The Kansas City Chiefs focused on strengthening their defense in the 2026 NFL Draft, but they did make a major move in their offensive unit. While Patrick Mahomes expressed his happiness about the Chiefs bringing in Mansoor Delane, it was their selection on Day 3 that had Travis Kelce most excited. The player in question is Cyrus Allen.

“LFG!!!!” wrote Kelce under the comment section of the official Instagram collaboration post between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Chiefs.

Finishing his collegiate career with the Cincinnati Bearcats, the 23-year-old WR was picked 176th by the Chiefs. He was a player who was not invited to the NFL Draft Combine, which is often called the “ultimate job interview.” At 5 feet 11, he is not the most physically imposing player, but the Bearcats’ head coach, Scott Satterfield, believes he has other qualities that make him special.

“I think the Chiefs got the steal of the draft in Cyrus Allen,” said Satterfield. “Cyrus has elite speed and route-running ability with outstanding hands to match. It felt like he caught just about every ball thrown his way this past season. He always delivered in the biggest moments. We’ve had a lot of great receivers come through Cincinnati. So for him to tie the single-season touchdown receptions record says a lot about the caliber of player he is—and can become—in the NFL.”

Although he did not make it to the NFL Combine, Allen lit up in the Cincinnati Pro Day, running a 4.47 sec 40-yard dash and also had a vertical leap of 36.

These standout numbers could be one of the reasons Kelce was excited about the addition. Another is that Kelce himself was a Bearcat before getting picked by the Chiefs. Allen is the fourth product the franchise drafted from the Bearcats. Before Allen, safety Bryan Cook in 2022, offensive lineman Parker Ehinger in 2016, and tight end Travis Kelce himself in 2013 made the same move.

Like Kelce, even Allen seems excited to be part of the Chiefs’ setup to start his NFL career.

Cyrus Allen reacts to joining Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs

Cyrus Allen will enter the NFL after spending four years in collegiate football. He concluded his collegiate career as an elite deep threat and scoring machine. Allen totaled 137 receptions for 2,221 yards and 22 touchdowns across three programs. His most prolific season came in 2025 at the University of Cincinnati, where he led the Big 12 Conference in touchdown catches.

He expressed how excited he is to go to the Chiefs and showed willingness to learn more about the game as well.

“Man, I feel like that’s a great spot,” said Allen, “For me, playing special teams and being around a great quarterback like Patrick Mahomes himself. And learning from a great coach like [Head Coach] Andy Reid and winning a lot of games.”

After the addition of Allen, the Chiefs strengthened their WR room, which had Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown, Rashee Rice, and Tyquan Thornton, among other names. After winning two Super Bowls in three years,  the Chiefs were poor last season.

They missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014, which is why the offseason was going to be important for them to build a good roster going into the next season. They managed to get some good defensive picks, while also adding Allen, who they will be excited to see play alongside Patrick Mahomes.