Chiefs’ Brett Veach prefers certain traits in NFL Draft. Who fits the mold this year?
Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach will be in charge for his seventh NFL Draft later this month, which means he’s been around long enough to have some history.
And also show some preferences.
NFL teams — and GMs — will vary on what they like most in their draft picks. Are you more persuaded by receivers with speed, or long arms? Offensive tackles who are tall, or ones with an elite three-cone time?
There’s enough Veach record now for some patterns to emerge, and a just-released tool from NFL analyst Arjun Menon allows us to go deeper into that analysis.
Menon’s online application allows us to see which physical traits and test scores — at each position — Veach has trended toward in the draft since he took over with KC in 2018.
Looking at the Chiefs’ top three perceived areas of need in the draft — receiver, offensive tackle and defensive tackle — let’s see if we can find certain players who might be more likely to land with the Chiefs.
Receiver
What matters: 10-yard split time
Veach’s drafted wideouts, on average, have posted a 1.51-second time in the 10-yard split during their 40-yard dashes. That’s the fourth-fastest mark of any GM in the database, with Skyy Moore (1.46 seconds) and Mecole Hardman (1.48) faring well in past NFL Combines.
What doesn’t matter: Height
We’re still dealing with a small sample here (four receivers), but Veach hasn’t hesitated to take shorter guys at the position in the past. Veach’s average drafted receiver is 5 feet, 11.1 inches, which tied for the sixth-shortest mark among all GMs. Rashee Rice, at 6-1, is the tallest that Veach has drafted in KC, while Cornell Powell (6-0), Hardman (5-10) and Moore (5-10) were all Chiefs picks despite smaller statures.
It’s worth noting the Chiefs could break the mold this year while searching for a true outside receiver and long-term replacement for Marquez Valdes-Scantling. If nothing else, though, we can say the Chiefs have a history of giving sub-6-foot receivers a long look.
Who potentially fits? Texas receiver Xavier Worthy
Pro Football Focus’ mock draft simulator keeps track of reader selections, and an overwhelming 31% of respondents have Worthy landing with the Chiefs.
Maybe those fans are onto something.
Worthy seems to fit the Chiefs’ “speed with separation” profile at wideout; he not only wowed with a record-setting 40-yard dash time but also tied for the best among receivers with a 1.49-second 10-yard split.
One of Worthy’s obvious downsides is his height. He is 5 feet, 11 inches tall, though perhaps that’d be less of a concern in KC than elsewhere in the league.
It’s important to re-emphasize this point: Given their roster composition, the Chiefs could target a different type of receiver this year.
If they gravitate toward history, though, there’s reason to believe Worthy could be their type.
Offensive tackle
What matters: 10-yard split time
This isn’t the first measurement we might expect to examine with offensive tackles, but the Chiefs have seemed to prioritize this in drafts. Veach’s tackles have averaged a 1.73-second 10-yard split time, tied for fifth-fastest among all GMs.
A tidy example: Last year’s third-round drafted tackle, Wanya Morris, had a 1.73-second 10-yard split, which ranked among the top at his position.
The Chiefs also have trended toward offensive tackles with longer broad jumps, with Veach ranking seventh among GMs in that category.
What doesn’t matter: Extra weight
When the Chiefs draft an offensive tackle under Veach, that player has averaged 310.9 pounds — tied for the third-lowest mark in the league. Morris (307 pounds) didn’t exceed this mark, while the average NFL tackle drafted in the database weighed 314.8 pounds.
Who potentially fits? Arizona’s Jordan Morgan
Mock drafts have Morgan projected near the end of Round 1, and prior history indicates he could be a prime candidate for the Chiefs.
Morgan had excellent marks in the 10-yard split (1.70 seconds) and broad jump (9-2) with a playing weight lower than many of his peers (311 pounds). All three marks would fit in the range of Chiefs offensive-tackle targets from the past.
Defensive tackle
What matters: Weight
Veach has tended toward bigger guys when drafting interior defensive linemen, as those players have averaged 321 pounds — the second-highest mark among all GMs. Keondre Coburn in 2023 (332 pounds) and Khalen Saunders in 2019 (324 pounds) are two examples of drafted Chiefs players in that mold.
What doesn’t matter: Height and arm length
These two items would naturally seem correlated — it stands to reason that shorter guys might also have shorter arms — but lower marks on these traits haven’t dissuaded Veach in the past. Veach’s average drafted defensive tackle is 6 feet, 1.1 inch — the shortest mark in the NFL — while his average arm length for DTs is only slightly higher while ranking sixth-shortest. It’s worth mentioning that Veach hasn’t taken a defensive tackle before the third round in his tenure, so players ranking low in these measures could be attributed to other teams utilizing higher picks on the position — and thus having the ability to draft different-bodied athletes.
Who potentially fits? Texas A&M’s McKinnley Jackson (later rounds)
If the Chiefs are looking to fill in on their D-tackle depth in the middle rounds — as they have in the past — then Jackson appears closest to the type they’ve taken previously.
At 6-1 1/2 and 326 pounds, Jackson did not score well in the all-encompassing Relative Athletic Score, which might move him down some draft boards. His 32 7/8 inches arm length is also below average for DTs, but might not be as relevant for the Chiefs as other teams.
Pro Football Focus has Jackson ranks 135th on its Big Board, which means if the Chiefs start the draft with receiver and offensive lineman in the first two rounds, Jackson could be in play with either the 95th or 131st picks.
