Chiefs GM Brett Veach reveals biggest lessons learned in NFL draft

TL;DR

Chiefs GM Brett Veach emphasized the importance of patience in NFL draft strategy during a media session. He shared that understanding differing perspectives on player evaluations is crucial for success.

Key points

Brett Veach emphasizes patience in NFL draft strategy.
Understanding different perspectives on player evaluations is crucial.
Veach continues to work on being patient during the draft process.

Mentioned in this story

Kansas City ChiefsBrett Veach

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach addressed the media on April 16 to answer questions about his team's offseason and approach to the 2026 NFL Draft.

When a member of the press asked Veach about his "biggest lessons" from previous drafts, the long-tenured roster-builder stressed the importance of one key virtue: patience.

“I think that patience is obviously required," Veach explained. "You spend so much time on these guys and you have such strong conviction over players it’s one of those things that when you do the amount of work and you live in a film room, I think you get into this mindset where you think everybody sees the board just like you because you’re in there. Again, I’m not saying our boards are always right, but you think that everyone thinks like you. Even now when I’m our doing our mocks and I’m trying to project the first five, six, seven, eight picks I’m thinking, ‘well this is definitely going to happen,’ but then what happens is that it doesn’t happen because not everyone sees the board like you.

"I think it’s just being patient and being fluid and having an understanding that there will be more guys that you like later on in the draft and not operating with that mindset that again everyone sees it just like you and that the exact guys that you like are going to fall into the exact order. That’s one of those things that even to this day I struggle with because – our guys do such a tremendous amount of work and it’s a collective unit here and it’s a collective process and there’s an element of wanting to leave with guys that we’re all excited about and that leads to being aggressive because you just want to make sure you get those guys. There’s certainly something to be said for being patient and dealing with more volume and having the ability to add more players to this roster. I think patience is the biggest thing and that’s something I’m still working on today.”

How Veach's ability to exercise patience will affect Kansas City's approach in the 2026 NFL Draft remains unclear, but with two first-round picks to make, he won't have to wait long to give Chiefs fans something to cheer for.

This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Chiefs GM Brett Veach reveals biggest lessons learned in NFL draft

Q&A

What did Chiefs GM Brett Veach say about patience in the NFL draft?

Brett Veach highlighted that patience is essential in the NFL draft, as it allows teams to consider more players and avoid overvaluing their own evaluations.

What lessons has Brett Veach learned from previous NFL drafts?

Veach learned that not everyone sees player evaluations the same way and that being patient can lead to better draft outcomes.

How does Brett Veach approach player evaluations during the NFL draft?

Veach approaches player evaluations with a mindset of flexibility and patience, acknowledging that his team's views may not align with others in the draft.