Brett Veach has the No. 9, No. 29, and No. 40 picks in the 2026 NFL draft and believes offensive line talent will vanish after the first 25 selections.
The Kansas City Chiefs general manager warned that by pick No. 40, viable offensive linemen may be scarce, noting a “massive run” from picks 10 to 25. He specifically cited Miami tackle Francis Mauigoa as a near-certain top-10 selection, alongside Utah’s Spencer Fano, Georgia’s Monroe Freeling, Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor, Penn State’s Olaivavega Ioane, Clemson’s Blake Miller and Texas A&M’s Chase Bisontis as likely first-round targets.
Veach’s concern about the offensive line comes amid a broader prediction of heavy trade activity in the first round. He told reporters that the draft class lacks elite quarterbacks and edge rushers, with only Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza projected inside the top 10 at quarterback. The absence of clear franchise-altering talents, he said, has narrowed the gap between prospects, making grades on offensive tackles, defensive ends and receivers unusually close.
That closeness, Veach argued, increases the likelihood of trades as teams reconsider where value lies. “A lot of these guys that are mocked high may go a little lower and a lot of these guys that are getting mocked a little lower may go higher,” he said. “There’s not this huge gap and huge fall off.” He added that such conditions “lend itself to open up to a lot of fun and a lot of excitement.”
The Chiefs enter the draft with two first-round selections — at No. 9 and No. 29 — after trading All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams last month for a package centered on the 29th pick. Veach has used draft-day trades before, including moving up to take McDuffie in 2022 from New England and engineering the blockbuster deal that sent Tyreek Hill to Miami.
He downplays the idea of a fixed strategy, saying his approach relies on exhaustive evaluation: “It’s just exhausting all the information with each player, identifying your team’s needs, [and] working with the coaching staff.” The Chiefs currently have 215 prospects on their board, with Veach estimating 10 to 15 as true targets. His goal is to position Kansas City to acquire as many of those as possible.
Recent history supports his trade propensity. According to a source cited by Yahoo Sports, Kansas City has averaged 5.8 picks moved per draft in recent years — among the highest rates in the league. That pattern, combined with the Chiefs’ 6-11 record last season, raises the stakes for a draft class Veach believes must deliver immediate impact.
Veach framed the upcoming draft not just as a personnel decision but as a test of adaptability. With premier positions thin at the top and offensive line depth evaporating quickly, he sees opportunity in volatility. Whether Kansas City stands pat at No. 9 and No. 29 or aggressively trades to chase its top targets will depend on how the board unfolds — and how quickly the talent he values disappears.
Why does Brett Veach think offensive line talent will dry up after the first round?
Veach expects a concentrated run of offensive linemen from picks 10 to 25, after which he believes quality diminishes significantly, making it unlikely he will find a lineman he likes by pick No. 40.
How have the Chiefs used their 29th overall pick in recent drafts?
The Chiefs acquired the 29th pick from New England in 2022 to select Trent McDuffie, then traded it to the Los Angeles Rams last month as part of a package that returned the pick to Kansas City for the 2026 draft.
