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Kansas City Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach will oversee his eighth NFL Draft since taking the reins from John Dorsey as the eyes of the NFL world focus on Green Bay, Wisconsin.
With a track record now established, what can we learn from Veach’s past drafts that might hint at how the Chiefs approach adding talent in the draft? Perhaps a great deal (or perhaps nothing!) as we look for trends in Kansas City’s picks since 2018.
The Chiefs didn’t have a first-round pick in three of Brett Veach’s first four seasons as general manager. The lone exception was 2020, when Kansas City picked LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who failed to live up to that lofty draft slot.
But during the last three seasons, Veach has spent four first-round picks, each at a premium position — a cornerback (Trent McDuffie), two defensive ends (George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah) and a wide receiver (Xavier Worthy).
It’s hard to imagine the Chiefs deviating from that pattern, especially if Veach moves up as he did for McDuffie and Worthy.
“There’s always, or at least it worked out that way in the last few years, been one guy,” Veach said. “Worthy was one of those guys last year, but we’ll see. I know that I’ve shown to be more aggressive.”
It would have to be the right player at the right position — a left tackle, wide receiver, defensive end, cornerback or pass-rushing monster at defensive tackle.
“You can never have enough of these guys and those positions like O-line, D-line and corner — they’re hard to find,” Veach said. “They’re not available in free agency, for the most part. You typically don’t find left tackles in free agency or starting corners and certainly not pass-rushing three-techs. (If) you get a chance at any point in the draft where you like a guy, you take him and you can never have enough of those guys.”
With a smaller-than-usual pool of elite talent — Veach estimated the Chiefs had first-round grades on only 12 to 13 prospects, down from 15 to 19 most seasons — trading down might be more appealing, especially with defensive-line and cornerback depth in the middle rounds.
“I’m certainly open to it and, if it makes sense to us and we can acquire additional picks, I’d be all for it,” Veach said.
That also requires a willing partner and one doesn’t always exist, but perhaps it could happen in 2025 if a team covets Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart or Louisville’s Tyler Shough and both remain unpicked at the bottom of the first round.
Value beyond first round
If there’s a round where Veach tends to prioritize roster needs, it’s probably the second round.
Half of his draft picks in that round have been at premium positions, including wide receivers Mecole Hardman Jr. (2019) and Rashee Rice (2023), but the second-round has also produced several key contributors in Super Bowl squads from non-premium positions — safeties Juan Thornhill (2019) and Bryan Cook (2022), linebackers Willie Gay Jr. (2020) and Nick Bolton (2021) and center Creed Humphrey (2021).
Historically, Veach seems to search for value in the trenches in the third round. Four of his six third-round picks have been offensive linemen or defensive tackles with the other two picks being linebackers, including Leo Chenal in 2022.
That tracks with his overall draft philosophy.
“You’re always going to stick to the value on the board, but, within that value, you’re going to stick to the premium positions,” Veach said. “O-line and D-line, if all things are equal, you’re going to always defer to that and you’re going to continue to build the line.”
Defensive back appears to be Veach’s go-to move in the fourth round.
Five of the seven fourth-round picks during his tenure as GM have been secondary players, and it’s been largely successful — Armani Watts (2018), L’Jarius Sneed (2020), Joshua Williams (2022), Chamarri Conner (2023) and Jaden Hicks (2024).
Late-round ‘pride,’ importance
While the first few rounds get the most attention and analysis, Veach and his staff know the later-round picks are every bit as important — sort of a strikes-are-for-show-spares-are-for-dough mentality.
“We take a great deal of pride and respect for these late-round picks, too — and we attack them with as much attention and details as we do with the top of the rounds,” Veach said.
The Chiefs don’t currently own any fifth- or sixth-round picks, but Veach’s pattern in his seven drafts as GM has been clear in those later rounds.
Ten of the 13 picks he’s made in those rounds have been on defensive linemen, defensive backs or offensive linemen.
Veach hasn’t picked a player from outside those positions in the fifth or sixth rounds since taking tight end Noah Gray and wide receiver Cornell Powell in the fifth round of the 2021 draft.
History says Kansas City will prioritize cornerback or interior offensive line in the seventh round as six of Veach’s seven final-round picks have been from those two position groups.
The lone exception was running back Isiah Pacheco in 2022, who was a sandwich pick between two corners among three seventh-round selections that season.
Veach and his staff have been quite successful drafting in the seventh round — landing multiple key contributors to the dynasty, including guard Nick Allegretti (2019) and cornerbacks Jalyen Watson and Nazeeh Johnson (2022) in addition to Pacheco.
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