The Kansas City Chiefs future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce is playing the final season of his two-year, $34.3 million contract and though he has not announced his plans for 2026, retirement is certainly not off the table for the 13-year veteran.
With his high-profile engagement to pop superstar Taylor Swift and an increasingly wide range of business ventures to occupy his attention, at age 36 Kelce may feel that the time is right to move on.
2026 1st-Round Pick a Kelce Replacement
But the Chiefs may have his replacement already in their sights, at least according to a prediction by Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic, who published his extremely early 2026 mock draft on Thursday.
Of course with both the NFL and college football seasons still in full swing, the final draft order can only be a best guess. With that in mind, Baumgardner sees the Chiefs picking 26th in the first round next April. In reality, if the draft were held prior to the Week 10 NFL slate, Kansas City would be selecting in the No. 17 spot.
Either way, if they head into the draft with an eye toward replacing a retiring Kelce, Baumgarder predicts they will take 6-foot-3, 245-pound Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq.
Sadiq a ‘Complete Athlete’
Baumgardner earlier ranked the top 50 prospects, in his view, of the 2026 draft class. He placed the 20-year-old Sadiq at No. 8.
“Sadiqâs athletic toolbox is bigger and deeper than arguably any offensive player in the class,” the Athletic football analyst raved. “A complete athlete (who was a high school sprinter and basketball standout), Sadiq couldâve played multiple positions â on either side of the ball â in college. He runs like a receiver and blocks in space like a tackle. He offers elite potential.”
With Kelce’s eventual retirement, the Chiefs will be losing an elite tight end â in fact, one of the greatest ever to play the position, with four first-team All-Pro honors and 10 Pro Bowl selections. Replacing Kelce as quickly as possible with another who possesses “elite potential” only makes sense.
Sadiq Wants to Have ‘Best Effect on My Team’
In three years at Oregon, Sadiq has compiled 643 yards on 51 receptions with eight touchdowns in his 36 games, and the 2025 season is not yet completed.
But Sadiq says he takes a team approach, despite already being called possibly the greatest tight end in Oregon program history.
âThereâs the stats of being great, but also the effect you have on your team and the game,â Sadiq said in October, as quoted by reporter James Crepea of The Oregonian. âBeing great can go in so many different directions. I want to have the best effect on my team personally and help us get to where we need to be. Whether thatâs doing blocking, catching the ball, whatever it is.”
Perfect Timing for Chiefs to Draft Sadiq
Baumgardner in his mock draft called Sadiq “one of the most athletic tight ends weâve seen in some time, so this would be perfect timing for the Chiefs with Travis Kelce entering the twilight of his career.”
Kelce has found himself targeted by quarterback Patrick Mahomes less frequently this year than any season since the quarterback was drafted, averaging just 5.9 targets per game, compared to 8.7 in every other year that Mahomes has held the Chiefs’ No. 1 quarterback spot.
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