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Brett Veach outlines Kansas City Chiefs’ 2026 NFL Draft plan
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- Brett Veach outlines Kansas City Chiefs’ 2026 NFL Draft plan
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs fans got a close look at what’s going through the minds of those in the team’s front office on Thursday, one week out from the 2026 NFL Draft.
It’s no secret the Chiefs will need to hit on their draft picks this offseason. However, the good news is that the Chiefs have nine total selections in the draft, and are selecting higher in the first round (#9) than they have since 2013’s number one overall pick.
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With that being said, the Kansas City Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach spoke about the team’s process up to this point, and what they’re expecting come time to select at number nine.
“There’s a lot of areas to improve on our roster, on both sides of the football. I think it does open up that No. 9 pick to go in any one direction,” Veach said. “Certainly, we’ll see how the first five or six picks go. I think whether it’s the defensive backfield, the offensive line, edge rusher, receiver, again we need help in all of those areas. I do think that we will be in a position there to get one of those players and then add throughout the course of the draft. I think where we’re at with our roster you can’t eliminate any one need because there are a lot of them.”
As Veach mentioned, the Chiefs can’t afford to rule anything out when it comes to the team’s glaring needs heading into the 2026-27 season. If the player the Chiefs want isn’t available at number nine, or if they don’t feel comfortable taking one of those “non-premium positions,” they may trade back for more later-round picks or to gear up for the following offseason’s draft.
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“A lot of these guys that are mocked high may go a little low and a lot of these guys that are getting mocked lower may go a little higher because they’re so close this year and it’s not this huge gap and big fall off,” he said.
“Even with the offensive linemen, there’s traits that you like and there’s some things all these guys need to clean up and work on, but I think that the grades are so close that it’ll come down to the scheme fit, the coach’s analysis, the vision, the fit for these guys. I think it should be an entertaining night and there will probably be a lot of trades.”
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As for a more specific outlook on the Chiefs’ needs and where they might be premeditatedly looking to address them, Veach offered some valuable insight into those plans. Some of the Chiefs’ most buzzworthy positions discussed among Chiefs Kingdom include defensive end, wide receiver and offensive tackle, with the secondary also being a need for the team after Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson headed to the Los Angeles Rams via trade and free agency, respectively.
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“I had mentioned the offensive line, I think there are quite a number of tackles, but I think it does fall off right after that first round, maybe it extends to pick 35 or 40,” he shared. “I think receivers, it’s maybe not as top-heavy as it was in the past. There might be a little break, but I do think there is 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 corners just kind of sprinkled, there’s some moderate depth there in (round) one, partly into (round) two and then like the receivers you always get a run of corners in (rounds) three and four.”
The Chiefs and the rest of the National Football League will continue gearing up for the 2026 NFL Draft, which begins on Thursday, April 23 to Saturday, April 25. For a full view at each of their picks, click here .
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