In 2022, the Kansas City Chiefs had a franchise-altering draft that became the center point for three Super Bowl appearances, two wins, and continued dominance in the AFC. Now, four years later, after a regrettable 2025 season, General Manager Brett Veach needs to do it again.
With how the Kansas City Chiefs’ season turned out last year, it was overwhelmingly disappointing. There’s no scenario in which Patrick Mahomes should be one of the top rushers on the roster. Further, with the offense struggling, the Defense wasn’t as good as it was during their Super Bowl runs. The pass rush wasn’t there, and the linebackers could not fill the gaps.
This year, Veach has to change the game plan; no longer being comfortable, it’s time to crack the egg and fix the team. You had Mahomes tear his ACL/LCL trying to be Superman. It’s time to build around Mahomes, protect him, and take the pressure off the franchise quarterback
With two picks in the first round (9th & 29th), those choices will set the tone for the upcoming season. You have to find a way to rebuild a roster that was hit hard in free agency.
The pass rush was awful; they recorded 35 sacks this season, ranking 23rd in the league and averaging just 2 per game. Chris Jones had 7 sacks, Charles Omenihu had 3.5 sacks, and George Karlaftis had 6 sacks. That’s not good enough.
With Eric Bieniemy returning as offensive coordinator, he’ll be tasked with fixing the run game. It was woeful last year. Mahomes, Isiah Pacheco, and Kareem Hunt were the team’s best runners. Mahomes ran for his life, churning up yards, and Hunt, at 30 years old, became the short-yardage enforcer.
I love Hunt, but he took too many snaps. As a team, Kansas City rushed for 1,812 rushing yards (Hunt 611), Pacheco (462), and Mahomes (422). Bieniemy will have to go back to his roots and retool the run game in his own style, rather than his predecessor.
Signing Kenneth Walker III from Seattle should change the Chiefs’ run game. That’s part of the solution, but in the upcoming NFL draft, you have to draft players who can play day one; there are no more long-range developments. This draft will make or break the Chiefs; either they reload or rebuild with it.
With three picks in the Top 40, the Chiefs can grab an impact wide receiver, edge rusher, or cornerback to rebuild positions of need. The Chiefs can’t let Mahomes do this all by himself. If not, the season is gonna be the same as last year. Yet if they make this draft as successful as 2022, then perhaps they can surpass the draft that led to Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis, Bryan Cook, Leo Chenal, and Jaylen Watson.
You have to build up the defense, give this team some young key players again on both sides of the ball. Success rides on this draft class being bigger than 22.
