Chiefs Should Be Sincerely Serious About Sadiq at 9

Mel Kiper flashed a sly smile when discussing Oregon tight end as sneaky good pick for Kansas City Chiefs.

Nov 22, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq (18) catches a pass for a touch down during the second half at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Smoke detectors, air filters and future Hall of Fame tight ends.

Just some of the things wise people replace before the older item officially retires. In the Chiefs’ case, could that mean drafting Kenyon Sadiq at No. 9 overall to eventually replace Travis Kelce?

Dec 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) falls to the ground after being tackled against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Kiper: No. 9 isn't too high

Draft expert Mel Kiper said Tuesday that the ninth-overall pick isn’t too high for the Oregon tight end, the college teammate of Chiefs linebacker Jeffrey Bassa. In fact, one word enters Kiper’s brain, underneath that one-of-a-kind hair.

“Kenyon Sadiq, I would say weapon,” Kiper said on Tuesday’s edition of NFL Live. “He's the kind of guy that’s a match-up nightmare. You can move him around, in line, H-back, all over the place.”

Oct 18, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq (18) gains yards after catch during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

That’s the problem with Sadiq: No one knows exactly how to describe him. But the Chiefs don’t need a proper adjective to draft him because opponents won’t know how to describe him, either.

Kenyon Sadiq at the 2026 Combine…

▫️Faster than Odell Beckham Jr.
▫️Quicker than DeSean Jackson
▫️Jumps higher than Julio Jones
▫️More explosive than Andre Johnson@oregonfootball | @KenyonSadiq | @AroundTheNFL pic.twitter.com/cOthqHFj08

— NFL Researcher (@NFL_Researcher) February 28, 2026

Few prospects have better aligned jaw-dropping combine numbers with standout college film. Sadiq, a 239-pound athlete who measured 6-3¾ in Indianapolis, didn’t fit perfectly into any position on the Ducks’ offense. Some thought he wasn’t a willing blocker, but his silent film tells a different story.

Kenyon Sadiq blocking pic.twitter.com/sJnknsTCxS

— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) February 19, 2026

Complementing Kelce and Walker

Sadiq also outran linebackers, outsized cornerbacks and – reminding many of Kelce – outsmarted safeties in zone.

Will Stein used Sadiq to seal the edge at Oregon, helping Jordon Davison to 15 rushing touchdowns. He used Sadiq split wide to force defenses to pick their poison, and used him in the slot to deconstruct zone coverage. And, as Kiper revealed, Sadiq has innate intelligence.

November 17, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) is congratulated by tight end Pharaoh Brown (86) and tight end AJ Barner (88) for scoring a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

“This kid is a big-time athlete,” Kiper added. “He keeps developing as a football player. His knowledge of the game wowed people at combine interviews. They were amazed.

“Kenyon Sadiq is rising up draft boards. And we've got a ways to go before we get to April 23 but Kenyon Sadiq, I think, deserves to be and will be in the top 15 of this draft.”

September 9, 2007; Green Bay, WI, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid checks out the scoreboard during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. The Packers defeated the Eagles 16-13. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Copyright (c) 2007 Jeff Hanisch | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Remember, Reid is an old TE coach

So, should Brett Veach and Andy Reid, a former Packers tight ends coach, view Sadiq as a top-9 prospect in this draft, think of the possibilities -- pure night-terrors for opponent coordinators.

Imagine second-and-6 with Kenneth Walker behind Patrick Mahomes in 12 personnel (one back, two tight ends). On one snap, Kelce’s in the slot, Sadiq’s in tight on the other side. Which player does the defense double?

Nov 14, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq (18) catches a pass during the first half against Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Kerry Brown (14) at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

A few snaps later, on second-and-5, Reid flips the formation, with Kelce on the line and Sadiq split wide. Walker breaks an 18-yard run to set up a touchdown.

Don’t think of Sadiq replacing Kelce. Think of Sadiq proliferating Kelce, not to mention creating explosive runs for Walker. Sadiq is a sneaky good selection for the Chiefs, especially if they don’t like the length of Rueben Bain’s arms.