Four years ago, Chiefs won the NFL Draft. And this draft sets up in a familiar way
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs enter the draft with nine picks, including two first-round selections.
- Brett Veach said having multiple picks gives the team flexibility.
- Chiefs used draft-day trades in 2022 and could pursue similar trades in 2026.
Of the 10 players selected by the Chiefs in the 2022 NFL Draft, one remains with the team: defensive end George Karlaftis.
But that’s not a bad thing. Four years from now, if the Chiefs find themselves in a similar situation for the same reasons, it likely will have meant a successful run — much like the one established with the help of such players as Karlaftis, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Bryan Cook.
It also could mean some trade action in the first round.
Like 2022, the Chiefs carry an abundance of picks into the draft that begins on April 23 in Pittsburgh, Pa. They have nine draft slots this time, with two in the first round and four among the top 74 selections.
Four years ago, the Chiefs selected 10 players over the three days of the draft. That year, they entered the draft with 12 picks. That bounty gave them the opportunity to wheel and deal, and they did.
In a swap with the New England Patriots that cost them two later-round picks, the Chiefs moved up the board to select McDuffie at No 21 overall.
McDuffie, a cornerback from Washington, gave the Chiefs two All-Pro seasons and played for two Super Bowl teams in Kansas City before signing with the L.A. Rams last month.
“I think (this year) is similar because the more picks you have the more fluid you can be,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said Thursday.
One difference between 2022 and this year: Four years ago the Chiefs ended up drafting 21st and 30th with Karlaftis.
Entering this draft, the Chiefs are scheduled to pick at Nos. 9 and 29, potentially opening more possibilities than in 2022.
“I think there’s an ability to maybe move back at 9 and up at 29, or move up at one and back at the other,” Veach said. “So, like the ‘22 draft, it’s exciting because you come in with flexibility.”
So how exactly might all of this play out next Thursday (the draft is Thursday-Saturday, April 23-25)? In The Star’s latest mock draft, the Chiefs engineer a trade with the Rams, moving back to No. 13 to select Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq. KC also gets a third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder in exchange for the No. 9 slot.
In what has to be one of the most successful draft-day maneuvers in NFL history, the Chiefs in 2017 traded their No. 27 overall pick plus a third-round selection and a first-round pick in 2018 to the Buffalo Bill in exchange for the No. 10 spot.
There, the Chiefs selected Patrick Mahomes.
But Kansas City had only one first-round pick then. With two this year, the Chiefs’ staff can work on filling such needs as defensive end, wide receiver and cornerback.
Veach said the Chiefs have about 215 players on their draft board, “and you’re going to have 10 to 15 that you really want to get,” he said.
With two first-round picks, as was the case four years ago, the Chiefs have put themselves in a position to fill those needs.
This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 1:19 PM.