Chiefs GM expecting 'a lot of trades' in 1st round of draft
Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach expects plenty of wheeling and dealing to occur in the first round of next week's NFL draft.
"It should be an entertaining night. There'll probably be a lot of trades," Veach told reporters Thursday. "And I think that's what a draft like this - when you don't have two or three franchise quarterbacks ... I think it does lend itself to open up to a lot of fun and a lot of excitement."
Fernando Mendoza, who's expected to be taken first overall by the Las Vegas Raiders, is projected to be the only quarterback selected in the top 10.
Veach added that outside of Mendoza, a good chunk of the highest-rated players in the draft, such as running back Jeremiyah Love, safety Caleb Downs, and linebacker Sonny Styles, don't play at the league's premier positions, making this draft unique compared to past years.
"I think that the fans will be in for a treat next Thursday because I think the grades (on prospects) are gonna be so close from some of these (offensive) tackles and D-ends and receivers," Veach said. "A lot of these guys that are mocked high may go a little lower, and a lot of these guys that are getting mocked a little lower may go a little higher, because I think they're so close this year. It's not this huge gap and big falloff."
Veach's club holds the No. 9 and No. 29 picks in the draft after missing the playoffs and trading star cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams in March. The Chiefs are one of five teams, along with the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, and Dallas Cowboys, that possess multiple first-round selections.
Kansas City has only picked inside the top 10 twice during Andy Reid's 13-year tenure as head coach. The team took Eric Fisher with the top pick in the 2013 draft and moved up to No. 10 to select Patrick Mahomes in 2017.
The 2026 NFL Draft gets underway Thursday, April 23.