We are officially under a week away from the 2026 NFL draft. In preparation for the event, Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach spoke to the media on Thursday morning.
He went pretty in-depth on where he feels the pockets of value are in this draft, position by position, after acknowledging Kansas City currently has “200, 215 players” on its big board.
However, the Chiefs’ general manager admitted that there is a segment of draft crushes they want to maneuver the board to land on draft night.
“Even with those 215, you’re going to have 10 to 15 guys that you really want to get,” Veach told reporters. “I think it’s just trying to work the board, and as the days go by, trying to find out how many of those 10 to 15 guys that you have in that ‘really want’ list can you position yourself to get?”
So the big question is, who are these 15 guys that have Veach and the front office hot around the collar for?
He gave us a few clues on Thursday.
NOTE: A full list of the Chiefs’ known pre-draft visits can be found here.
Receivers
Veach told reporters that the receiver position is “not as top-heavy as it was in the past.” But that there is, “some mid-round depth,” to be had.
The Chiefs have had top receiving prospect Carnell Tate and Makai Lemon both in on top-30 visits, so either Kansas City wasn’t impressed with the in-person evaluations, or Veach is telling a white lie.
Assuming he is telling the truth, here are some guys who would fit the bill as mid-round depth:
Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee
Bryce Lance, North Dakota State
Ted Hurst, Georgia State
Running backs
Veach is not a fan of this year’s crop of running backs as a whole, calling the position group “thinner this year.”
This may account for why the Chiefs decided to invest so heavily in the running back position via free agency by signing Kenneth Walker III and Emari Demarcado.
Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame, is a unique talent, but beyond him, there is little consensus as to who the next best player is at the position — and even then, there is a large gap between where a player like him and Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson might be selected.
Offensive line
In the same vein of thinking, Veach said that he is not in love with the depth of the offensive tackle position, noting that although “there are quite a number of tackles,” he thinks the quality falls off right after that first round, “maybe it extends to pick 35 or 40.”
It sounds like, if Veach plans on selecting an offensive tackle, he will most likely do it with before the team’s third selection of draft weekend at pick No. 40.
Monroe Freeling – Georgia
Spencer Fano – Utah
Francis Mauigoa – Miami
Cornerback
Veach doesn’t see this as a particularly deep draft at cornerback; he does see “some moderate depth there in [round] one, partly into [round] two, and then like the receivers, you always get a run of corners in [round] three and [round] four.”
This is interesting because, while I agree with Veach that there are a few guys scattered throughout the draft, this also means the Chiefs’ plans at cornerback could involve any pick from No. 9 all the way down to pick No. 210, pretty much involving anyone on the board. Here are some guys who have been linked to the Chiefs.
Colton Hood – Tennessee
Chris Johnson – San Diego State
Treydan Stukes – Arizona
Linebackers
Veach sees linebacker as one of the deepest positions in the draft, just not at the top of the draft. “I think there’s a mid-to-lower level pack of linebackers that are really deep.”
There was no word on whether he views Ohio State’s Arvell Reese as an edge rusher or a linebacker. However, some other players like fellow Buckeye Sonny Styles and Georgia linebacker CJ Allen have been mocked at the top of the draft, and it makes you wonder if the Chiefs have lower opinions of these guys than the draft analysts do.
Defensive end
This is the position that might excite Chiefs fans the most. Not only is it a need for the team, but Veach also said that it’s one of the best position groups in the draft.
“I think there is really good [defensive] end depth throughout the board,” Veach explained. “I do think the running back position is a little light this year, and as I mentioned, the offensive tackle position is good in [round] one to early [round] two, and then it kind of thins out there a little bit.”
So this means the Chiefs could be all in on anyone from Texas Tech’s David Bailey at the top of the draft, all the way down to New Mexico’s pass rusher Keyshawn James-Newby.
Safety
Interestingly, the safety position was omitted from Veach’s draft comments, although he did talk about the addition of veteran safety Alohi Gilman. This is important because, like the cornerback position, there are worthwhile picks scattered through all three days of the draft.
Veach also gave the following caveat during his comments, saying, “That’s just how we see it; other teams may see it differently, and I think having the picks and the amount that we do will give us a chance to navigate the board a little bit.”
This makes sense because every team will have its own talent evaluators and grade guys a little differently.
But based on Veach’s comments, it seems like the Chiefs are primed to make a move to go get their guy if it comes to it.
