Kansas City Chiefs’ latest reported pre-draft visit was with a 2026 NFL Draft sleeper who still has his best football ahead of him
The deadline for top-30 visits has passed, but we’re still learning about who the Kansas City Chiefs had in the building ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The deadline for pre-draft visits has passed, but we’re still receiving reports of past visits for the Kansas City Chiefs.
One of the latest comes from Sports Illustrated’s Justin Melo, who spoke with Louisiana LB Jaden Dugger ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. Dugger confirmed he’s had an in-person visit with the Chiefs. He’s also met with the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, and the New York Jets.
Dugger weighed in at 6-foot-5 and 241 pounds at the East-West Shrine Bowl, where he turned some heads. He was not invited to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. However, he ran a 4.6s 40-yard dash, put up 17 reps on the bench, ran a 4.45s short shuttle, a 7s three-cone, jumped a 34-inch vertical, and jumped a 126-inch broad jump at his pro day.
In 2025, Dugger appeared in 13 games, recording 125 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, four sacks, one interception, and three passes defended. He’s only 22 and hasn’t been playing linebacker for very long. He converted from safety upon transferring from Georgetown to Louisiana.
The Chiefs are doing their homework on Louisiana LB Jaden Dugger
The Chiefs prioritized top-30 visits a bit differently this year. In years past, they heavily prioritized non-combine invites to obtain medical information on draft prospects. This year, they only had a select few of those guys in the building. I think that in and of itself says a lot about what Kansas City thinks about Dugger.
Dugger is built more like an edge rusher than a linebacker. I wonder if a team wouldn’t try to add some more weight and play him at edge rusher. It’s not something they need to do by any means. Dugger boasts sideline-to-sideline range and is quick to click-and-close when he diagnoses the play in front of him. His 35-inch arms really help him wrap up on tackles and disengage blockers. Those arms should also make him an asset on special teams at the next level.
The Chiefs have some needs at the SAM linebacker position with Leo Chenal now playing in Washington. Dugger feels like the type who could really thrive and develop into that role under Steve Spagnuolo, despite being relatively raw.
