Chiefs RT Battle: Undrafted Rookie in the Mix to Protect Mahomes

Chiefs hand a rookie a shot at protecting Mahomes

Kansas City has an open question at right tackle, and the name in the mix is a surprising one: undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson, who will compete for the starting job. The stakes are higher than a typical line battle — when Patrick Mahomes returns from a torn ACL, that rookie could be the one blocking on his blind-side-adjacent edge.

That's a lot of trust to place on an unproven, undrafted player, especially with a franchise quarterback coming off a major knee injury. A competition like this rarely resolves cleanly in June, and it's worth watching how it shakes out through camp.

What it means for your survivor pick

For now, this is a note to file rather than a reason to act. An unsettled right tackle protecting a QB rehabbing a torn ACL is exactly the kind of detail that can quietly tip a game the Chiefs would otherwise be favored to win — so if Kansas City lands on your radar as a safe survivor pick, keep an eye on whether the line battle resolves and how Mahomes looks in his return. With no game data to lean on yet, the smart play is patience: don't build a week around the Chiefs on the strength of a name alone. New to the format? Our survivor pool FAQ walks through how a single bad matchup can end your run, and you can always start a free survivor pool to put these reads into practice.