Will Chiefs look to trade up in NFL Draft 1st round? Here’s what GM Brett Veach said

Kansas City Chiefs seventh-year general manager Brett Veach has previously been open to trading up in the NFL Draft to get the player he wants.

So, given the Chiefs’ current roster depth and draft capital available, is it likely Veach will look to move up in the first round this year from the 32nd pick?

“It’s just kind of weighing the options,” Veach said during his pre-draft news conference Friday.

Veach went on to further detail the complicated answer to that specific question.

The Chiefs, according to Veach, have 16-18 players ranked with first-round grades on their draft board. That doesn’t include quarterbacks, who could take up four or five additional first-round picks.

So there’s certainly a chance one of those players that the Chiefs really like falls into the mid-20s.

From there, however, the Chiefs have to consider the cost.

Veach highlighted three of the team’s most significant needs: left tackle, receiver and cornerback. And if you trade up and use draft picks to take an elite player in Round 1, that potentially leaves you thin in another area.

“If it is (trading up for) a corner, an O-lineman or receiver, we’re probably going to give up the opportunity to draft that other position later in the draft,” Veach said. “So is one guy that you have a first-round grade on better than two guys that you maybe have second-, third-round grades on? It’s just weighing that formula for us.”

The tiebreaker, Veach said, is likely to be how highly the Chiefs rate a player. If KC has a top-10 or top-12 grade on a guy — as it did on cornerback Trent McDuffie two years ago when the team traded up to select him with the 21st pick — then the lean will be toward making the trade to take him.

“I think if it’s one of those (top 10-12) guys, I think we’ll certainly be aggressive, and hopefully we can find a trading partner,” Veach said. “But I also think there’s some depth in round two there. So I do think there’s opportunities to add players that can come in and push for starting positions in rounds two and three as well.”

Next week is essential for setting up potential trades. Veach said the Chiefs will check in with other teams from Monday through Wednesday, gauging their general thoughts on whether they’re considering moving up or back in the draft. KC also exchanges information about which draft-pick compensation chart a team prefers — such as the Jimmy Johnson Chart — so both teams can quickly sort out what type of trade payment would be needed.

Because of their recent success, the Chiefs don’t have as many potential trade partners as they once did. Veach said it’s always been difficult to trade in the division, but recently, AFC rivals like Buffalo, Cincinnati and Baltimore have also toughened negotiations with KC.

“I think that there’s always a way to make a deal,” Veach said, “but I think certain teams will probably up the price a little bit.”

This year’s draft order might play in KC’s favor. The 22nd through 27th picks are all NFC teams, starting with Philadelphia and ending that run with Arizona at 27.

Not only would those teams be more likely to deal with KC, but they also all have picks just ahead of Buffalo at 28, just in case the Chiefs wanted to beat the Bills to a player they covet.

Veach was also asked Friday about a potential huge trade to move up — to the top 10 or 15 of the draft — and while he said he’d never rule it out, “a lot of things have to fall in place” for that sort of thing to happen.

Not only would Veach need ownership approval from Clark Hunt and the OK from coach Andy Reid, but he’d also have to see a significant talent plummet in the draft and have a team willing to trade its premier pick at a reasonable cost.

So while Veach admits “anything’s possible” when it comes to the draft, it seems likelier that KC’s trade situation — if it materializes at all — would be a small move ahead that would secure a good player while also not forfeiting a significant portion of the team’s remaining six picks.

Veach said he hoped to address more than just left tackle, receiver and cornerback in this draft. He said the team also had needs at defensive line and with guard/center depth, saying, “It’s a long season, and depth is super-important to us.”

“I think the good thing is, like every year, there’s a lot of good players,” Veach said. “And it’s just a matter of working on our board — our system — given the picks we have and the potential moves we can make.”