Kansas City Chiefs: Six roster misses by Brett Veach that are hurting the team

Drafting Breeland Speaks with the 46th pick in 2018

The first draft pick of the Brett Veach era was also a major miss, even without considering current circumstances. Brett Veach traded multiple picks to move up and draft Mississippi defensive lineman Breeland Speaks at pick 46 in the 2018 NFL Draft.

It was an underwhelming pick in and of itself, as Speaks was mildly productive in college and generally considered a reach at that spot. The coaching staff then added insult to injury by moving Speaks to outside linebacker, along with Tanoh Kpassagnon, a position at which both players struggled to produce.

Speaks did not play in 2019, and despite moving back to defensive lineman in 2020 and putting on weight the Chiefs decided they had seen enough. The team parted ways with Speaks who bounced from the practice squad to practice squad before being cut this offseason by the New York Giants.

The toughest part of this draft pick is the Chiefs’ current lack of depth along the defensive line. While there wasn’t exactly a dearth of talent (in hindsight) around the pick for the Chiefs to choose instead, the fact still remains they made a trade to acquire a player who barely produced for them.