Chiefs GM Brett Veach anticipating ‘entertaining’ first spherical of 2026 draft with ‘so much’ of trades

Veach finds himself in an unusual place, deciding on inside the highest 10 for the primary time since Kansas City drafted Patrick Mahomes with the tenth choose of the 2017 draft — Veach’s first because the membership’s personnel chief. He has must fill, too, and will have choices relying on how the draft unfolds.

Judging by his Thursday feedback, apparently Veach is making ready for any and each chance.

“I think it’s certainly a unique draft. When we were at the combine, I had mentioned that when you have a couple of those positions at the ‘non-premium positions’ up there being really high, it leads to different paths in regard to what you want to take,” Veach defined. “The position we are 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’s a lot of areas to improve on our roster, on both sides of the football.”

From the skin, it seems as if Veach is dealing with his personal choose-your-own-adventure novel. In the final seven mock drafts printed on NFL.com, the Chiefs have been paired with gamers from three completely different positions: offensive deal with (Miami’s Francis Mauigoa or Utah’s Spencer Fano), edge rusher (Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr., with one mock requiring a commerce as much as No. 6) and cornerback (LSU’s Mansoor Delane, the consensus high participant on the place).

“I think it does open up that No. 9 pick to go in any one direction,” Veach continued. “Certainly, we’ll see how the first five or six picks go. I think whether it’s the defensive back field, 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.”

Offseason turnover hit the Chiefs more durable than some groups, a actuality usually confronted by perennial contenders. The problem getting into 2026, although, is that this Kansas City crew is not coming off a deep playoff run. The Chiefs did not even qualify for the postseason, but that they had their high two corners poached by the Rams (with Veach willingly parting with Trent McDuffie by way of commerce and Jaylen Watson signing a three-year deal), amicably parted with beginning proper deal with Jawaan Taylor and watched security Bryan Cook depart for Cincinnati. Of their offseason additions, just one represents a possible improve — Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III — leaving loads of room for enchancment in a world through which the stress has not decreased.

“I like to think that each year presents a new challenge and when you have Pat (Mahomes), there’s that mindset that you always have a chance to go out there and compete for a championship and compete for a division title,” Veach mentioned. “The tricky part is trying to maintain that standard, but also keep an eye on the future and knowing that Pat’s still going to be here for a long time. We always have to build this thing out and build through the offense and defensive line and that’s where it starts.”

Veach is able to strike gold amid the chaos. We’ll see if he can return to Kansas City with newfound treasures subsequent weekend.