It was a difficult year for Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Their offense struggled, and the Chiefs finished 6-11, missing the postseason for the first time since 2014. With Mahomes still only 30 years old, the team will look to retool and limit its playoff absence to one season.
Chiefs Projected to Target Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love
The Chiefs’ offense earned a PFSN NFL Offense Impact Score of 74.3, ranking 17th in the league and receiving a B grade. The running back position was a significant weakness.
Kareem Hunt led the Chiefs with 611 yards and 8 touchdowns on 163 carries (3.7 yards per carry), while Isiah Pacheco had 118 carries for 462 yards and 1 touchdown (3.9 yards per carry). Hunt earned a PFSN NFL RB Impact Score of 65.6, graded D, and ranked No. 22 in the league. Pacheco’s score of 47.1 was graded F, placing him No. 49.
PFSN’s Cameron Sheath projected the Chiefs to address the issue in the draft by selecting Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the No. 9 overall pick.
“I don’t love putting a running back this high, but teams picking in the top-10 are rarely considered perennial Super Bowl contenders with the best quarterback in the game,” Sheath wrote. “The Kansas City Chiefs took a gamble on Isiah Pacheco after he broke his fibula in 2024, but he couldn’t get back to anything like his former explosiveness.”
With former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy back in Kansas City, Sheath believes the Chiefs have a chance to restore their offense to elite status, with Love playing a central role.
“Bieniemy is back with the team, and there is a real chance for the Chiefs’ offense to re-establish itself as one of the best in the NFL,” Sheath added. “Jeremiyah Love is an NFL-ready running back with a complete arsenal of playmaking tools out of the backfield, something the Chiefs have sorely missed of late.”
Love had a standout career at Notre Dame, rushing for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on 199 carries, while adding 27 receptions for 280 yards and three more scores last season.
Over his career, he rushed 433 times for 2,882 yards and 36 touchdowns, with another 63 receptions for 594 yards and 6 touchdowns, totaling 42 career touchdowns, 40 of which came in the last two seasons.
He was named a first-team All-American and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting. If the Chiefs are able to draft Love, it could significantly improve their chances of returning to the top of the AFC West and back into the playoffs.
The 2026 NFL Draft begins with the first round on Thursday, April 23.
