Each NFL Draft class has its own characteristics and qualities that define it. Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach learned he was the team's general manager 6 years ago.
Going into his 7th draft, he once again has to come up with a plan to overcome the dynasty cost of being the last pick in every round and move up draft boards. But that didn't stop him from running an earlier draft after winning the title. Cornerback L’Jarius Snead and defensive end Mike Danna were selected after Super Bowl LIV. Last year's group already showed promise on the field with wide receiver Rashee Rice and safety Chamarri Conner.
Veach is looking at this year's draft from the perspective of the Chiefs, who have the No. 32 pick. In Friday's pre-draft press conference, he explained how the classes differ from class to class. as stated in the draft decision.
“The general consensus is this is a deep offensive line class, a deep defensive line class; it’s not necessarily true for us,” Veach explained. “For the tackle position, once you get past pick 35 or 40, most of those guys are gone.”
“If you’re picking in the top 10, it’s a great offensive line class; if you’re picking in the top 15, it’s a great offensive line class. If you’re picking 32 and 64, you have a shot, maybe, here or there.”
It's not new this year for teams that draft late on day one to not have a solid option at left tackle. Historically, the best offensive tackles in the NFL have been the top picks, with the best being in the top 10-15 range - as Veach noted. It's difficult for Kansas City to create any real momentum at the position without moving.
So, if the board were to somehow collapse and the front office was faced with a confident decision to protect the blind spot of quarterback Patrick Mahomes in his prime, Veach would first be the Chairman and CEO. 's Clark Hunt could make a call and jump on board.
“I can envision myself,” Veach said of potentially trading up into the top 15. “I’d have to get the owner’s approval on that.”
“Every situation is unique,” Veach pointed out. “We have had conversations in the last few years about guys that we consider top five, top six prospects; if they were to fall to the teens, move up for them. We had Clark and Andy [Reid] involved, but those situations just didn’t work out.”
The thought and tease may be there with an offensive line class with five tackles in the top 18 of the 2024 Consensus Big Board accumulated by Arif Hasan. Yet, sitting tight at 32 may give the Chiefs a menu of receivers to choose from; between the 29th and 39th position on Hasan’s Board, there are five wide receivers ranked.
All of this suggests that this position is the focus of Veach's Day 1 strategy, which could turn into an early Day 2 strategy if it becomes worthwhile. It all depends on how far down the Chiefs' talented receivers fall on their target list.
“I think there is a large group of receivers in the first 50 picks that we have great grades on,” Veach noted. “Then I think there’s another pocket right behind that.”
With left tackle and wide receiver feeling like the obvious draft positon picks early on draft weekend, it’s a good time for a reminder: the obvious doesn’t usually happen during the draft. Veach asked aloud the natural question many in Chiefs Kingdom are asking:
“What other positions are going to provide top-end value, if say an O-lineman or a receiver isn’t there?” Veach pondered. “Do you go corner? Do you go defensive line? I think that there are some interesting pockets there.”
An early pick at either of those two positions could help overcome Sneed moving on — or defensive end Charles Omenihu recovering from injury. The board could be shaped in this way, but there are strong options later in the class based on the Chiefs’ research.
“Corner, there’s some depth middle to later on in the draft,” Veach later elaborated. “I think it’s a better defensive line class than what we’ve seen in the past. I think there’s some good mid-round depth there.”
“Linebacker, running back, is probably a little lighter than years past,” Veach admitted. “O-line, receivers, corners are good hot spots throughout the draft, and that’s a good thing because we could use one of each of those.”
The Chiefs' front office will select from among the 221 players evaluated, the general manager said. It gives everyone a reason to consider their staff their bosses. Many are Day 3 prospects, but some may choose to sign with Kansas City undrafted.
Veach's study shows this group looks different this year because of the NIL opportunities that currently exist in college football.
“You’re starting to see is these fourth, fifth, sixth-round prospects are a little older because they’re staying,” Veach described. “Some of these underclassmen that get third, fourth round grades, they have the opportunity to stay in school.”
It's unclear whether this trend will continue, but Veach notes that it contributes to the opinion that this year's class lacks depth. This is the latest takeaway for the Chiefs' draft strategy this year, which leads to a simple conclusion: Be aggressive.
With recent draft classes strengthening the roster, and looking at the takeaways from this year's class, the Chiefs could potentially sacrifice quantity of draft capital for quality of picks. It will be interesting to see if Veach can manipulate the board and secure the prospects he cares about.