With just one week before the Kansas City Chiefs are on the clock officially at No. 9 in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft—a very important one for the Chiefs' present and future—general manager Brett Veach sat down with reporters to discuss the ins and outs of this year's rookie crop.
The Chiefs hold nine overall selections in this year's draft class, including that pivotal No. 9 pick. But K.C. also owns another first-round choice at No. 29 overall, thanks to the trade of Trent McDuffie to the L.A. Rams earlier this offseason. With three picks in the top 40 overall, the Chiefs have a real opportunity to build a firmer foundation for a roster in transition.
Given the open-ended nature of the questions, Veach was asked about a number of things, so it made sense to break it down here by the random subjects that came up. Here are all of the important takeaways from the Chiefs GM on the eve of this spring's draft.
On Rueben Bain Jr.'s careless driving citation and tragic accident from 2024
"Look, we were probably aware of that at the start of the season. i think it happened, obviously a few years ago. When we’re at St. Joe, before our scouts leave, we always kind of get together and review some of the top prospects. We started that process a year ago.Â
"As far as that impact, it’s part of our responsibility to do our due diligence and fully vet each player as always. You know, I think, like with any case, we do so with the understanding that all of these cases are unique. It’s our job, and this is the most important part of our job, which is getting the player right. The whole body of work. What he does on the field. What he does off the field.
"So I think we just approach it with every case is unique and different, but, again, that’s something that above all is the most important part of what we do. How these guys are going to come in here, and they have to be successful on the field but also off the field, so it’s part of the process.
"Needless to say, we spent a lot of time with him at the Combine. brought him here, had a lot of meetings with a lot of people, and that process is consistent with not just him, but all of our players that we bring in here and that we have on our draft board. "
Our take: Veach did not say on the record whether or not he and the team feel comfortable with Bain, and given the importance of draft secrecy, that was never going to happen anyway. But it does show they've done their homework on an important player, and Veach admitted they've been watching him for a very long time.
On the way Veach views the draft at No. 9 overall in general
"The position we're in, I think we have some talent on our team and our expectation every year is to go out there and try to win our division and make the playoffs and have a chance to compete for a championship. With that being said, there are a lot of areas to improve on our roster on both sides of the football. So I think it does open up that No. 9 pick to go in any one direction, and certainly we'll see how the first five or six picks go.
"But I think whether it's the defensive backfield, the offensive line, edge rusher, receiver—again, we need help in all of those areas. So I think we'll be in a position there to get one of those players and then add throughout the course of the draft. I think that where we're at with our roster, you really can't eliminate any one need, because I think there are a lot of them."
Our take: The interesting piece here is that Veach includes offensive tackle among the positions to address, which has been a point of consternation for some Chiefs fans who cannot understand the idea that the team might use such a rare top-10 pick on offensive tackle just one year after taking Josh Simmons and with such a heavy interior investment on guys like Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith already. But then he goes on to address this with the next question.
On Veach's specific views of offensive tackle and how to address it
"There's certainly talent there. I do think, though, just trying to project this draft, it looks like you have those five, six, seven, eight names that everyone is sharing across the board adn there's a consensus. In some of those a couple of linemen creep in, but I do think that if they don't creep in to that first eight, nine, ten slots, I think you're going to get a massive run of offensive linemen from 10 to 20 or 25. I think there are numbers there, but once you get to pick, say 35, those numbers quickly diminish. Then there's a big falloff, wherein some rounds you have depth throughout the course of the draft. For example, at d-end, I think it's solid through two, two-and-a-half, or even three (rounds), where, with offensive line, there's some talent there, but I do think it dries up quickly and by 35, it could be slim pickings."
Our take: If Brett Veach is using tackle visits and rumors as a smokescreen for what they might be planning up top at No. 9 overall, it's working. Veach added fuel to the fire, for sure, in this media session, because he's clearly pointing to the lack of impact o-line talent and insinuating that interested teams would be wise to chase those picks early compared to other positions, such as his mention of d-line. Then again, if a GM is hoping Rueben Bain Jr. falls to his team, then you want to talk up other prospects.
On the receivers atop the Chiefs' draft board
"Obviously, [Jordan] Tyson and [Carnell] Tate have the size and the intermediate and deep field creative playmaking ability. Then Makai Lemon is just so dang productive inside and he's such a savvy route-runner. I know there's a lot of Puka and JSN comps and we've seen how successful those guys have been in the NFL. When you get such a highly instinctive player, that look, maybe they have some limitations in regards to just an outside receiver but they are so effective in there that they still cause havoc for other defenses and they're still players you want on your team.
"So I think those guys and then you throw the [Omar] Coopers in there and I'm probably missing a couple, but it's a good collection of wideouts. And like the defensive line, as i mentioned earlier, there are really solid pockets in three and four. There's really solid depth there and I think that runs through 4 at the receiver position."
Our take: Veach's notable excitement talking about Makai Lemon was quite interesting to watch. It was the most animated he was during the entire press conference. Then again, it makes no sense for the Chiefs to hype the guy they're hoping other teams will ignore, A pre-draft press conference is just that difficult to discern, but it's notable that Veach likes the depth in this class there. The Chiefs have the ability to move up and get guys they like with 9 overall selections, including three in the fifth, so if the GM likes a guy in the late third or early fourth, he can move up and get him.
On the important pockets of the draft for various positions
"I think that there are quite a number of tackles, but I do think it falls off right after that first round, maybe it extends to pick 35 or 40. With receivers, it's not as top heavy as it was in the past. There might be a little break, but I do think there's some mid-round depth there at the receiver position. As everyone knows, it's kind of thinner this year at the running back position. I think corner is just kind of sprinkled—I mean, there's some moderate depth there in 1, partly into 2, and like the receivers, you always get a run of corners in 3 and 4. I think there's a mid to lower-level pack of linebackers that are really deep ... I think, generally speaking, there's mid-pocket depth at the receiver position, potentially at the corner position. I think there's really good d-end depth right throughout the board."
Our take: Veach could not stop leading with offensive tackles and what he sees there. It's almost overboard at this point, but maybe he's just being up front with the way the Chiefs view things. The Chiefs have serious needs at WR and DE, so if they like the depth there, that's a good thing. Also speaking to the lack of RB talent shows why they maybe liked the idea of signing Kenneth Walker in free agency.
Biggest lessons learned over time about the draft
"Patience is obviously required. You spend so much time on these guys and you have such strong convictions over players. It's one of those things that when you do the amount of work and you live in a film room, I think you get into this mindset where you think everybody sees the board just like you because you're in there. And again, I'm not saying that our boards are always right. But you think that everyone thinks like you. So even now when I'm doing our mocks and I'm trying to project the first five, six, seven, eight picks, I'm thinking, 'Well this is definitely going to happen.' Then what happens when it doesn't happen, because not everyone sees the board like you.
"So i think it's being patient and being fluid and having an understanding that there will be more guys that you like later on in the draft and not operating with that mindset that, again, everyone sees it just like you and that the exact guys you like are going to fall in the exact order. That's still one of those things, even to this day, that I struggle with because it's one of those things where our guys do such a tremendous amount of work. It's a collective unit here, a collective process and there's an element of wanting to leave a draft with the guys we're all excited about. That leads to being aggressive because you just want to make sure you get those guys. But there's certaintly something to be said for being patient and dealing with volume and having an ability to add more players to this roster. So i think patience is the biggest thing and that's something I'm still working on today."
Our take: We've seen Veach's growth curve in the effectiveness of his draft decisions since 2018, which featured multiple trades up to get guys like Breeland Speaks. He's still aggressive, as he mentioned, but it's clear that he's learning how to pick and choose his battles, and the way trades for L'Jarius Sneed, Tyreek Hill, and others have worked out should only make Chiefs Kingdom that much more confident that he'll know how to handle himself in such a pivotal draft.
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