The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t in a full rebuild, but some may argue that they are in a period of transition. The Chiefs dynasty has been a huge focal point of the NFL since Patrick Mahomes led them to their first Super Bowl victory in over 50 years back in 2020. The Chiefs are in a transition period in 2026GettySince then, spearheaded by head coach Andy Reid, the Chiefs have reached the NFL’s ‘Big Game’ on five occasions in six seasons spanning from 2019-2024. In 2025, though, they did something that had never been done in the Mahomes era of Chiefs football – fail to qualify for the postseason.Although All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce had a down year – leaving many speculating whether he would call time on his career – in which he amassed just 851 receiving yards for five touchdowns, he still wound up being Mahomes’ leading target. The future Pro Football Hall of Famer racked up over 250 more receiving yards than leading wideouts Hollywood Brown (587 yards, 5 touchdowns) and Rashee Rice (571 yards, 5 touchdowns). Furthermore, veteran running back Kareem Hunt was the only player on the Chiefs roster to rush for more than 500 yards (611 yards, 8 touchdowns).Isiah Pacheco and Mahomes himself going for 400-plus yards a piece, though the quarterback recorded five scores to Pacheco’s one. Draft plans have been hampered by NILWith Kansas City finishing third in the AFC West standings with a 6-11 record – their worst since they went 2-12 in 2012 – they secured the No. 9 pick in the upcoming draft. While they are likely going to prioritize bolstering their backfield this offseason, whether that be via the draft – such as drafting Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love – free agent market or by trade, Chiefs GM Brett Veach has spoken of the difficulties teams face with their draft process. Speaking at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Veach alluded to how the Chiefs’ draft plans have been heavily impacted by college football‘s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), which has encouraged NFL-caliber prospects to stay in school for longer.“When the official decision date for the underclassmen came, I believe we moved over 25 guys off our board that we had Top 75, Top 100,” Veach said, via Pro Football Talk.The Chiefs are undergoing a period of transformation after a disappointing 2025 seasonGettyVeach spoke of how NIL has impacted draft boardsGetty“So it’s really impacts, I think, the draft, and then you’re getting older, older prospects as you go on. “I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon and I think that’s something we have to adapt to.”Veach and the Chiefs have now found that many of the names who have declared for the draft are older prospects who have fully exhausted their NCAA eligibility. Some prospects are older than some of the members of the Chiefs’ roster, and this disparity from drafts in years past is more evident as the rounds progress.“You see their birth dates and then you look at the roster and a lot of our guys are as young as these guys,” Veach added.“Typically, the second and third round would be those guys that maybe they didn’t play a lot, but they were young.Chiefs could look to target Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love in the draftGetty“Well, now these guys are just bouncing and getting paid by another school and getting paid and playing. “So Round 2, 3, 4, the younger developmental guys who haven’t scratched the surface yet, you’re getting more finished product so that’s challenging, but that’s what we have to adapt to and how we position our board.”There is no doubt that NIL, as well as the NCAA transfer portal, have contributed to such drastic changes in college football eligibility, which has, in turn, perhaps altered the NFL Draft forever. Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.