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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Kansas City Chiefs’ dramatic 2025 slide has set the table for a new direction. Kansas City finished 6–11, missed the playoffs, and lost Patrick Mahomes to a torn ACL, all while ranking in the bottom third of the league in rushing at just 106.6 yards per game.
Worse yet, their leading rusher on the season was 30-year-old running back Kareem Hunt, who finished with just 611 yards and eight touchdowns on 163 carries (3.7 yards per carry), despite playing in all 17 games. Fourth-year back Isiah Pacheco was second with 462 yards and a lone touchdown on 118 carries (3.9 yards per carry), while Mahomes ran for 422 yards and five scores.
However, with Mahomes likely set to miss a significant portion of the 2026 season and both Hunt and Pacheco headed for free agency, adding a true bell-cow running back has become an increasingly clear priority for GM Brett Veach.
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On Wednesday, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. dropped his latest mock draft and (predictably) stirred debate, predicting Notre Dame's star RB Jeremiyah Love to land with the Chiefs at No. 9 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
"You could see it, right? The Chiefs make their first pick in the top 10 since they took Patrick Mahomes at No. 10 in 2017, and promptly use the selection to get a game-changing running back to pair with their star quarterback? Improving the run game could open up the offense in a big way. The Chiefs were in the bottom half of the league in yards per carry (4.2) and runs of 10-plus yards (44) this season."
"It's time to inject some juice into this ground attack," Kiper added. "Ignoring positional value, Love is the second-best prospect on my Big Board. Vision. Burst. Power. Speed. Receiving skills. This kid has it all, and he ran for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns this past season."
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The 6’0”, 214-pound Notre Dame junior exploded in 2025, rushing for 1,372 yards (eighth most in the country) and 18 rushing TDs (third-most), plus 27 catches for 280 receiving yards and three additional scores. He was a Heisman finalist, Doak Walker winner, unanimous All-American, and enters the draft as a prototypical modern three-down back who can run between the tackles and operate as a check-down weapon in space.
Mahomes’ offense has always been elite through the air, but improving the run would provide a more reliable, balanced offense to challenge defenses and take pressure off their franchise QB. A versatile runner like Love demands attention on early downs and functions as a reliable outlet on third down, forcing defenders into tougher decisions and opening vertical windows for playmakers like Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy.
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