4. Kansas City is picking at No. 9 overall this year following a disappointing campaign in 2025, but when asked if he’s entering this year’s draft with a different mindset, Veach emphasized the importance of a consistent approach.
The Chiefs recorded their first losing season in more than 10 years last year, but while the 2025 campaign didn’t go as planned, Veach discussed the need to maintain the same, consistent approach that produced one of the longest runs of sustained success in NFL history.
“For me, it doesn’t [change] just because there’s a high-level of anxiety for every draft – there’s a lot of high expectations around here,” Veach said. “Even if we had a better season last year, we still would’ve made some of these moves with Trent [McDuffie] and some of these guys moving on, so there would be a high level of anxiety here. I think we just look at this as an opportunity to make our roster better, and so that element of this whole process is exciting. I don’t think that you ever get too high or too low. The expectations are never going to change.”
Veach went on to explain that every year might as well be a “make-or-break” draft for every team considering the constantly changing nature of the NFL.
5. One aspect of the Chiefs’ process that underwent a major change this offseason was how Kansas City handled its “top 30” visits.
The league allows each team to conduct 30 pre-draft visits each year, and with the No. 9 overall pick this time around, the Chiefs – as Veach explained – utilized a different approach to this portion of the process.
“In the past, picking at 32, we probably spent most of those 30 visits on non-Combine players that we wanted to get medical [information] on,” Veach said. “This is a unique draft where when you’re picking at No. 9, and the grades are so close now with these guys from say [picks] 10-30, that you want every bit of information you can get. We brought in maybe three or four non-Combine guys [this year], where I think in the past, we’ve brought in 10-15 non-Combine guys. I feel like we’ve brought in every defensive end that could be drafted – we must’ve brought in 12 of those guys. Again, that’s because grades are so close, and you may have the opportunity to get one of those guys at No. 9, and maybe No. 29. Just making sure we cross all our I’s and dot all our T’s.”