Breaking Down Veach’s Draft-Weekend Trades With Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – This offseason has already featured a record number of NFL trades, two engineered by Brett Veach.

And in 12 days, the NFL draft is reportedly expected to include more trades than usual. The odds of Veach and the Chiefs lasting the entire draft weekend without at least one trade are equal to those of Jack Stack taking burnt ends off its menu.

So, in the spirit of anticipation, here’s a look back at Veach’s 18 draft-weekend trades as Chiefs general manager (full list at bottom).

Moving up, down

Of those 18 trades, 14 have pursued players to move up. Only four of the 18, including last year’s simple swap of 31st and 32nd selections prior to drafting Josh Simmons, have been to move back and acquire more picks.

The additional fifth-rounder Veach got from Howie Roseman and the Eagles in that Simmons trade? Veach used the pick to trade up in that fifth round and draft Jeffrey Bassa. Obviously, Veach is one of the NFL’s most aggressive general managers.

Day 1 vs. Friday and Saturday

Only three of the 18 have happened during the first round. In addition to the Simmons deal with Philadelphia (Roseman took Jihaad Campbell) at the end of Round 1 in 2025, Veach also moved up four spots in 2024 to take Xavier Worthy at No. 28. Veach moved up eight spots in 2022 to take Trent McDuffie. The remaining 15 have come on Day 2 (eight trades) and Day 3 (seven trades).

Averages

In eight drafts as general manager, Veach has averaged 2.25 draft-weekend trades. He’s averaged approximately one trade per day on Friday and Saturday, and one every three years on Night 1 (however, he's made first-round trades each of the last two drafts). Expect Veach and the Chiefs to be as aggressive as any team, especially considering they’re armed with nine selections.

Best trade

Ironically, Veach enters this draft with more capital than any year since 2022. That March, he sent Tyreek Hill to Miami for a slew of picks. Then, on Night 1 of the draft, Veach used some of those picks in a deal with New England to move up and draft McDuffie at 21 overall. An All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl champion after only four years in the NFL, McDuffie went to the L.A. Rams in a trade last month for a déjà vu slew of picks. McDuffie also promptly signed the most lucrative cornerback contract in NFL history.

In 2022, the full trade included Kansas City sending New England its first-rounder that night (No. 29, Cole Strange), a third-rounder (94th overall, subsequently traded and eventually quarterback Matt Corral) and a fourth-rounder (121st overall, eventually Jack Jones). Jones joined the 49ers as a free agent on Friday.

Worst trade

A year after Veach championed the Chiefs to move up in the first round and take a polarizing quarterback named Patrick Mahomes, Veach had full control of the draft for the first time in 2018. … And he quickly made the worst draft-weekend trade of his career to date.

Without a first-round pick in 2018 (sent to the Bills in the Mahomes trade a year earlier), Veach struck a deal with the Bengals on Day 2. He moved up eight spots in the second round to draft defensive end Breeland Speaks – Veach’s first selection as Chiefs general manager. Speaks wound up playing only 16 NFL games, all during that 2018 rookie season.

In exchange for the Speaks selection, Veach also acquired Cincinnati’s third-rounder that year and chose linebacker Dorian O’Daniel with the 100th overall selection. O’Daniel played four years with the Chiefs but started only one game, with one career sack. The Bengals, meanwhile, used the Chiefs’ second-rounder to take Pro Bowler Jessie Bates at 54 overall, and used Kansas City's third-rounder to take Malik Jefferson at No. 78.

Full list of Veach's 18 draft-weekend trades, 2018-25

Listed by draft, moving up or back, day of draft, date and trade details (information courtesy of Pro Football Reference).

• 2025, Back, Day 1, April 24, 2025: Chiefs traded 2025 first-round choice (31st overall, Jihaad Campbell) to Eagles for 2025 first-round choice (32nd overall, Josh Simmons) and 2025 fifth-round choice (subsequently traded, Yahya Black)

• 2025, Up, Day 2, April 25, 2025: Patriots traded 2025 third-round choice (85th overall, Nohl Williams) to Chiefs for 2025 third-round choice (95th overall, Jared Wilson) and a 2026 fourth-round choice

• 2025, Up, Day 3, April 26, 2025: Steelers traded 2025 fifth-round choice (156th overall, Jeffrey Bassa) to Chiefs for 2025 fifth-round choice (164th overall, Yahya Black) and 2025 seventh-round choice (226th overall, Carson Bruener)

• 2024, Up, Day 1, April 25, 2024: Bills traded 2024 first-round choice (28th overall, Xavier Worthy), 2024 fourth-round choice (133rd overall, Jaden Hicks) and 2024 seventh-round choice (248th overall, C.J. Hanson) to Chiefs for 2024 first-round choice (32nd overall subsequently traded, Xavier Legette), 2024 third-round choice (95th overall, DeWayne Carter) and 2024 seventh-round choice (221st overall, Travis Clayton)

• 2024, Up, Day 2, April 26, 2024: Chiefs traded 2024 second-round choice (64th overall, Renardo Green) and 2024 fifth-round choice (173rd overall subsequently traded, Isaiah Davis) to 49ers for 2024 second-round choice (63rd overall, Kingsley Suamataia) and 2024 sixth-round choice (211th overall, Kamal Hadden)

• 2023, Up, Day 2, April 28, 2023: Lions traded 2023 second-round choice (55th overall, Rashee Rice) and 2023 sixth-round choice (194th overall, Keondre Coburn) to Chiefs for 2023 second-round choice (63rd overall subsequently traded, Marvin Mims), 2023 fourth-round choice (122nd overall subsequently traded, Jon Gaines) and 2023 seventh-round choice (249th overall subsequently traded, Moro Ojomo)

• 2023, Up, Day 2, April 28, 2023: Bengals traded 2023 third-round choice (92nd overall, Wanya Morris) to Chiefs for 2023 third-round choice (95th overall, Jordan Battle) and 2023 sixth-round choice (217th overall, Brad Robbins)

• 2023, Back, Day 3, April 29, 2023: Chiefs traded 2023 sixth-round choice (178th overall, Eric Scott) to Cowboys for 2024 fifth-round choice (159th overall, Hunter Nourzad)

• 2023, Up, Day 3, April 29, 2023: Vikings traded 2023 fourth-round choice (119th overall, Chamarri Conner) to Chiefs for 2023 fourth-round choice (134th overall, Jay Ward) and 2024 fifth-round choice (167th overall subsequently traded, Keilan Robinson)

• 2022, Up, Day 1, April 28, 2022: Patriots traded 2022 first-round choice (21st overall, Trent McDuffie) to Chiefs for 2022 first-round choice (29th overall, Cole Strange), 2022 third-round choice (94th overall subsequently traded, Matt Corral) and 2022 fourth-round choice (121st overall, Jack Jones)

• 2022, Back, Day 2, April 29, 2022: Chiefs traded 2022 second-round choice (50th overall, Tyquan Thornton) to Patriots for 2022 second-round choice (54th overall, Skyy Moore) and 2022 fifth-round choice (158th overall subsequently traded, Tyreke Smith)

• 2022, Up, Day 3, April 30, 2022: Seahawks traded 2022 fifth-round choice (145th overall, Darian Kinnard) to Chiefs for 2022 fifth-round choice (158th overall, Tyreke Smith) and 2022 seventh-round choice (233rd overall, Dareke Young)

• 2021, Up, Day 3, May 1, 2021: Jets traded 2021 fifth-round choice (162nd overall, Noah Gray) and 2021 sixth-round choice (226th overall, Trey Smith) to Chiefs for 2021 fifth-round choice (175th overall, Jason Pinnock) and 2021 sixth-round choice (207th overall, Jonathan Marshall)

• 2020, Back, Day 3, April 25, 2020: Titans traded 2020 seventh-round choice (237th overall, Thakarius Keyes) to Chiefs for 2021 sixth-round choice (215th overall, Brady Breeze)

• 2019, Up, Day 2, April 26, 2019: Rams traded 2019 second-round choice (56th overall, Mecole Hardman) to Chiefs for 2019 second-round choice (61st overall, Taylor Rapp) and 2019 fifth-round choice (167th overall subsequently traded, Clayton Thorson)

• 2018, Up, Day 2, April 27, 2018: Bengals traded 2018 second-round choice (46th overall, Breeland Speaks) and 2018 third-round choice (100th overall, Dorian O'Daniel) to Chiefs for 2018 second-round choice (54th overall, Jessie Bates) and 2018 third-round choice (78th overall, Malik Jefferson)

• 2018, Up, Day 2, April 27, 2018: Ravens traded 2018 third-round choice (75th overall, Derrick Nnadi) to Chiefs for 2018 third-round choice (86th overall, Mark Andrews) and 2018 fourth-round choice (122nd overall, Kenny Young)

• 2018, Up, Day 3, April 28, 2018: Patriots traded 2018 sixth-round choice (198th overall, Kahlil McKenzie) to Chiefs for 2018 seventh-round choice (233rd overall subsequently traded, Jordan Mailata) and 2018 seventh-round choice (243rd overall, Keion Crossen)

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