Andy Reid has once-in-a-generation chance to give Patrick Mahomes his ‘Christian McCaffrey’ and save Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs are entering a rare and unusual territory: the top ten of the NFL Draft.

After a frustrating 6-11 season that saw the offense sputter and the postseason streak snap, general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid are facing a crossroads.

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The defense has its holes, sure, but the most glaring issue is a rushing attack that lacked firepower for most of 2025. Reid, 67, isn’t getting any younger and Patrick Mahomes is coming off a season-ending knee injury.

There isn’t any time to waste.

With the No. 9 overall pick, the solution isn’t just a need — it’s a necessity. It’s time to bring Jeremiyah Love to Kansas City.

The smoke from the 2025 season had barely cleared before the Chiefs began a coaching overhaul. The team brought back former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and just announced the hiring of former NFL All-Pro DeMarco Murray as the new running backs coach.

Murray, a former Offensive Player of the Year who knows exactly what a workhorse back looks like, arrives from Oklahoma with a reputation for demanding toughness and precision.

However, the talent cupboard is bare in KC. With only Brashard Smith and ShunDerrick Powell under contract for 2026, the Chiefs aren’t just looking for a rotation player; they are looking for a centerpiece.

Love isn’t just a good college back; he has the potential to be a transcendent weapon that seems tailor-made for the modern evolution of Reid’s system.

At Notre Dame, Love was a human highlight reel, coming off a 2025 season where he was a Heisman finalist and the Doak Walker Award winner. He had 1,372 rushing yards (6.9 per carry), 18 rushing touchdowns, and a program-record 21 total scores.

But it’s the way he plays that fits the Chiefs.

As Joel Klatt noted in his 2026 Mock Draft 1.0, Love is the kind of future All-Pro who changes the geometry of the field.

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He isn’t just a between-the-tackles grinder; he is an elite receiver. In 2025, he tallied 280 receiving yards and looked as comfortable running routes from the slot as he did taking a handoff.

“This guy’s phenomenal,” Klatt wrote. “I actually got to meet him at the Doak Walker Award Show and he told me about his Hall of Fame aspirations. Well, getting paired with Mahomes would help that.

“I think about what the Chiefs’ offense could be if they had someone with Love’s ability to run and catch the ball. The Chiefs also need some running back help with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt hitting free agency. But I really love the idea of giving Mahomes his Jahmyr Gibbs or Christian McCaffrey.”

Gibbs and McCaffrey? That is high praise coming from Klatt.

We have seen Mahomes win with a revolving door of backs, but we haven’t seen him with a threat like Love since the early days of Hunt.

Imagine a scenario where Mahomes checks to a swing pass or a wheel route, and instead of a reliable and sturdy veteran, he’s throwing to a back who forced 56 missed tackles last season.

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As Field Yates recently pointed out, Love is the “biggest non-QB difference-maker in the class.”

For a Chiefs offense that ranked near the bottom of the league in rushing explosiveness last year, Love is the antidote. He recorded 39 runs of 10 or more yards last season. In Kansas City, those 10-yard bursts become 50-yard touchdowns because defenses will be too occupied having two deal with the speed of Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice.

The ninth pick is a high price for a running back in the modern NFL, there’s no doubt about that, but Love isn’t just a runner. His talent beckons so much more. He can provide the juice that Reid and the offense have been missing for quite some time.

With Murray in the building to refine his pass protection and Bieniemy back as OC to instill that signature grit, the infrastructure is ready. The Chiefs have the picks, they have the coach, and they have the need.

At No. 9, they shouldn’t just walk the card to the podium; they should sprint. Give Patrick Mahomes his new favorite weapon. Draft Jeremiyah Love.

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