Things are heating up as the NFL draft is one day away. Brett Veach and all of his closest confidants, as Andy Reid puts it, have locked themselves in a room and evaluated just about every prospect there is, and it's time to put all of that work to the test.
There are varying team needs on a scale of importance for this Chiefs team, as this offseason has been about gaining draft assets, letting good players walk, and bringing in a few notable additions. One position group, however, that is in dire need of some reliability and hope for the future, is wide receiver.
The room is similar to last year's, but lacks serious depth and skillsets Patrick Mahomes would very much like to improve. Rashee Rice enters the final year of his rookie deal, and while he is not scheduled to face any kind of suspension this season, there is no way that any team worth its salt, especially the Chiefs, who expect to be competing for Super Bowls, can trust a guy like Rice to stay clean off the field.
It’s also a make-it-or-break-it year for Xavier Worthy. The 2024 first-round pick dealt with multiple ailments last year, including shoulder and ankle injuries. Tyquan Thornton was a bright spot on offense last season, but he is certainly not a guy that the Chiefs can force-feed volume targets to. And finally, second-year man Jalen Royals is a massive question mark whether or not he’ll even see much of the field after a redshirt rookie season.
Cincinnati’s Cyrus Allen Could Be a Late-Round Steal in the Draft
What Kansas City really needs from a receiver's standpoint is someone who can kind of do it all. Now, of course, drafting a receiver in the first round like Carnell Tate out of Ohio State or USC’s Makai Lemon would be a dream scenario and one that would solve the Chiefs' receiving problems immediately. But nothing, especially in the NFL Draft with so many moving parts, is guaranteed.
Being able to hit on a couple of draft picks late is what Veach has done, perhaps better than any other GM in the league over the past few years. And I think Cyrus Allen out of Cincinnati could be yet another day three gem in the waiting for KC to snag.
Allen played at three schools over his college career, beginning at Louisiana Tech for two years, where he totaled an impressive 778 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore. He then transferred to Texas A&M and suffered a bit of a down season, but that was mainly due to a couple of small injuries that nagged him and poor quarterback play. Allen then bolted back up draft boards after a career-high 51 catches in 2025 to go along with 13 TDs.
His main calling card is Allen’s distinct ability to create consistent separation, specifically from the slot at 5’11”, 185 lbs. He can work on all three levels on the field and is faster than he looks, just because he is so sly and patient with the way he moves through the defense. Allen scored an 8.69 RAS out of 10 (Relative Athletic Score), which is pretty darn good for an early day three prospect.
Clearly, Allen’s size limits his ability to be a plus blocker in the run game, which is something that the Chiefs ask their receiver to do a lot, but he is always willing to get in there and try to muck things up. His lack of size also prevents him from being able to win a lot of contested balls, but that was never much of a problem in college because he regularly got himself open.
Allen also has some experience in kick returns, averaging over 20 yards per return at Louisiana Tech, which is a dark-horse need on this team, as last year the Chiefs' special teams were completely abysmal in being able to turn field position to their advantage. In the end, Allen is not the perfect prospect, but he might be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Chiefs in the late rounds of the draft. A slot-based receiver, capable of beating man coverage, who can work on all three levels.
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