Why Trading No. 9 Pick Could Prove Fruitful for Chiefs, Veach

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three years ago, Brad Holmes shocked everyone – including his own draft pick.

Amid heavy criticism, the Detroit general manager took Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 12 in the first round. Some called it the headscratcher of the entire draft. Holmes didn’t care.

Over his first three NFL seasons, no other running back has averaged more yards per touch than Gibbs (5.9). The three-time Pro Bowler ranks as the eighth-most explosive player across all positions since he entered the league.

No wonder Holmes slapped that draft-room table with so much pure joy.

The Chiefs are due for some of that draft-day emotion, and they should study how the Lions accumulated the capital to draft Gibbs that year -- not simply because they could use a running back just like him.

stafford — Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) gestures downfield in the second quarter during Super Bowl 56 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The Cincinnati Bengals lost, 23-20. | Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Genesis of Gibbs pick

The first Gibbs domino fell two years earlier when the Rams gave up two future first-rounders (one in 2022 and another in 2023) to get Matthew Stafford. Holmes parlayed the 2023 pick, eventually No. 6 overall after the Rams stumbled in 2022, into another trade that wound up netting the Lions Gibbs and, in the second round, Sam LaPorta.

Since that draft, which also gave Detroit Jack Campbell at No. 18 in the first round and Brian Branch in Round 2, the Lions are tied with the Bills and Eagles for the league’s best record (36-15, .706). Two of their coordinators have left to become head coaches. Their first win in that stretch was Game 1 of the 2023 season at Arrowhead Stadium.

Could the Chiefs do something similar with No. 9 overall this spring? Of course they could. Kansas City has the most valuable asset it’s had entering a draft since the Chiefs owned No. 1 overall in 2013. They could package it to not only acquire a 2027 first-rounder but also valuable selections in 2026. Netting at least one future first-rounder in a trade is 24-karat gold in the NFL. And trading the No. 9 overall selection should be top of mind for Brett Veach and the Chiefs.

Look at Les Snead and the Rams, who gladly gave Atlanta their first-round selection a year ago for the Falcons’ first-rounder in 2026. Atlanta wanted back in the first round to take pass-rusher James Pearce at 26. Now, the Rams enter April with both the 13th and 26th choices in the first round.

mahome — Nov 27, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws a pass during the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The other important reason to consider trade

That gives them plenty of capital and options as they continue to seek Matthew Stafford’s eventual replacement. And that’s the other fantastic reason the Chiefs should listen intently to calls offering a future first-rounder for the No. 9 pick: The 2027 draft already looks like a bumper crop.

“One more piece of context on moving back into 2027,” said former Chiefs scout Field Yates on Thursday’s edition of NFL Live. “This is not just my analysis. This is talking to scouts who, for a living, are surveying multiple drafts out. The 2027 NFL draft has a chance to be one of the most anticipated and hyped over the last 20 years. It is loaded.

“And I'm not talking just quarterbacks. I'm talking all over the place. There is serious star power in 2027.”

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