2026 NFL mock draft: Rams, Chiefs shuffle outlook following Trent McDuffie trade

The All-Pro corner is headed to Los Angeles, meaning Kansas City has two first-round picks – and some prospects' Round 1 outlooks have changed.

The NFL is just days removed from its annual scouting combine − and is still a week away from the official start of free agency − and the landscape is already shifting significantly.

USA TODAY Sports confirmed the Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to deal All-Pro CB Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a package of draft picks, including the 29th overall this year. The deal immediately bolsters an LA secondary set to lose CBs Cobie Durant, Roger McCreary and Ahkello Witherspoon in free agency while giving K.C. valuable draft capital and cap space given McDuffie is owed $13.6 million (the fifth-year option of his rookie deal) in 2026 and will need a lucrative extension, too, if the Rams plan to keep him off the free agent market in 2027.

As for the draft? The blockbuster will likely create a ripple effect throughout Round 1 of the draft given the Chiefs' added firepower and the Rams' relinquishment of their own. Here's an updated version of our post-combine mock draft:

He didn’t work out in Indy. Didn’t have to. When you’re 6-foot-5, 236 pounds, paced FBS with 41 TD passes, process like a microchip and just led your school to a magical national championship? Heck, there's virtually nothing Mendoza can do at this point to help his football résumé – though interactions with reporters and his fellow combine attendees continued to burnish his reputation as an outstanding person and teammate. (And good news − now he doesn't have to contend with McDuffie twice a year!) The Jets are basically on the clock.

The Stanford grad came into his own with the Big 12 champion Red Raiders in 2025, tying for first in the FBS with 14½ sacks while leading the field with a 20.2% pressure percentage and mixing in 19½ tackles for losses. Bailey is scheme diverse, which could also be a boon for a team switching to a three-man front and one that just offloaded DE Jermaine Johnson II, who was optimal for Tennessee's 4-3 defense.