As this weekend comes to a close, let’s highlight a discussion about the Kansas City Chiefs from The Feed on the Arrowhead Pride home page:
Last week, the first draft pick in Chiefs general manager Brett Veach’s tenure at the helm of Kansas City’s front office retired from a successful career in football, specifically the USFL and UFL.
Breeland Speaks was the 46th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, but he did not realize that potential in football. However, it didn’t stop him from having a successful career
as a professional athlete.
After being cut by Kansas City in 2019, his second year with the team, Speaks rebounded as a professional football player with the Michigan Panthers of the USFL and won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award in 2024.
Speaks attempted to return to the NFL before his peak season with a preseason stint with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023. In 2024, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed him, but he was cut before the regular season.
I, along with the majority of Arrowhead Pride readers, voted Speaks as the biggest “bust” in Veach’s catalog, but does his career turnaround impact that label? Is there someone else in modern history who could be considered a bigger bust?
Here are the voters’ best responses to the question:
BasicLee
Considering who was available at the time of picking, CEH is pretty bad. There was a large group of us who wanted Johnathan Taylor or D’Andre Swift over CEH. FAU year I wanted Michael Mayer so I’m an idiot too.
AZDiamond75, in response:
CEH had over 1,000 total yards, a 4.4 YPC, and 5 TDs his rookie year. His first 3 seasons he averaged at least 4.3 YPC and scored a total of 17 TDs. While Swift and Taylor would have been much better picks, CEH was not a total waste.
RunningFree
Speaks had close to zero impact. CEH/Moore at least had some memorable moments.
FAU so far is at close to zero, too but he has a year to go. If year 4 goes like years 1-3, he’s overtaking Speaks by virtue of being drafted earlier.
TampaChief21
For FAU it’s too early to know for sure, but if he tanks this season then I’d say FAU. Based on players who’ve already left the team or the league, speaks was a huge let down. Sky Moore was a disappointment too but he did have some moments at least, same for Clyde.
ChiefZed
Don’t forget that the Chiefs moved up to get Breeland Speaks. The Chiefs traded their 2018 second-round pick (No. 54) and third-round pick (No. 78) to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for picks No. 46 and No. 100.
At least it was a pick swap. Veach gave up the equivalent of a late 6th round pick in excess value.
What about all-time? Who are the biggest busts in Chiefs history, and are there any other stories of these players rebounding in their sports careers? Let us know in the comments.
