Le Journal

Following the work-in-progress presentation of No One is Forgotten, this public conversation with Eliza Griswold, Director of the Program in Journalism, and Professor of Creative Writing Aleksandar Hemon will interrogate the relationship between artists and journalists, how their word impacts or fortifies each other, and how both professions often live within one person. In collaboration with the Program in Journalism and generously supported by a Humanities Council Magic Grant for Innovation.

With no postseason games for the Kansas City Chiefs, the Arrowhead Pride staff has boots on the ground at the East-West Shrine Bowl in Frisco, Texas to learn more about the 2026 NFL Draft. Contributing editor Ron Kopp Jr. and lead film analyst Caleb James were at the event’s opening day. Dane Brugler covers the NFL Draft for The Athletic and is one of the most thorough draft evaluators in the media. He proves it by putting together “The Beast” each year with an in-depth analysis of over 400 draft-eligible players. He was gracious enough with his time to talk with me about the top of the 2026 draft class with Kansas City’s ninth-overall pick in mind. Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love has been a popular choice, and Brugler sees the Chiefs as a realistic landing spot. “Every team is a little different with where they are in their offensive trajectory and with the way the roster is,” Brugler said. “So not everyone is suited to take a running back that early. The Chiefs are in a spot where they just want to get the offense to the next level, and a guy like Jeremiyah Love, he could be the guy that helps open it.” Love enters the draft after two consecutive seasons rushing for over 1,100 yards, 6.9 yards per carry and at least 17 scores on the ground. Over those two years, he totaled 63 catches for 594 receiving yards and six touchdowns. “As they build their board, if they come away thinking that Jeremiyah Love is one of three players they should be targeting there, I would completely understand it,” Brugler noted. “Because his impact potential, especially in that offense, is awesome. This isn’t a great running back class; it’s not like if you don’t pick Love at nine, you can get this guy in the second round. It’s just not that deep.” There’s the case for Love, but Brugler himself mocked Ohio State safety Caleb Downs to the Chiefs, although Love was not available in his scenario. Brugler mentioned he received pushback on the prediction, but he was strong in his opinion that positional value may not carry as much weight this year. “It’s just not a high-end, rich draft,” Brugler declared. “If you ask evaluators around the league to list the top non-quarterbacks in the draft, the list is going to look wildly different from person to person. Some are going to look at Caleb Downs and (linebacker) Sonny Styles and Jeremiyah Love, three positions that are ‘non-premium positions,’ but they see the highest floors of anyone in this draft that would be taken that high.” “I would understand why a team would value those guys as opposed to shooting for high-upside, the guy that has a few holes in his game, but you look at what he could be,” Brugler continued. “I understand why a team would look for the high floor as opposed to the high ceiling in this draft, especially. Even though they are ‘non-premium positions,’ I think you have to throw it out. This draft is very unique, and a guy like Caleb Downs, you could make the case is the best player in this entire draft.” With a uniquely high pick, Kansas City must come away with a worthwhile player. Brugler made the point that teams picking in the top-10 need to draft a player that “is going to impact your roster the most.” That could be Love or Downs, but Brugler reiterated the ambiguity of the class means the Chiefs should be prepared for all of the possibilities — including the two most popular defensive linemen: Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. and David Bailey of Texas Tech. “Neither of those guys are top-8 locks,” Brugler said. “David Bailey is a bullet off the edge. He has some questions in the run game, but he has gotten better and better… Rueben Bain is just not loved by everybody. Some teams grade him as a three-technique; some teams are not going to be comfortable taking a player with his physical profile that early. The tape says he’s a guy that’s really impactful, so it wouldn’t be surprising either if he was off the board.” It is early in the draft process, but the bottom line for Brugler…

The Kansas City Chiefs exercised Trent McDuffie’s fifth-year option last spring, locking the former first-round pick into the 2026 season at a fully guaranteed $13.6 million. On its face, the move was straightforward. McDuffie is one of the defense’s most dependable players, a multi-time All-Pro, and a foundational piece in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s secondary. But as the cornerback market continues to inflate and the Chiefs face another cycle of financial decisions, McDuffie’s future has become a legitimate roster conversation. The question is no longer whether he’s good enough to keep — it’s whether keeping him at market value is the most efficient use of resources for a team that consistently operates near the salary cap. There is a strong case on both sides. The Case for Keeping McDuffie From a football standpoint, McDuffie checks nearly every box the Chiefs value defensively. He is scheme-flexible, assignment-sound, and reliable in all phases of play. Spagnuolo has deployed him inside, outside, in man coverage, and in match concepts. Few corners are trusted with that range of responsibility. Even in what could be described as a statistically uneven 2025 season, McDuffie still graded among the top dozen cornerbacks league-wide according to Pro Football Focus. His run-defense impact remained among the best at the position, and his overall evaluation reflected a player whose value extends beyond basic coverage numbers. That matters in a defense built on communication, leverage, and discipline rather than pure isolation coverage. McDuffie’s resume carries weight. He has earned multiple All-Pro honors, including first-team recognition earlier in his career, and was viewed as one of the league’s best corners as recently as 2024. Players with that combination of age, production, and versatility rarely become available without consequence. There is also a practical salary-cap argument for extending him now rather than later. While the fifth-year option locks McDuffie in at $13.6 million for 2026, an extension would allow the Chiefs to convert salary into signing bonus and immediately lower his cap hit. For a team already strapped for space, extending McDuffie isn’t just about long-term security — it’s also a way to create short-term flexibility. For a defense that has become a championship pillar, keeping a known, high-level performer — and smoothing the cap impact in the process — remains the safer option than trying to replace him through the draft. The Case for Trading McDuffie The counterargument begins with the same market realities. Cornerbacks are now being paid like elite receivers, and not all elite corners are valued equally. McDuffie is not a prototype boundary defender with rare size and length, and offenses have increasingly tested him with bigger receivers in contested situations. In 2025, the results were mixed. McDuffie allowed more touchdowns and a higher passer rating in coverage than in his All-Pro seasons. While his overall tape remained strong, the efficiency dip provides leverage for teams hesitant to pay top-of-market money. It also justifies the Chiefs exploring alternatives. Financially, the appeal of a trade is straightforward. Moving McDuffie would clear his entire $13.6 million cap hit from the 2026 books, a meaningful figure for a team that is routinely forced to maximize every dollar. That flexibility could be redirected toward the pass rush, offensive depth, or future extensions — all positions that tend to rise in cost. Recent precedent shows how aggressive teams can be when targeting elite defensive backs. The Colts’ acquisition of Sauce Gardner, which cost multiple first-round picks and a young offensive contributor, reset expectations for what top-tier corners can command. McDuffie would not reach that ceiling, but the deal reinforced the value teams place on premium coverage players. A realistic return for McDuffie would likely fall between a first-round pick and a strong Day 2…

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