Brett Veach on Dealing With AFC Teams, Chiefs' NFL Draft Trade Process
Less than a week before the draft, Veach spoke about his process with trades and the challenge of working with other conference rivals.
Just like that, the 2024 NFL Draft is right around the corner. This is a mile marker for every club in the league during the offseason, but especially the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
As he does every year, general manager Brett Veach addressed the media in a pre-draft call to provide some insight into this draft and his thought process.
One focal point was the possibility of trades. According to Veach, Kansas City will conduct "call checks" on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of draft week to ensure that opposing teams' listed numbers are tied to functional phones. Additionally, this is a time for franchises to discuss draft value and boards, as well as whatever else is on the proverbial docket.
Some boards are different, making this a critical part of the week.
"I think we'll do a good job of getting out in front of this and talking to some teams and seeing where their mind is in regards to value or what boards they're working on," Veach said. "A large part of this is just making sure we're all on the same page in regards to what draft boards you're working from because as you know, Sam (McDowell), there's tons of boards. Each team has their own boards and any combination of other teams' boards with historical boards they use. We usually reach out to those teams early in the week, make sure the phones are working and exchange some ideas and usually just make sure we're on the same page in regards to what boards we're working off of."
The Chiefs have partaken in draft-day trades in the past, including as recently as last April. A year ago, Veach executed numerous moves up and down the board to stack capital and position himself and his staff to select their desired players. High-profile moves, however, haven't been too common. Many in Kansas City circles have implied something resembling a "Chiefs tax" where opposing clubs don't want to actively help the league's best team get what it wants.
One example of that came from the Diontae Johnson trade earlier this offseason, when reports surfaced that the Pittsburgh Steelers didn't want to send him to Kansas City. How much does Veach believe in that kind of narrative? It's complicated.
"I think yes and no," Veach said. "I think a team, if it can benefit them, I think they're always going to pick up the phone and call and be willing to work. I don't think a team is going to diminish their ability to do something they really want to do just because it's the Chiefs. I do think, though, [with] the ability to deal with certain teams. It's always been understood that if you're going to deal with a team within your division, there's a little bit more of a premium.
"But I think some of the AFC teams in general that are consistent playoff performers — the Buffalos, the Cincinnatis, the Baltimores — it's probably a little bit harder to deal with those teams and even if they do pick up the phone, I think some of their asking prices are a tick higher. I think we get hit with a little bit more interest; I think there's always a way to make a deal, but I think certain teams will probably up the price just a little bit."
Standing at pick No. 32, Kansas City won't have its selection of the draft's premier crop of talent. If they stand pat, Veach and Co. will have to hope that one of their 16-18 first-round-graded prospects falls in their lap. If not, the value of the board comes into play. This is nothing new for the Chiefs, however, as their dominance in the last half-decade routinely sees them pick late in rounds.
Veach is no stranger to moving up, though. He did so for cornerback Trent McDuffie (29th to 21st overall) in 2022, and he was around when the organization went way up from 27th to 10th in the 2017 NFL Draft for Patrick Mahomes. As Veach weighs everything over the next handful of days, he admits that "a lot of things would have to fall in place" for a massive trade-up for a non-quarterback.
But he isn't ruling it out.
"I can envision myself," Veach said with a smile. "Got to get the owner's approval on that."
