The Kansas City Chiefs took a closer look at another Texas Tech quarterback ahead of the NFL draft, according to the latest pre-draft news from SI NFL reporter Arye Pulli.

On March 30, Pulli reported that the Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, and Dallas Cowboys all “formally met” with Texas Tech starter Behren Morton last week. He added that the New York Jets met with Morton, too, except they went one step further and took the QB prospect out to dinner before his pro day.

Superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes is, of course, a Texas Tech alum, so perhaps the Chiefs are hoping to strike gold with a Red Raider signal-caller once again.

To be clear, Morton is not a premier QB prospect at this stage, so this would be more of a developmental selection behind Mahomes and new backup Justin Fields, but it’s still an interesting pre-draft connection for KC, nonetheless.

Potential Chiefs Target Behren Morton Was a Surprise Riser in Chris Simms’ Annual Quarterback Ranking for the 2026 NFL Draft

 

GettyThe Kansas City Chiefs have reportedly met with Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton ahead of the NFL draft.

Morton has flown under the radar as a prospect up until recently. On March 16, ex-NFL quarterback and respected draft analyst Chris Simms released the top five of his annual QB ranking for the 2026 class, and Morton was one of this year’s massive shockers, jumping up to third on Simms’ list.

Now, Simms is known for going a bit off the beaten path with his rankings, and he’s not always right. However, his annual lists are highly anticipated for a reason, and he’s generally ahead of the curve.

With that in mind, Morton’s placing third behind the consensus top two — Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson — was notable, to say the least.

Simms noted that Morton’s “body” and his ability to make “big-time throws” caught his eye during film study. He also touted his “natural” throwing motion, creative arm angles, and overall toughness.

Similar to Mahomes coming out of Texas Tech, Morton has been described as a “gunslinger.” The difference is that Morton had even less help in college than Mahomes did.

Simms even joked that some of his most impressive passes with Texas Tech weren’t caught, hinting that his wide receivers were not NFL-caliber players. Morton also played through a hairline fracture in his fibula for a large chunk of the 2025 season, according to NBC Sports co-host Connor Rogers.

Per Bleacher Report draft scout Damian Parson, Morton is a former four-star recruit out of high school. He weighed in at approximately 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds.

Chiefs’ Draft Rumors at Quarterback Are Somewhat of a Surprise After Justin Fields News

Morton seems like a fine flyer of a prospect based on Simms’ assessment, but this meeting is surprising for another reason. The Chiefs have a lot of needs heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, and quite frankly, quarterback isn’t one of them.

Mahomes is the unquestioned QB1 once he recovers from knee surgery, and Kansas City has not minced words about Fields being the backup.

From there, you have a very typical KC QB3 battle shaping up between long-time staff favorite Chris Oladokun and offseason pickup Jake Haener. So, this position is pretty much ready for training camp on paper.

Still, the Chiefs will always look to upgrade at every level of every position. So, one can never rule out Kansas City adding a new developmental quarterback to compete with Oladokun and Haener.

That seems to be the thought process here for head coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach. After all, with question marks popping up about Mahomes’ long-term health following knee surgery, it never hurts to invest in a younger insurance policy if a scheme fit emerges.

Morton could be that fit, given his loose similarities to Mahomes.