Why the 2026 NFL Draft is just like any other for the Chiefs ... only way more so
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The Chiefs enter the NFL Draft after their first losing season of the Andy Reid era.
- Kansas City faces numerous immediate roster needs and looming contract expirations.
- GM Brett Veach said every season feels like a make-or-break draft for GMs across the NFL.
For the first time in more than a decade, the Chiefs will enter the NFL Draft not merely after failing to make the playoffs, but coming off their first losing season of the Andy Reid era.
Perhaps the 6-11 clunker was inevitable in some ways after five Super Bowl appearances in six seasons — and three straight — left the Chiefs playing 19 postseason games in that span.
The attached marathon seasons, compressed offseasons and challenging schedules that came with that stature also included generally being relegated to the posterior of the draft.
Just the same, the Chiefs after a dynastic start to the Patrick Mahomes generation are at something of an inflection point.
Or at least a crossroads, with numerous immediate needs and plenty others that have to be reconciled sooner than later as more contracts come to an end and Travis Kelce likely retires after this season.
Still, general manager Brett Veach smiled on Thursday when asked if this impending draft next week in Pittsburgh felt different because of all that looms over it.
“It’s funny, because it feels like every season is a make-or-break draft. And that’s because it is in this league,” he said. “And it’s like that for every GM across the league.
“And no one really remembers or cares what you did last year. And that’s a good and a bad thing.”
Even if the sense of urgency might feel the same as ever, especially amid the Mahomes window of potential, the momentousness and sheer volume of necessities are singular.
All the more so since they wield the ninth overall pick — their best perch since selecting No. 1 overall in 2013 — and three of the top 40 among their nine total.
The Chiefs got off to a bold and smart offseason start highlighted by the signing of former Seattle running back Kenneth Walker III, the reigning Super Bowl MVP. The move signaled their clarity about their deficiencies over the last few seasons.
Promising as that was, they need substantial replenishing through what amounts to one of the most crucial drafts since Reid took over in 2013 … and since Veach was promoted to general manager in 2017.
While some drafts have gone better than others, the mere fact the Chiefs have done what they’ve done in recent seasons is testament to their capacity to meet the moment.
And there’s no better template for what they could hope to achieve than the pivotal example of 2022 — the last time they entered the draft having not played in the previous Super Bowl, and with a similar stash of selections at their disposal.
Then as now, the Chiefs traded a star player ahead of time (Tyreek Hill/Trent McDuffie) to hoard draft picks.
Connecting then to now, the Hill trade was part of the capital that enabled them to trade up to draft McDuffie as one of two first-round picks — a rare benefit that they also enjoy entering this draft.
That’s part of a twist that’s essentially a toll for the Chiefs’ domination:
While that group proved a pillar of their extended run, even a model of what they seek to replicate, its success cycled into why the Chiefs now have so many openings … as well as picks.
The best case in point was McDuffie, whom the Chiefs traded for four draft picks — including No. 29 overall this year — as they sought to navigate the salary cap and churn to get younger.
Many others from that group got paid elsewhere this offseason, and only defensive end George Karlaftis now remains.
Their capability of rebooting for another momentous chapter largely hinges on this dynamic repeating itself.
Key contrasts between the scenarios, of course, are how unusually bountiful that class was — and how much farther back up the Chiefs have to hoist themselves this time around.
Throw in what Veach called “the tricky part” — trying to maintain the standard of pursuing a championship while keeping an eye on the future — and no wonder it’s going to be an enormous challenge for the Chiefs to get similar value out of this draft.
Like every franchise, of course, they’re playing out infinite scenarios in that pursuit.
From their scouting going back years to evaluations at the NFL Combine, pro days on campuses, 30 pre-draft visits, endless Zoom calls with prospects and otherwise vetting them any way they can.
Mesh that in with identifying their own greatest priorities, the overall strength of positional groups in the draft and potential trade scenarios — perhaps moving up from 29 or back from 9, or both.
To say nothing of trying to project what teams in front of them might do.
“You think that everyone thinks like you — ‘This is definitely going to happen,’” Veach said, smiling as he envisioned the eight picks before the Chiefs are on the clock. “Then what happens is it doesn’t happen, because not everybody sees the board like you.”
No wonder the action-prone Veach is reminding himself that “patience is obviously required.”
The flip side is that the Chiefs figure to be able to address their biggest immediate needs — receiver and edge rusher, seems to me — on the first day of the draft.
And if they can’t, it likely will be because they had the opportunity to seize some serious value in fundamental spots, such as the defensive backfield, offensive line or maybe even tight end.
Through all the prep, Veach said, the picture has gotten so clarified that he figures “we’ve identified exactly what we want to do. And now it’s on me and my staff … We have the game plan, now we have to go out there and execute it.”
As Veach put it Thursday, the Chiefs have some 200-215 prospects on their board right now, with 10 to 15 on “that ‘really want’ list” that the Chiefs hope to maximize.
So, sure, it’s business as usual in some ways.
“There’s a high level of anxiety every draft,” Veach said.
But a particularly high level of juice or consequences resting on this one.