Clark Hunt Leaves Door Open for Chiefs to Trade 2023 First-Round Pick

With Kansas City, Missouri slated to host the 2023 NFL Draft, many expect the Kansas City Chiefs to hold on to their first-round pick. Extra attention is placed on it being kept because the team has been known to trade those selections a time or two (or three) in the recent past.

In 2018, Brett Veach's first full year on the job as general manager, Kansas City didn't have a first-round pick due to trading up in the previous year's draft for Patrick Mahomes. The following year's first-rounder was also absent come draft time, as Veach used it in a trade for defensive end Frank Clark. While 2020 (Clyde Edwards-Helaire) and 2022 (Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis) saw the Chiefs draft players in the opening round, 2021's pick went to Baltimore for left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. If there's one thing the Chiefs are known for in the draft, it's being open to deal their initial selection.

The near-consensus since the news broke that the draft was coming to Kansas City has been that the Chiefs would need to announce their own pick in their host city. On the contrary, team Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt spoke to the media on Monday and revealed that he wouldn't stop Veach from using that first-rounder if it meant the team would improve.

"Well, Brett and I have had an ongoing joke here for several years – since we learned that the draft was coming to Kansas City – that we had to have our first-round pick for this draft," Hunt said. "Of course, at the end of the day, if there’s a transaction that makes sense for the club, I’m certainly not going to stand in the way of that."

With the wide receiver and defensive end positions having some question marks heading into the 2022-23 offseason, as well as potential needs at tackle on both sides of the ball, the Chiefs will have their hands full continuing to round out their team. That process started back in March when Veach shipped star wideout Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for draft capital and cap relief. With plenty of money to spend and a ton of picks at their disposal (including 11 in 2023 as of the publishing of this article), Veach has options in regards to dealing.

The value of where the Chiefs typically pick makes this situation even more complicated. As one of the better teams in the NFL and a squad that has gone deep in the playoffs for the past four years, Kansas City's first-round pick has perennially been at or near the end of the round. The odds of finding a star-level player outside of the top 20 picks (depending on the class) are much lower, so it could give Veach more incentive to move the pick if he pursues a proven commodity. Hunt elaborated on the team using picks to secure a Veach favorite, and he used a very recent example.

"I think the Kadarius Toney trade that took place a little over a week ago is an example of that – a player that Brett had been very excited about for a couple of years and we had an opportunity to make a trade and add somebody who not only can help us this year but will help us down the road," Hunt said. "So, from a planning standpoint for the draft, most of that work is taking place between the NFL, the Kansas City Sports Commission and the city. They’ve got to get ready to host approximately a half-million fans, which is just a staggering number as you think about the stress that the infrastructure and the city will be under.

"But, what I’m most excited about is just the incredible celebration of the National Football League and, indirectly, the Kansas City Chiefs that the draft’s going to be. It’s going to be a great opportunity for everyone who’s associated with the Chiefs Kingdom to come to Kansas City and party and celebrate for a couple days while the draft takes place. And of course, most importantly at the end of the day, I hope we get some great players that help us win on the field.”

The next several months project to be an exciting time for the Chiefs both on and off the field, as the on-field product is one of the best in the league and the off-field preparations for the draft will ramp up once the season ends. Regardless of whether Veach keeps or trades that ever-important first-round pick, the team will have plenty of opportunities to improve moving forward. If Hunt's comments are any indication, however, he's leaving the trade door open for Veach.

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