KC Chiefs: Biggest NFL draft busts of the Andy Reid era
By Josh Fann
Breeland Speaks
Starting with the 2018 NFL Draft, the Chiefs badly needed help on defense and that was the mindset entering the draft for rookie general manager Brett Veach. As we know, that class was one of the worst in modern Chiefs history. Only one player from the class remains on the team in defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi who was taken in the third round.
The 2018 class was headlined by defensive lineman Breeland Speaks who was taken 46th overall and the Chiefs traded up in the second round to get him. When evaluating a draft pick and considering what constitutes a bust, we have to factor in where the player was drafted. A player like Speaks drafted in the sixth round is no harm, no foul if he doesn’t work out. The problem is Speaks was drafted in the second round, and for that reason, he is one of the biggest draft busts in recent memory.
Speaks only spent one year on the field for K.C. in his rookie season and in that lone season Speaks had 24 combined tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3 TFL, and 2 fumble recoveries. Speaks ended up tearing his ACL in a preseason game and missing the entire 2019 season. Following that, Speaks didn’t make the team in 2020 and has since bounced around practice squads with no true optimism of ever being an impact player in the NFL.
While the entire 2018 class could be listed as a bust on its own, Speaks is definitely the pick that stands out most as being really bad and that draft likely taught a young Brett Veach to be careful falling in love with certain players as each draft since then seems to have gotten better.