The Kansas City Chiefs made an addition to their wide receiver corps on Saturday, selecting former University of Cincinnati wide receiver Cyrus Allen with the No. 176 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Here are five things to know about Allen.
1. Allen led the Big 12 with 13 touchdown receptions in 2025.
The 5-foot-11, 183-pound Allen made the most of his lone season with the Bearcats, leading Cincinnati in catches (51) and receiving yards (674) while ranking third in the FBS (and first in the Big 12) with 13 touchdown grabs.
Allen earned Second-Team All-Big 12 honors for his efforts.
2. He spent time at Louisiana Tech and Texas A&M before landing at Cincinnati.
Allen began his career at Louisiana Tech, where he caught 68 passes for 1,278 yards and eight touchdowns over two seasons (2022-23). He then transferred to Texas A&M ahead of the 2024 campaign, where he logged 18 grabs for 269 yards and one score, before wrapping up his collegiate career at Cincinnati.
In total, Allen caught 137 passes for 2,221 yards and 22 scores in 44 career games (36 starts).
3. He demonstrated an ability to separate against both man and zone coverages last year.
Allen demonstrated an ability to win with multiple route concepts against various coverages in 2025. Here's more from The Athletic's Dane Brugler:
"Despite his lack of size, he shows outstanding body control to adjust and frame the football mid-air, and his drops declined each season."
Allen's advanced metrics back that up, too. Here's a look at his separation data vs. both man and zone coverages last season:
4. Allen worked primarily out of the slot last year.
The 23-year-old Allen logged the vast majority of his snaps out of the slot last season, tallying 406 of his 430 offensive snaps from that spot.
He has experience outside as well though, recording 293 of his 413 offensive snaps as an outside receiver as recently as 2024.
5. He grew up in the New Orleans area.
Allen is a native of the New Orleans area, where he grew up idolizing Odell Beckham Jr. (according to The Athletic's Dane Brugler).
A three-star recruit, Allen began his collegiate journey at Louisiana Tech, and now all this time later, he's headed to Kansas City to join the Chiefs.
