The Kansas City Chiefs are continuing to stack up their top-30 visits with 2026 NFL Draft prospects.
A top-30 visit is a formal meeting between a draft prospect and an NFL team at its facilities. There are no workouts, but players meet with coaches and executives to get a feel if they are a good fit for each other, while also undergoing medical evaluations.
The Chiefs will look to strengthen several position groups throughout their roster with the nine picks they have in this year’s draft. Also not to be forgotten are prospects they can sign afterwards who were not selected.
Kansas City Chiefs Hosting Cincinnati Bearcats LB Jack Dingle on Top-30 Visit
NFL and college football analyst Ryan Fowler revealed on Monday that Dingle will be visiting with the Chiefs.
As Fowler hinted to, the linebacker position is considered to be very deep in this year’s class. However, many experts expect Dingle to be a project player who will go unselected and sign with an NFL team as an undrafted free agent. His father, Nate Dingle, bounced around multiple NFL rosters in the 90s, which included a brief stint with the Chiefs in ’96.
Although he has a way to go in his development as a player, Dingle possesses huge athletic upside. Standing 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Dingle bench pressed 26 reps of 225 pounds, with a max of 395 pounds during Cincinnati’s Pro Day. He also recorded a 33-inch vertical and a 9-11 broad jump.
Dingle is as quick as he is strong, posting a 1.54-second 10-yard split, and 4.21 pro agility shuttle. Those athletic traits could propel him into becoming a complete linebacker who can play against the run and pass effectively. In 2025 Dingle racked up 60 total tackles (five for loss) and three sacks. If nothing else, he could become a significant contributor on special teams.
Examining the Current State of the Chiefs’ LBs
GettyChiefs LB Nick Bolton
Nick Bolton not only leads Kansas City’s linebacker corps, but the defense as a whole. He is coming off one of the better seasons of his career in 2025, recording 154 total tackles, six passes defensed, one interception, and one sack. He is currently under contract with the Chiefs through the 2027 season.
Next to Bolton is veteran Drue Tranquill, who will return to Kansas City for a fourth year in 2026. Some wondered if he would get cut for salary cap savings, but he recently restructured his contract. Tranquill also had a solid season in 2025, posting 103 total tackles, and two sacks. He also played a role in the Chiefs’ free agent acquisition of safety Alohi Gilman.
Kansas City needs a new starting strong-side linebacker after Leo Chenal left in free agency for the Washington Commanders. Some in-house options to replace him include Jack Cochrane, Cole Christiansen, Cooper McDonald, and Jeffrey Bassa. Cochrane and Christiansen have mostly been core special teams players, and Bassa didn’t see the field much during his rookie year.
If the most the Chiefs invest at linebacker is a player like Dingle, it is likely that one of the three mentioned above take Chenal’s spot. However, if Kansas City spends an early-to-mid-round selection at the position, then that player could compete for the starting role. It’s not out of the question that the Chiefs use one of their top 100 picks on a linebacker.
