2026 NFL Draft prospects with surprising Kansas City Chiefs connections you probably didn’t know they had
The 2026 NFL Draft is filled with players who have local ties to the Kansas City area, but there are also several prospects who have unique ties to the Kansas City Chiefs organization.
The 2026 NFL Draft class is loaded with players who have local ties to the Kansas City area. Many of those players recently attended the Chiefs’ local pro day. However, there are some other players with ties to the Kansas City Chiefs organization that aren’t so obvious.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler does a great job every year tracking down some of these unique ties in his annual draft guide, “The Beast.” Here’s a look at six prospects with surprising connections to the Chiefs that might not have previously been on your radar.
Looking at six 2026 NFL Draft prospects with unique ties to the Chiefs
Washington WR Denzel Boston
Boston’s brother, Andrew Boston, played college football at Eastern Washington. He was a tryout at the Chiefs’ rookie minicamp following the 2022 NFL Draft. While he didn’t catch on with the team, he made an impressive and memorable one-handed catch versus air.
He continued his pro football career in the CFL with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Stanford TE Sam Roush
Roush has a serious NFL pedigree, including ties to the Chiefs. His maternal grandfather was Phil Olsen, a first-round draft pick of the Boston Patriots in 1970. One of his maternal great uncles was Pro Football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen. The other maternal great uncle was Orrin Olsen, a former eighth-round pick out of BYU in the 1976 NFL Draft by the Chiefs, who appeared in 14 games as a rookie. He played for LaVelle Edwards and was at BYU just a few seasons before Chiefs HC Andy Reid enrolled there.
Cincinnati LB Jake Golday
Golday has a connection to a current Kansas City player. He attended Arlington High School in Arlington, Tennessee. There, he played alongside new Chiefs RB Kenneth Walker III for two seasons. Golday even played some fullback blocking for Walker at Arlington. It’s a minor connection, but definitely worth noting given that K.C. takes stock in a player’s entire body of work.
Cincinnati DT Dontay Corleone
Corleone actually has ties to a current Chiefs player. After discovering blood clots in his lungs in the summer of 2024, Corleone received guidance from Chiefs RG Trey Smith. He went through the same thing at the University of Tennessee, and while it impacted his draft status, he received treatment and didn’t let it impact his NFL career.
“Cincinnati also connected Corleone with former Tennessee offensive lineman Trey Smith, who had been a five-star recruit but nearly saw his career ended by a similar blood-clotting issue. Instead, Smith found medicine that allowed him to return to action, and he’s now entering his fifth season in the NFL.”
DAVID HALE
ESPN College football reporter
Georgia Tech CB Ahmari Harvey
Should the Chiefs draft Harvey, he’d be a legacy player. His grandfather, Marvin Harvey, was a third-round draft pick by the Chiefs out of Southern Miss in the 1981 NFL Draft. He was part of the same draft class that produced Joe Delaney. He played wide receiver and tight end, but appeared in only 7 games for the team.
Nebraska EDGE Dasan McCullough
You might recognize the last name here; that’s because McCullough is the son of former Chiefs RBs coach Deland McCullough. Dasan played for Blue Valley North when Deland was coaching the Chiefs. He was considered a top overall recruit in the state of Kansas when he was recruited. Dasan played for Indiana in 2022 before transferring to Oklahoma, where he spent two seasons.
