NFL general manager rankings: Brett Veach ranks at No. 24 per Sporting News

Brett Veach has a ways to go before he’s earned the respect of the rest of the NFL, at least if you go by the latest general manager rankings from Sporting News.

One year ago this month, Brett Veach was named the general manager for the Kansas City Chiefs in a surprise move that ultimately allowed former GM John Dorsey to become the current decision-maker of the Cleveland Browns. Veach was the favorite for the job immediately although the Chiefs did interview a few outside candidates as well.

Since then, Veach has shown a knack for trusting his instincts and making aggressive moves all year-round. He immediately signed a few veteran players to bolster the team in defensive lineman Roy Miller and linebacker Josh Mauga. He made trades for players on the block in linebacker Reggie Ragland and offensive lineman Cam Erving.

This spring, Veach’s approach really began to show as he worked the free agent market right out of the gate to land two players he later admitted he’s been trying to acquire for some time: linebacker Anthony Hitchens and wide receiver Sammy Watkins. He also avoided conventional wisdom during the draft and clearly stuck to his own draft board as he reached for Breeland Speaks and traded up for other players that left analysts scratching their heads.

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In a recent ranking of the NFL’s general managers heading into the 2018 season, Sporting News has listed Veach at No. 24 overall—apparently four spots better than they had him last year despite having zero experience or track record a year ago. It’s funny that they would even assign him a number in 2017, but after a year, he finally has enough transactions and habits to at least make a guess on things. Vinnie Iyer writes:

"In only two offseasons on the job, Veach has found some big game to slide him up a few spots despite his relative inexperience. He was active in free agency this year (Watkins, Hitchens), and the trade of Alex Smith will immediately test whether Mahomes is a boom or a bust."

It is, of course, even silly now to judge Veach because this is really his first offseason to set his own course. He inherited a team with significant holes on defense and made several difficult decisions to eschew veteran players (some expected, others not) and replace them with brand new faces. It will be a learning curve as an entire unit, but you can’t accuse Veach of lacking confidence.

If the Chiefs secondary doesn’t implode and the defense can actually stop the run in 2018, Veach’s numbers will jump significantly moving forward.

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