The Kansas City Chiefs’ 2018 draft class is officially a thing of the past.
With defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi signing with the New York Jets in free agency, the last remaining member of that rookie group has moved on, thus closing the book on a draft haul mostly known for its low points.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach was newer to his role at the time, and the 2018 NFL Draft was his first at the helm for Kansas City. The resulting rookie crop was miserably by all standards, and it not only stands as the team's worst draft class in his tenure but perhaps in team history as well.
The worst draft class in Brett Veach's history is now completely a thing of the past.
Nnadi was the one good thing that came out of the 2018 draft class for the Chiefs. The former second-round pick out of Florida State was a long-term starter along the defensive interior and a solid run-stopper who remained a rotational player on multiple Super Bowl winners in his seven seasons with the team.
This offseason, the Chiefs were facing the potential departures of several defensive linemen, especially inside, and it looks like the team is undergoing a major overhaul at the position. Nnadi has left for New York and Turk Wharton found big money with the Carolina Panthers. Meanwhile, Mike Pennel and Marlon Tuipulotu remain available in free agency.
The 2018 class is mostly known for the trade up to grab Breeland Speaks as Veach's first-ever draft pick. The defensive end failed to make any real impact in K.C. and was jettisoned after two seasons. Speaks would try to catch on with several other NFL teams—including the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, and others—to no avail. He's now with the Michigan Panthers in the UFL.
Linebacker Dorian O'Daniel and safety Armani Watts both found playing time on special teams units for the Chiefs but the returns there are hardly what anyone envisioned when those picks were submitted. Tremon Smith has found more success away from K.C. as a returner and defensive back and the Kahlil McKenzie experiment failed from the outset.
Now that Nnadi is no longer a Chief, the book is closed on a 2018 draft class that was never too substantive to begin with. The good news is that the Chiefs' draft acumen under Veach was much improved from this point forward. The rings speak for themselves.