn’t run a complex route tree and isn’t polished as a pass-catcher yet. Production at Cincinnati wasn’t anything exciting, but Caldwell’s athletic abilities showed both through his play and through a positive performance at the NFL Combine. His 40-yard dash, 10-yard split, vertical jump, and broad jump were all in the top-three at the wide receiver position. Caldwell’s size and athleticism make him an intriguing developmental receiver at the NFL level.

Bissainthe (6'2"/225), 21, posted a career-high 71 tackles in his 2025 senior season, while tacking on three TFLs, one sack, one forced fumble, one pass defended and one interception. His efforts earned him third-team All-ACC honors. He played special teams all four years at Miami and can be expected to contribute there in the NFL as well.

Ott’s (5’10”/201) college career is a tough one to dissect. The fourth-year prospect began his career at Cal and rushed for 170-890-8 as a freshman, following that up with a 246-1,311-12 his sophomore season. He averaged a solid 5.3 YPC in those two seasons, forcing a missed tackle on 23.8 percent of his carries while averaging over 3.30 YCO/ATT. An ankle injury sidelined him for three games in his junior season at Cal, but the fall off over 10 games was noticeable, as he managed just 385 yards and four touchdowns on 116 carries, and was relegated to a lightly-used backup in 2025 in his lone season at Oklahoma. Ott’s early-career production, which included a good feel in the passing game, evidenced by his 72 receptions for 517 yards and five touchdowns from 2022 to 2023, makes him an intriguing prospect. That said, a forgettable final two seasons suggest he’ll face an uphill battle to land on a 53-man roster. His limited experience on special teams won’t do him any favors while vying for a roster spot, either.

Nussmeier (6’2”/203) is a fifth-year prospect who took over as LSU’s full-time starter in 2024. The son of a former NFL QB and current Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier has spent his entire life around the game and put together a successful two-year stint as a starter, throwing for 5,979-41-17 in his final two seasons while completing 65.3 percent of his passes. An abdominal injury followed Nussmeier for most of his final season and eventually sidelined him, but he bounced back at the Senior Bowl, winning MVP while going 5-for-8 passing for 57 yards and leading two scoring drives – one of which he capped with a rushing touchdown of his own. Nussmeier has good arm talent and toughness, but he’s prone to putting the ball in harm’s way and led the SEC with 12 interceptions in 2024. His accuracy takes a noticeable hit when targeting the intermediate and deep parts of the field, and his 4.1 ADOT on completed passes in his final season is among the lowest in QBs in this year’s draft class. Nussmeier is an intriguing prospect who could one day develop into a serviceable backup, but he seems unlikely to ever carve out a career as a full-time starter.

Allen (5’11/180) played for three schools in four years, finishing his college career with 51 receptions for 674 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2025 at Cincinnati, adding seven carries for 20 yards. He began at Louisiana Tech, tallying his college career-best 778 receiving yards with the Bulldogs as a sophomore. After a junior year stint at Texas A&M saw low usage, he transferred to Cincinnati and led the Bearcats in receiving. Though Allen has a smaller frame, he is quick at getting open and is shifty in open space. His draft stock rose further after a crisp route-running display at the Senior Bowl. Allen can compete for a wide receiver depth spot as a later-round pick.