Three clues that Chiefs GM Brett Veach dropped about his NFL draft plans

In the final weeks before the NFL Draft, the Chiefs front office will, at some point, engage in the same exercise that you, me and thousands of others outside those walls partake.

A mock draft.

With a tad different motive.

They are dry-run exercises designed to produce a collection of road maps — or contingency plans — for what might confront them at the end of the first round Thursday.

Preparation for the what if, you could say.

What’s becoming clear over the last few seasons: the impossibility of such a prediction.

The Chiefs, thrice a Super Bowl champion in the last five years, a reward that comes with the 32nd overall pick, are first at the mercy of 31 other front offices, left to guess what will happen, but still preparing for what they want to happen.

Which is?

Veach offered some clues on Friday morning in a Zoom call with local media. There is typically a good bit of reading between the lines required, because, well, why give anything away? But there’s not much reading between the lines required in some of the headline takeaways here. Even if those instances fall under the to-be-expected — such as the Chiefs’ top needs — Veach offered some nuance to those conversations.

Here are three things we know a little better after Veach spoke to the media Friday:

The Chiefs’ plan for the first and second rounds

There’s a consensus among the draft experts about the strength of this year’s class:

Wide receiver and left tackle.

There are two pretty glaring needs for the Chiefs ahead of this year’s draft:

Wide receiver and left tackle.

Perfect, right?

Not that simple. Listening to Veach reveal a little about their draft board, the Chiefs actually might find themselves in a tricky spot in the first and second round.

Veach said there are a “large group of receivers in the first 50 picks that we have great grades on.”

As for offensive tackle, “I think once you get past like pick 35 or 40, most of those guys are gone. So if you’re picking in the top 10, it’s a great offensive line class; if you’re picking in the top 15, it’s a great offensive class; if you’re picking 32 and 64, you got a shot maybe here or there.”

Of note: The Chiefs own just one of the top-50 picks.

In other words, even while the left-tackle market is particularly enticing with suitable fits in Kansas City, if the Chiefs want to grab one, they might have only one chance to do it.

Will that affect their first-round pick?

It shouldn’t. As I mentioned earlier this week, one of the reasons for the Chiefs’ recent draft success should be attributed to their willingness to grab talent at premium positions early — even if it’s not their most pressing need.

What else does Veach’s quote tell us? Although he’s certainly not immune to trading up in the first round, the second round might be a more likely target. If the Chiefs truly envision a pocket of receivers in the top 50 picks — and again, we all recognize there is little move to be incredibly precise publicly with those numbers — they could be stuck hoping one falls to No. 64 overall or making a move (as they did a year ago with Rashee Rice) to grab one.

The middle rounds

The tackle and receiver spots cover the primary needs.

The secondary ones? They could come later, and twice Veach referenced what he believes are deeper positions in the middle and later rounds.

Defensive line.

Cornerback.

“I think that there are some interesting pockets there,” Veach said of the two positions, and later added, “I think it’s a better defensive-line class than we’ve seen in the past.”

For all of the unpredictability in the initial round or two, it’s even more of a guessing game as the draft ages, which is why Veach’s view of the positional pockets is a bigger hint at their plans than any individual player.

The Chiefs might not be desperate for immediate help at either spot, but I’ve been pretty adamant they should always be looking at cornerback — they draft and develop the position as well as anyone in football. Shoot from your hot spot.

And I do believe that defensive line is an under-the-radar need this offseason, especially in the interior alongside Chris Jones. There’s room for growth.

Nowhere to be found?

We already know the Chiefs aren’t in the quarterback market — not just at the top of the depth chart, but they signed Carson Wentz to serve as Patrick Mahomes’ backup.

But Veach also signaled that there will be some spots the Chiefs are particularly unlikely to target in this draft — either because the relative strength of their own roster or relative weakness of this draft class.

There should probably be something of qualifier here — never say never, perhaps.

But those positions, in addition to QB: linebacker, running back and safety.

I actually think they could use some depth at all three spots, but the thin running back class does provide further explanation for why they brought Clyde Edwards-Helaire back on a one-year deal.

The Chiefs had more depth at linebacker and safety a year ago than they do today, and there’s a good case to make that played a significant role in their success.

Unlikely to come in this year’s draft.

We’ll see how the rest unfolds.