The Kansas City Chiefs enter the 2026 NFL Draft with nine picks, which includes two first-rounders, and a roster that looks nothing like the one that reached three consecutive Super Bowls. The offseason departures of Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Bryan Cook, and Leo Chenal have left gaping holes across the defense.
Add in the need for an edge rusher opposite George Karlaftis, wide receiver depth behind Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, and offensive line reinforcements, and general manager Brett Veach faces arguably the most important draft of his tenure.
Brett Veach Expresses Confidence in Chiefs’ Process
With Patrick Mahomes recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in December, the pressure on Veach to rebuild quickly around his franchise quarterback has never been higher.
Kansas City went 6-11 in 2025 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. The signing of Super Bowl 60 MVP Kenneth Walker III on a three-year, $43.05 million deal addressed the backfield, but the secondary remains the roster’s most glaring question mark.
Despite losing both starting cornerbacks to the Los Angeles Rams, Veach voiced a striking level of confidence during his pre-draft press conference on April 16. He pointed to a pattern of cornerback development that has quietly become one of the defining features of his front office.
The track record speaks for itself as under Veach, Kansas City identified and developed players like Charvarius Ward, L’Jarius Sneed, McDuffie, Watson, and, most recently, last year’s third-round pick Nohl Williams, who showed immediate promise and is now ready to start for the team.
“Recently, I think that the vision, the fit, I think we’ve been locked in,” Veach said. “We lost two corners in the offseason, one in Trent, one in Jaylen, and aside from them, you know, the guys that we brought in over the years, you know, the Sneeds and, you know, last year, Nohl Williams, and we’ve had success there. And I don’t think it’s a fluke.”
“I think it’s because of just being aligned with the vision and the fit and the role with Steve [Spagnuolo],” Veach added. “You know, on the offensive side, I mean, coach [Andy Reid] and I have been like that since our days in Philly. So, I think that’s the biggest part, just making sure you have the vision and the fit all lined up. So, I think that’s why over the last few years we’ve been really successful.”
Veach was also asked about the players the Chiefs have missed in the draft over the last few years, and he emphasized that some players might not change their habits, no matter how good the team’s environment is. He talked about how some of those players don’t love football as much as the likes of Mahomes, Creed Humphrey, and Trey Smith, which is a big reason they haven’t panned out in the NFL.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and defensive backs coach Dave Merritt have been central to the Chiefs’ cornerbacks’ development pipeline. They are the reason why Kansas City might not select a cornerback early in the draft.
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With the ninth overall pick, the Chiefs are expected to target the best player available rather than draft for need. As a result, they could look at players like Caleb Downs, Rueben Bain Jr., or Jordyn Tyson, depending on how the board falls.
According to PFSN’s Defense Impact Metric, the Chiefs’ defense ranked 11th last season. To ease pressure on Mahomes during his return from injury, the defense needs to reach a top-10 level, and the team must hit on the players it picks in the upcoming draft.
