Veach is getting better and better at his craft
In a way, all of these lessons learned about Veach have pointed to this one, but we need to make this point stand alone because of how much growth we’ve seen in Veach since his installment as the Chiefs’ general manager.
For a while, it felt as if Veach was coasting on the fact that he was the guy pounding the table for Patrick Mahomes in the first place. He had the trust of and a strong working relationship with Andy Reid, and together they would form the right core leadership team to take the Chiefs to the next level. And for a while, it felt like it was working as Mahomes and company took the Chiefs to the Super Bowl or right up to it year after year (after year after year).
But during that span, some real questions began to form about Veach’s decision-making. The entire 2018 draft class was a dumpster fire, with Derrick Nnadi as the lone notable contributor. The Frank Clark trade worked and yet the finances of it all crippled the franchise in some ways. The first-round selection of a running back in 2020 was another odd decision that ignored convention and robbed the roster of a cost-controlled impact player at a key position. Still, a Super Bowl healed all wounds.
The good news is that any quizzical looks cast at Veach in the last couple of years should have gone away at this point because the Chiefs GM has clearly gotten better at his craft. Last year’s draft class provided a ridiculous return for a team chasing a ring. He single-handedly remade the offensive line in one offseason when other teams have been piecing together a ramshackle line for years without improvement (looking at you Giants and Chargers and Broncos and…).
Veach has always had a keen eye for talent and he’s also made some very solid trades and signings even during the questionable period, but these days, Veach is a man who does right more often than not. He’s one of the league’s best decision-makers and this draft showed him taking things one step further. The Chiefs bolstered the defense with one strong pick after another and he quietly replaced the team’s biggest weapon with a solid find in Skyy Moore.
After five years in his role, Veach has proven to be very, very good at what he does. And as he lays a foundation with so many picks in this year’s draft and next, the Chiefs are going to be all the better for it.