The Kansas City Chiefs’ moves this offseason have put them in a position for the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, where they can do what Brett Veach loves most: Trade around and be selective.
It’s no secret that Veach likes to be aggressive with his first-round selections. He’s had six first-round picks since taking over as the general manager in 2018, and in that span, he’s traded up in Round 1 twice. In 2022, he moved up with the New England Patriots to select CB Trent McDuffie. In 2024, he moved up with the Buffalo Bills to select WR Xavier Worthy. That doesn’t even include when he tried and failed to make a trade. For instance, Veach attempted to move up with the Dallas Cowboys when the Chiefs hosted the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City.
It begs the question: Will the Chiefs seek to trade up in the first round again in 2025?
If the right prospect falls within striking distance, I do not doubt Veach will attempt to move up. Should that right prospect fall, he’s got a natural trade partner waiting in the mid-20 range. At the same time, the Chiefs are in a good position to move down and collect more picks at various junctures of the draft.
Here’s a look at what could happen if Veach leverages the team’s draft capital in a first-round trade up and a mid-round trade down.
Trade 1: The Chiefs trade Nos. 31, 95, 251, and a future fifth-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for No. 24. Brett Veach has been known to be aggressive in moving up for players he likes. The Vikings have the fewest picks in the 2025 NFL draft (four), so they’ll likely be looking to pick up some extras.
Trade 2: The Chiefs trade No. 66 to the Arizona Cardinals for picks Nos. 78 and 115. Three picks in the top 75 is the type of scenario that can help Arizona gain some ground in the NFC West division. Kansas City gets a few more swings on Day 2 and Day 3.
Round 1, Pick 24 (via Minnesota Vikings): Tennessee EDGE James Pearce Jr.
Pearce Jr. has a combination of athleticism, explosiveness, and production that rarely falls to this draft pick range. It feels like a very similar situation to Trent McDuffie’s fall in the 2022 NFL draft that prompted a trade up from Kansas City. You have a player who shouldn’t reasonably fall into striking distance that you can’t pass up on even if he isn’t the prototypical player the team goes after at the position. The only reason he might fall is rumored character concerns that could amount to a nothing burger.
What’s real about Pearce Jr. is that he has an elite athletic and analytical profile. He ran a 1.58s 10-yard split and 4.50s 40-yard dash at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, moving more like a defensive back than a 6-foot-5 and 245-pound edge rusher. He recorded a 23.3% pressure rate in 2024, ranking first among all FBS edge rushers. He recorded 19 sacks, 29.5 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles in his career at Tennessee.
Fans may be turned off by the idea that he wins with speed off the edge. The idea that a speed rusher can’t exist in Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive scheme is patently false. They have to be able to hold up against the run, and Pearce has proven he can do that despite being a lighter-weight edge rusher.
Round 2, Pick 63: Stanford WR Elic Ayomanor
Chiefs fans finally get the big X receiver they’ve wanted for the offense for a long time. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 206 pounds, Ayomanor ran a 4.4s 40-yard dash and posted a 39.5-inch vertical jump and a 127-inch broad jump at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. He’s coming off back-to-back seasons at Stanford with over 60 receptions and six touchdown grabs. He doesn’t always play to his size but has a great release package and route-running skills.
Ayomanor will earn the attention of Andy Reid for his blocking ability. If the ball doesn’t come his way, he’s always trying to make the selfless play for his teammates. Did I mention that he set Stanford’s single-game receiving yards record (294) playing against projected top 3 pick, Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter?
Round 3, Pick 78 (via Arizona Cardinals): William & Mary OT Charles Grant
Kansas City shouldn’t stop firing at the offensive tackle position just because they’ve recently failed to hit in the draft. Naturally, I’m sending them one of the few developmental offensive tackles they seemingly haven’t had much contact with during the pre-draft process.
One NFL draft platitude you’ll see repeated often for Grant is that he’s an easy mover for his 6-foot-5, 311-pound size. He didn’t get a chance to show it during the pre-draft process due to injury, but any NFL scout will put on the tape and like what they see.
Like Trey Smith, Grant plays with an edge and a physicality that often ends with him eloquently placing a defender in the dirt. He has the requisite length that the Chiefs like, but he’s not without flaws. He needs to refine his hand placement for the next level, or he’ll have difficulty containing more crafty edge rushers.
Round 4, Pick 115 (via Arizona Cardinals): Maryland DT Jordan Phillips
Phillips (6-foot-1, 312 pounds) is not just your traditional two-down thumper at nose tackle. He has experience playing in multiple schemes and can play any position in an even front, from zero technique to five technique. He’s exceptionally strong, evidenced by his 28 reps on the bench press during the pre-draft process and the benchmarks he posted with the Maryland football program. Despite failing to record a sack during his collegiate career, Phillips isn’t limited to a run-stuffing role in the NFL. He has recorded 26 pressures over the last two seasons and has the requisite quickness and burst to become a disruptive force against the pass.
Round 4, Pick 133. Auburn RB Jarquez Hunter
If the Chiefs miss out on getting one of the top running backs in the class, Hunter might be a nice pivot on Day 3. He might not get the name recognition of others in this class, but he’s every bit as effective, if not more efficient and productive in key areas. Hunter creates explosive plays regularly, with 22.6% of his runs in 2024 going for 10 or more yards. Only UCF’s RJ Harvey had a higher percentage of such runs last season. He boasts bowling-ball-like contact balance at 5-foot-9 and 204 pounds, as evidenced by the 4.10 yards after contact average in 2024.
Round 7, Pick 226. South Carolina TE Joshua Simon
Simon had a productive six-year college career split between Western Kentucky and South Carolina, with 154 career receptions for over 1,900 yards and 24 touchdowns. He was one of the most explosive athletes at the tight end position at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, recording a 4.66s 40-yard dash, a 38-inch vertical, and a 124-inch broad jump. Those numbers each ranked second among tight ends in this draft class. He’s also not afraid to block from various formations and could help the Chiefs with their chip blocking.
Round 7, Pick 257. North Carolina State DL Davin Vann
Vann is a bit of a tweener at 6-foot-1 and 269 pounds, but that didn’t stop him from recording 20.5 sacks and 34 tackles for loss over five seasons with the Wolfpack. Some people think he’ll be an edge rusher at the next level. I think the Chiefs would take a player like this to get him up to about 280 pounds to play three-technique in the Tershawn Wharton role. He aligned on the interior sparingly at NC State, with just 38 snaps at defensive tackle in 2024. When he did get into those situations, his burst and power made him a mismatch against guards in pass-rushing situations.
