Kansas City Chiefs' 2026 NFL Draft: Top 5 tight end targets to succeed Travis Kelce

It is becoming increasingly realistic that Chiefs future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce could retire after this season. Replacing him will be impossible in a one-for-one sense, but Kansas City will have to reload at the position to keep the offense elite. The most likely path is the 2026 NFL Draft. Here are five tight ends who could help fill that void.

2026 NFL Draft tight end targets for the Kansas City Chiefs

1. Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

The top tight end in the 2026 NFL Draft, Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq checks many of the same boxes that made Kelce special. He is an elite athlete with the quickness to consistently create separation in the passing game. That ability led to 42 receptions and eight touchdowns this season. He is also dangerous after the catch, finishing as the only FBS tight end last year to average more than 10 yards after the catch per reception. The cost to land Sadiq will be high, but his impact would justify the investment.

2. Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt

If the Chiefs wait until Day Two to address the tight end position, Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers is a strong option. The John Mackey Award winner led all tight ends with 769 receiving yards and became the first offensive player in school history to be named a unanimous All-American. As a pro prospect, he has some of the best hands in the class and consistently finds soft spots in coverage. The reason he could slip into the third round is a lack of physicality. He struggles to finish catches in traffic and is only an average blocker.

3. Max Klare, Ohio State

Another tight end who makes sense in the third round is Ohio State’s Max Klare. He is more of a traditional in-line tight end than Sadiq or Stowers and showed notable improvement as a run blocker this past season. While he is not the same caliber athlete as either of them, he is a reliable target in the passing game, catching 94 passes over the last two seasons. Overall, his game has some similarities to Lions Pro Bowl tight end Sam LaPorta.

4. Lake McRee, USC

A Day Three prospect to watch for the Chiefs is USC’s Lake McRee, whom I labeled earlier this season as one of the more underrated tight ends in the class. McRee is an impressive athlete who does an excellent job adjusting to the ball in the air. He also shows the toughness to finish catches in traffic, hauling in 64 percent of those targets this season, according to PFF. Run blocking remains inconsistent, but with more muscle added to his 6-foot-5 frame, he could become solid in that area, especially given his willingness to block through the whistle.

5. John Michael Gyllenborg, Wyoming

A late-round prospect who stands out as a developmental option is Wyoming’s John Michael Gyllenborg. His measurables are what make him intriguing: 6-foot-5, 251 pounds, with reported top speeds of 21.6 MPH and a 37-inch vertical jump. When healthy, he has shown he can be a reliable target, averaging 47.2 yards per game and 14.2 yards per catch in 2024. His production dropped significantly this season, but that decline was largely tied to a hamstring injury that lingered for most of the year.