What Chiefs GM Brett Veach’s past drafts say about what he’ll do in this one

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His top priority hasn’t changed in the past few years, not since that day when the Chiefs’ memorable 2020 season ended in disaster.

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That February night, the Chiefs were blown out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV, a result that was the byproduct of the team’s makeshift offensive line not being able to adequately protect superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Since then, general manager Brett Veach has worked every offseason since to make sure the team has one of the NFL’s best collection of pass blockers.

Dane Brugler’s The Beast, the complete 2023 NFL Draft Guide, is now available. 

Each time the Chiefs have had a positional need to upgrade or maintain the offensive line, Veach has successfully found a quality solution. The most recent example occurred last month, when Veach’s first major acquisition this offseason was to sign Jawaan Taylor to a four-year contract worth $80 million, including $60 million guaranteed, to be the Chiefs’ new left tackle, the player responsible for protecting Mahomes’ blind side.

GO DEEPER

Chiefs find their newest LT in Jawaan Taylor in a move to support QB Patrick Mahomes

“Once free agency started, a tackle was at the top of that list,” Veach said Thursday in his annual pre-draft news conference. He added of Taylor: “He certainly wants the opportunity to play left (tackle). But if we were to draft a left tackle, we know what Jawaan’s tape looks like at right tackle.”

It's officially #NFLDraft week.

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) April 23, 2023

When the league’s annual draft starts Thursday night, with the event held in Kansas City for the first time, Veach’s top objective could once again be acquiring a tackle, this time perhaps a prospect who could be a starter on the right side of the offensive line. Veteran Andrew Wylie, who was the starting right tackle last season, joined the Washington Commanders in free agency.

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The Chiefs already have one the league’s best offensive lines — featuring star left guard Joe Thuney, star center Creed Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith — and Veach knows his job to solidify that part of the roster to ensure the offense remains potent behind coach Andy Reid’s scheme and Mahomes’ passing ability to help elevate receivers such as Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Skyy Moore.

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“It seems like they figured out as long as you protect Mahomes, nothing else matters,” an anonymous team executive told The Athletic last month of the Chiefs’ offseason moves. “It is probably true.”

At the league’s scouting combine, Veach, Reid and the rest of the personnel staff spent most of their time interviewing receivers, offensive linemen and defensive linemen. Among the offensive linemen, the group that appears to intrigue the Chiefs the most is Broderick Jones (Georgia), Darnell Wright (Tennessee), Anton Harrison (Oklahoma), Dawand Jones (Ohio State) and Nick Saldiveri (Old Dominion).

Ohio State RT Dawand Jones last season:

♦️ 0 Sacks Allowed
♦️ 0 QB Hits Allowed
♦️ 5 Pressures Allowed
♦️ 85.0 Run Block Grade

— PFF College (@PFF_College) April 6, 2023

“You’re only as good as your next pick,” Reid said of Veach last month at the league’s annual owners’ meetings. “Is every pick going to be a starter? No, that’s not what’s going to happen. But he’s going to be pretty accurate with things when he brings guys in. That’s how we feel as a coaching staff.”

Dane Brugler, The Athletic’s NFL draft expert, projects Broderick Jones to be either a solid starter or a Pro Bowler. As a senior, Wright moved to right tackle and was impressive, including a stellar performance against Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., a projected top-five pick. Wright sometimes sacrifices his technique for his nasty play style, but Smith had a similar scouting report and has corrected that. Wright could follow Smith by developing in a similar manner under offensive line coach Andy Heck.

Harrison has the talent and history of durability to be one of the best tackles in this year’s class. He has excellent footwork, and his second effort in pass protection is also impressive. Harrison could start his career at right tackle to fit the Chiefs’ needs. Listed at 6-foot-8 and 374, Jones is a massive right tackle with rare length. His athleticism, though, is a bit limited. Most opposing edge rushers will have to defeat Jones with quickness and speed instead of power.

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Selecting one of those prospects, either in the first (with the 31st pick) or second round (with the 63rd pick), would create competition for the starting right tackle spot with Lucas Niang, a third-round pick from 2020 who is the projected starter there. Niang lost his starting role in January 2022 after suffering a torn left patellar tendon.

“We’re always looking to get deeper and more athletic and more talented,” Veach said. “We have a lot of hopes for Lucas. It’s been a little bit of an uphill battle. He had a pretty bad injury there, but he has worked phenomenally to get in shape.”

Known for his boldness, Veach has also executed trades to move the Chiefs in the draft to help address one of their top positional needs. He used the team’s first-round pick to acquire immediate impactful starters in defensive end Frank Clark (2019) and left tackle Orlando Brown (2021). Last year, Veach made a trade to move up eight spots, sending the 29th, 94th (third round) and 121st (fourth round) picks to the New England Patriots in exchange for the 21st pick to select cornerback Trent McDuffie, who became a quality starter.

"At the end of the day, I want a Super Bowl ring."

Dreams do come true, right @trent_mcduffie? 💍

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) April 22, 2023

Even Veach’s first draft pick as the general manager was accompanied by a trade in the second round that moved the team up eight spots to select defensive end Breeland Speaks.

If the Chiefs move up a few spots this year, one way they could do it is by sending a 2024 pick to the team agreeing to a trade. Two potential teams who could be interested in trading with the Chiefs are the Baltimore Ravens (at pick No. 22) and the Minnesota Vikings (No. 23) because both teams are entering the draft with just five picks.

“We’ll have a list of guys that we feel like we want to be aggressive with,” Veach said of this year’s draft class. “I can’t see us trading up too high. But if there’s a guy that we really like and we’re in that range, we’ll determine what range we feel is comfortable for us.”

Based on Veach’s history, and the Chiefs’ top need arguably being one of their offensive line positions, it’s likely the group of prospects that he is interested in trading up for include a few tackles.

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(Photo of Dawand Jones: G Fiume / Getty Images)