Chiefs GM Brett Veach is pursuing more impact players in the 1st round

Since becoming the Kansas City Chiefs' general manager in 2017, Brett Veach has made notable first-round selections that have led to Super Bowl titles.

The Chiefs are scheduled to make two selections in the first round of this week's 2026 NFL Draft. The No. 9 and No. 29 overall picks hold plenty of promise with the deep pool of prospects. Past First-round picks from Veach include Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis in 2022, Felix Anudike-Uzomah in 2023, Xavier Worthy in 2024, and Josh Simmons last year.

After not having a first-round selection in his first few seasons as general manager, Veach made his first first-round selection in the virtual 2020 NFL Draft. Kansas City selected LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire 32nd overall to close out the round. During his rookie season, Chiefs Wire's Ed Easton Jr. spoke with Edwards-Helaire about his adjustment to the league.

"All I can say is, for me, it's been overall pretty smooth. I say the hardest transition was just getting acquainted with just the way the play calling was happening when I first got into camp," said Edwards-Helaire, "I feel like that was the biggest difference in just understanding all the ins and outs of checks and play calls before the plays. That was a big learning (experience) for me. But other than that, you know, once the ball is pretty much flying around and going, it's all back to playing football."