The Kansas City Chiefs are in unfamiliar territory after the 2025 season. The team went just 6-11 and missed the postseason for the first time in over a decade.
As a result, the team has the rare opportunity to pick a player early in the draft. With the No. 9 pick in the first round, one draft expert believes the team could select defensive back Caleb Downs, who has earned comparisons to a Chiefs legend.
Latest Mock Draft Has Chiefs Selecting Caleb Downs, Compared to Eric Berry
Dane Brugler of The Athletic recently published a new mock draft. In this mock, Brugler has the Chiefs selecting Ohio State defensive back Caleb Downs with the ninth pick.
Downs was one of the best defenders in college in 2025 and earned an 84.1 grade from PFSN’s CFB Safety Impact ranking. The defender racked up 68 tackles, including five tackles for loss, one sack, and two interceptions while helping Ohio State reach the College Football Playoff again.
Regarding Brugler’s fit in Kansas City, Brugler mentioned that Downs is considered by some to be the “best safety prospect since Eric Berry.”
“Downs is a difference-maker, both with his impact on the field and within the culture of the team,” Brugler explained. “One could argue that he is the best safety prospect since Eric Berry, a top-10 pick of the Chiefs 16 years ago.”
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That’s certainly high praise considering Berry’s elite career. After being selected in the first round out of Tennessee, Berry played for the Chiefs for nine seasons and earned five Pro Bowl selections and three First-Team All-Pro selections. Berry is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and was selected to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
Safety is also a big need for the Chiefs, so the fit makes sense. Bryan Cook is headed for free agency and Chamarri Conner and Jaden Hicks both struggled. Conner earned a 67.2 grade from PFSN’s Safety Impact ranking while Hicks posted a 57.2 grade.
Chiefs Looking To Get Back in Contention in 2026
The Chiefs have a lot of improvements to make if they hope to contend again in 2026. The AFC West is extremely tough, with the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers both winning 11-plus games in 2025.
Patrick Mahomes will obviously be the main key to the Chiefs’ success. The star quarterback suffered a serious knee injury in Week 15 and missed the rest of the season. The Chiefs went 0-3 without their star passer.
The team is also waiting to see if star tight end Travis Kelce will retire, and they may have to replace both coordinators as well.
