Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said that fans should expect an action-packed NFL Draft.
The draft is unique in that it is loaded with talent at so-called non-premium positions. The Chiefs are also in a unique position, drafting in the top 10 for the first time in 10 years.
Veach said at a pre-draft news conference on April 16 that the nature of this draft means many teams are likely to trade, creating drama for fans to enjoy.
“I think that the fans will be in for a treat next Thursday because I think that the grades are going to be so close from some of these tackles and [defensive ends] and receivers, that a lot of these guys that are mocked high may go a little lower, and a lot of these guys that are getting mocked a little lower may go a little higher because I think they’re so close this year,” Veach said.
“It’s not this huge gap and big fall off, even with the offensive lineman. ... I think it should be an entertaining night and look, there probably be a lot of trades. I think that’s what a draft like this, when you don’t have two or three franchise quarterbacks and a [Houston Texans edge rusher] Will Anderson or [Cleveland Browns defensive end] Myles Garrett, I think it does lend itself to open up to a lot of fun, a lot of excitement. So, I think from a fan’s perspective, they should have a lot of fun next Thursday.”
With the ninth overall pick in the first round, the Chiefs have plenty of options and plenty of roster holes at those stacked positions.
Offensive tackle has been a revolving door for the past several seasons, and the Chiefs lost starting right tackle Jawaan Taylor to free agency. Veteran tight end Travis Kelce and defensive tackle Chris Jones are both on the back end of their careers.
The Chiefs have also lacked consistent production at the edge-rusher position. At linebacker, Chenal left for the Washington Commanders. They also lost Minshew, speedy wideout Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, and running back Isiah Pacheco. The secondary was torn to pieces by free agency: the Chiefs traded away top corner Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams; his opposite number, Jaylen Watson, also signed with the Rams. Backup corner Joshua Williams signed with the Tennessee Titans, and starting safety Bryan Cook joined the Cincinnati Bengals.
Veach said his goal was to draft the best player available.
“I think it’s certainly a unique draft, and at the combine, I had mentioned that when you have a couple of those positions, at the quote-unquote ‘non-premium positions,’ up there, being really high, it kind of leads to different paths in regards to what you want to take,” he said.
“I think the position we’re in, I think we have some talent on our team, and our expectation every year is to go out there and try to win our division, and make the playoffs, and have a chance to compete for a championship. But, with that being said, there’s a lot of areas to improve on our roster on both sides of the football. So I think it does open up that nine pick to go in any one direction.”
After three consecutive Super Bowl seasons and back-to-back championships, the Chiefs underwhelmed in 2025. After losing their season opener to the Los Angeles Chargers, their Super Bowl LIX rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles, and a last-minute heartbreaker to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5, the Chiefs looked vulnerable at 2-3. They went on a three-game win streak, but dropped two games to the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos. They survived a game with the Indianapolis Colts, but that was their last win; they lost their final 6 games.
Injuries were a significant contributor to the Chiefs’ downfall.
They lost both starting offensive tackles and a backup, both of their starting outside corners, three wide receivers, and starting linebacker Leo Chenal. The most impactful injury was the loss of superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes: Mahomes tore his ACL against the Chargers in Week 15, ending his season; backup QB Gardner Minshew was lost the following week.
