Chiefs GM Brett Veach Makes Bold Prediction Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft
Countless mock drafts were published within the framework of the current first-round order in the 2026 NFL Draft.
If Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach is correct in his forecast for the first round, all of those mock drafts go up in smoke.
“It should be an entertaining night,” Veach told reporters during his pre-draft press conference, per ESPN’s Nate Taylor. “There’ll probably be a lot of trades.”
Veach explained further:
“I think that the fans will be in for a treat next Thursday because I think the grades [on prospects] are going to be so close from some of these [offensive] tackles, D-ends, and receivers. A lot of these guys that are mocked high may go a little lower, and a lot of these guys that are getting mocked a little lower may go higher because I think they’re so close this year.
There’s not this huge gap and huge fall off. That’s what a draft like this - when you don’t have two or three [high-graded] quarterbacks and a Will Anderson [Jr.] or a Myles Garrett - does: It lends itself to open up to a lot of fun and a lot of excitement.”
Veach is far from the first to suggest that the first round is shaping up to feature several trades.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that the Arizona Cardinals (No. 3 overall), Tennessee Titans (No. 4 overall), New York Giants (No. 5 overall), Cleveland Browns (No. 6 overall), and Washington Commanders (No. 7) are “looking at trying to drop down in the order to accumulate [draft] capital.”
Meanwhile, the team rumored to be most interested in trading up is the Dallas Cowboys, who currently own the Nos. 12 and 20 overall picks.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that “several teams” across the league believe the Cowboys are trying to leapfrog the Giants because both teams are “targeting” the same player, though the player was not named.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport also named the Cowboys “the most obvious team” to aggressively move into “the top three, or four, or five” picks.
As for what Veach has to work with, the Chiefs currently hold the No. 9 overall pick from finishing 6-11 last season and acquired the No. 29 overall pick as part of their return from trading All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams last month.
It marks the first time the Chiefs are drafting within the top 10 since they traded up to draft quarterback Patrick Mahomes at No. 10 overall in April 2017. Five Super Bowl appearances and three Super Bowl rings later, that worked out pretty well.
The Chiefs could package their two first-round picks to trade up, but that seems unlikely, given Veach’s assessment of the top-end talent in this draft.
If the Chiefs move, it’s more likely they stay put at No. 9 overall and then trade out of the No. 29 spot later in the first. This class isn’t overwhelmingly top-heavy, but the Chiefs have glaring needs - most notably at edge rusher - and a rare opportunity to take a blue-chipper in the Mahomes era.
We’ll see how it all plays out when the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft begins at 8 p.m. EST on April 23.
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This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 3:16 PM.