There is a long-running joke that NFL actually stands for "Not For Long" due to the league's constant turnover. Rosters constantly turn over, coaching staffs constantly turn over, and the front office people in charge are fired if those roster and coaching staff turnovers don't go well and they can't deliver that elusive Super Bowl championship. All of that puts tons of pressure on front offices when they go on the clock in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
However, there are a handful of GMs that have the front office stability and recent Super Bowl wins necessary to rise above the pressure that most front offices are facing. The two names at the top of that list are Kansas City Chiefs GM Brett Veach and Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman. That's not to say that these two aren't incredibly driven to draft the best players available in order to extend their recent run of success, but they certainly don't have to make a safe pick just to fill a hole and try to buy themselves another year. This pick is all about the future.
Brett Veach has helped bring three Lombardi Trophies to Kansas City. You mix in seven straight AFC Championship Game appearances, two additional Super Bowl appearances, and a great working relationship with owner Clark Hunt and head coach Andy Reid, and he has about as much job security as a GM can have in this league. However, that isn't the only reason Brett Veach enters the 2025 NFL Draft with the freedom to pick whichever talented player falls into his lap.
Veach has spent the last couple of months re-signing several of KC's free agents and plugging the few holes he had with an outside free agent signing so that the Chiefs could take the field and play with the roster they have going into the draft. Yes, there are positions of greater need than others, either because the starter there is a little weak, the depth is lacking, or there isn't a long-term solution at the position, but as far as NFL rosters go, the Chiefs are about as set going into the draft as a team can be.
That gives Veach and his scouting department the freedom to swing for the fences, and that is incredibly valuable when you are drafting at the very back of the first round. Where the Chiefs are picking, it is much more valuable to be able to add a player with high upside than to take someone just good enough to plug a hole. Here are a few examples of players that KC could be in a position to scoop up if they fall to them on Thursday.
High Upside Draft Targets for the Kansas City Chiefs
Luther Burden III - WR - Missouri
Luther Burden started the draft process viewed as a sure-fire top-20 pick who could be the most talented wide receiver prospect in this draft class. Some questions about what kind of route runner he is and if teams will have to "manufacture" touches for him have him falling in some predictions and mock drafts. That falling draft stock could play right into KC's hands.
While it is fair to ask how well his skill set overlaps with what KC already has in Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice, I have no doubt that Andy Reid would be happy to find creative ways to use three wideouts that talented. Similar things could be said about wideouts like Emeka Egbuka and Matthew Golden if they were to fall to KC at pick 31.
Josh Simmons - OT - Ohio State
While I wouldn't be in favor of gambling on a player if there is reason to believe their injury may keep them from ever being the same player, I would have no problem waiting on an elite talent that just needs time to get healthy. That could be the case for Ohio State's Josh Simmons. Simmons' tape early this season looked like a player who could have been a top-10 pick in this draft and potentially the best true left tackle in this class.
A knee injury cost him the rest of his final season and could even require a redshirt year in 2025. If the Chiefs loved his tape and don't see any red flags in his recovery, they have a roster that can handle a redshirt season. Kelvin Banks is another option at tackle if he were to fall to KC, but he may not have the length they prefer. Then again, the Chiefs could opt to wait and focus on right tackle later in the draft instead.
Omarion Hampton and TreVeyon Henderson - A first round running back?
Kansas City Chiefs fans are still traumatized by the Clyde Edwards-Helaire pick, but the truth is that they need to upgrade the position, and in other years, these two players would likely go off the board well before the Chiefs could grab them at the back of the first round. Yes, there is great depth at running back this season, but a true elite running back could help take some pressure off of Patrick Mahomes.
Omarion Hampton is a true workhorse back (think Josh Jacobs), and TreVeyon Henderson is more in the Jahmyr Gibbs mold (but an even better pass protector). Both of these backs would walk into training camp as the clear #1 talent at the position over Isiah Pacheco.
More Defensive Tackles and Edge Players Than Fit in a Heading
There are several first-round talents along the defensive front that could be appealing to the Chiefs if they were to make it to the back end of round one. At defensive end, Georgia's Mykel Williams and Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart both have the length and physical upside that Steve Spagnuolo would sprint to the podium to draft if they were to make it that far.
At defensive tackle, Mississippi's Walter Nolan, Oregon's Derrick Harmon, and Michigan's Kenneth Grant are viewed as first-round talents who would be great value to put next to Chris Jones if they were there at pick #31.
Defensive Backs and Tight Ends are options too!
If none of those other options pan out, there are still some tempting options at a few other positions. There are some interior offensive line and linebackers we could talk about, but I don't see KC going that direction with the re-signing of Nick Bolton and the tagging of Trey Smith. However, they may really like the upside of a cornerback like Trey Amos out of Mississippi, who has the length, speed, and physicality to play outside in Spagnuolo's system.
At safety, if Georgia's Malaki Starks fell to KC, they could use him as a safety/slot combo that, along with Trent McDuffie, would allow them to confuse quarterbacks with where they were lining up. Penn State's Kevin Winston Jr. looked poised to be the top safety in this class before injuries ruined his 2024 season. If KC thinks he will make a full recovery, he could be a dark-horse upside pick as well.
Finally, this is a talented tight end class, and a player like LSU's Mason Taylor, who would have normally been the TE1, will likely be TE3 this year. He's just 20 years old and has the size, athleticism, and natural hands to be an elite tight end.
The bottom line here is that the Chiefs don't have to focus on one position or play it safe with this pick. They can look to add the most talented player available with pick #31. So, when looking at the draft board on Thursday as it gets closer and closer to the Chiefs' pick, don't worry about what positions are available—look at the talent and the upside. Brett Veach doesn't have to fill holes or play it safe. He can swing for the fences, and that's a very good thing.