Report: Saints, Chiefs Pursuing Trades Ahead Of NFL Draft
There hasn't been a whole lot of drama surrounding this year's NFL Draft, but that could change over the next 12 hours.
According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, two teams picking in the top-10 have shown an interest in trading up. Those teams are the New Orleans Saints (8th overall) and the Kansas City Chiefs (9th overall).
Both teams are in interesting spots heading into 2026 and might see themselves being just a few pieces away from being a serious contender. There's also one player in the draft that could fill arguably their biggest weakness and turn it into a strength.
Common Needs, Common Solution
There's one running back in the draft that the consensus of analysts say is the best at his position: Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love. Over the past two seasons he was responsible for over 3,000 yards from scrimmage and 40 touchdowns, serving as the engine for a team that went 24-4 in that span.
As it so happens, both the Saints and the Chiefs have a pressing need for a real dominant force at running back. The Saints have not had a 1,000-yard rusher since 2017 and neither have the Chiefs. That said, their passing games have usually been so elite even out of the backfield that they haven't needed someone they could simply hand the rock off to and take the pressure off the QB.
But with the Saints now having a young QB worth developing in Tyler Shough and Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes clearly needing a lot more help these days, the priorities could shift.
That being said, would either team really trade up just to take a running back in this day and age? Even drafting a running back with a natural pick in the top-five is deeply frowned upon and risky. Trading up into the top-five for such a player could cost a GM his job if the running back didn't put up elite numbers in Week 1.
Of course, this is all speculation. For all we know they have their eyes on another position entirely and might not even be trading up at all. That's part of what can make this NFL Draft so much fun to think about.
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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 10:49 AM.