{"id":871930,"date":"2026-04-22T14:03:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T14:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/871930\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T14:03:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T14:03:19","slug":"masterclass-chiefs-cowboys-trade-predicted-by-nfl-draft-insider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/871930\/","title":{"rendered":"Masterclass Chiefs, Cowboys Trade Predicted by NFL Draft Insider"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t<img width=\"780\" height=\"438\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Brett-Veach-22-e1776864066984.jpg\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Chiefs NFL draft rumors predict GM Brett Veach making blockbuster trade with Cowboys\"   decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach could orchestrate a blockbuster trade in round one of the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n<p>With round one of the 2026 <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"NFL\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"234098\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NFL<\/a> Draft is just one night away, a respected league insider sparked new <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/kansas-city-chiefs\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> trade rumors involving the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"Dallas Cowboys\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/dallas-cowboys\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"234091\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dallas Cowboys<\/a>. And folks, if KC general manager Brett Veach can pull this off, it\u2019d be a complete masterclass on his part.<\/p>\n<p>At pick No. 9 of the 2026 NFL Draft, ESPN insider and touted draft expert Peter Schrager has the Chiefs trading down with the Cowboys. It\u2019s a fairly simple deal.<\/p>\n<p>With both franchises owning the rights to two first-round picks this year, and the Chiefs\u2019 two picks bookending the Dallas picks, Schrager predicts the teams will swap both. So, Kansas City would forgo picking at No. 9 to move up from No. 29 to No. 20. Full terms:<\/p>\n<p>Chiefs get: No. 12, No. 20.<br \/>\nCowboys get: No. 9, No. 29.<\/p>\n<p>Per Schrager, Dallas would then select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane, who many see as the clear No. 1 cornerback in this class.<\/p>\n<p>On the flip side, the Chiefs get their guy at No. 12. For the past several months, it feels like KC has been <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/kansas-city-chiefs\/respond-vetting-draft-prospect-car-crash\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">connected to Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Schrager believes Bain could fall all the way to No. 12, and in this prediction, he does.<\/p>\n<p>To complete this proposed show of brilliance from Veach and the Chiefs front office, Schrager then has Kansas City filling another need at No. 20: wide receiver.<\/p>\n<p>Another player <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/kansas-city-chiefs\/draft-rumors-omar-cooper-rashee-rice\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">commonly labeled a KC fit<\/a> has been Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. The physical and versatile yards-after-catch threat mirrors Chiefs star <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"Rashee Rice\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/rashee-rice\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"234095\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Rashee Rice<\/a> in many ways, at least on the field, and given Rice\u2019s steady uncertainty off the field and upcoming extension dilemma, Cooper could be the perfect replacement.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the Cowboys close out this deal with UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence.<\/p>\n<p>Peter Schrager Explains Final Chiefs NFL Draft Prediction Involving Cowboys Trade Rumors<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5930491\" class=\"size-large wp-image-5930491\" data-lazy-load=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Rueben-Bain-4-e1776865931115.jpg\" alt=\"Rueben Bain Jr to the Chiefs is an NFL draft rumor that has not stopped\" width=\"780\" height=\"438\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-5930491\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">GettyMany expect the Kansas City Chiefs to draft Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr.<\/p>\n<p>Schrager did give a brief explanation for each of his final mock decisions. The respected insider is known for making fairly accurate predictions based on the NFL rumors that he\u2019s been hearing, and that\u2019s the same judgment he used to put together this Chiefs-Cowboys trade.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOK, our first trade! I could see this happening,\u201d Schrager wrote at No. 9. \u201cAfter allowing 377 yards per game and letting opponents convert on third down 47.3% of the time \u2014 ranking among the worst in the NFL in both \u2014 Dallas has to get one of the top defensive prospects. It\u2019s a necessity. But there\u2019s no guarantee any of them \u2014 [Caleb] Downs, Delane, Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. et al \u2014 will still be there at No. 12. This is a chance to guarantee getting one of them and still have another first-round pick.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As for the Bain selection, Schrager wrote: \u201cThe <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/kansas-city-chiefs\/rueben-bain-jr-pre-draft-visit\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Chiefs have done their homework<\/a> on the edge rushers near the top of this class, and I could even see them trading up instead of down if [David] Bailey or [Arvell] Reese slid just a little bit more. But moving back three spots (while moving up nine spots later in Round 1) and still getting a top-three edge rusher in the class? It\u2019d be a huge win for Kansas City. Bain had 9.5 sacks last season and could slot in opposite <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/george-karlaftis\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">George Karlaftis<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Why Omar Cooper Jr. Is the Perfect WR Fit for the Chiefs<\/p>\n<p>Later, Schrager discussed the Cooper pick at wide receiver. He described the pairing as an \u201cA-plus first round\u201d for Kansas City.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis would be an A-plus first round for the Chiefs, with Bain and then Cooper,\u201d the ESPN insider stated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"Patrick Mahomes\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/patrick-mahomes\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"234092\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Patrick Mahomes<\/a> is coming off a torn ACL, and the receiver room has some issues,\u201d he continued. \u201cCooper caught 13 touchdowns last season, and I\u2019ve heard some comps to <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"Deebo Samuel\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/deebo-samuel\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"234094\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Deebo Samuel<\/a> for his toughness and versatility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Similar to Rice, <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"Travis Kelce\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/travis-kelce\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"234093\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Travis Kelce<\/a>, and other KC stars, Cooper is a get-the-ball-in-his-hands-and-go type receiver. We\u2019ve seen head coach Andy Reid gush over playmakers like this in the past, especially ones with strength and speed.<\/p>\n<p>Cooper has those traits, and he\u2019d be the ideal fit for this KC offense.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/michaelobermuller\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Michael Obermuller<\/a> covers the NFL as an Associate Editor for Heavy Sports, where he began writing in 2021. His areas of focus include the NFL breaking news operation, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers, with expert knowledge on each based on years of coverage. Michael is an NYC area native and Quinnipiac graduate. <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/michaelobermuller\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">More about Michael Obermuller<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Chiefs\n\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach could orchestrate a blockbuster trade in round one of the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":871931,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2063],"tags":[346,7,118,110,2438,2437,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-871930","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kansas-city-chiefs","8":"tag-chiefs","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-kansas-city","11":"tag-kansas-city-chiefs","12":"tag-kansascity","13":"tag-kansascitychiefs","14":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116448737590469964","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=871930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/871931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=871930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=871930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=871930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}