Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has been successful in selecting players in the draft since taking over as the team’s GM in 2017. However, he has also made some draft mistakes, and some of them continue to bother him.
Take Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, for instance, was a player that Veach believes the Chiefs should have drafted in 2019.
“At times, you don’t pick certain players and then fans do mock drafts, and years later they say, ‘We should’ve chosen this guy or that guy,'” Veach told FOX Sports in an article published on April 18. “But at the time, a player may have been removed from consideration due to character concerns or injury worries. When we look back at DK, there were areas where we had doubts, but there were none that should have led us to overlook [him]. I believe that he stands out as a player.”
Instead of choosing Metcalf in the second round, Kansas City picked receiver Mecole Hardman with the 56th overall selection. Metcalf was then selected by the Seahawks eight picks later, 64th overall.
Chiefs Chose Mecole Hardman Over DK Metcalf in 2019 NFL Draft
Since joining the league, Metcalf has achieved three 1,000-yard receiving seasons, five seasons with at least 900 receiving yards, is averaging 8.6 touchdowns per season, and has been selected to the Pro Bowl twice and as an All-Pro once.
In July 2022, Metcalf signed a three-year, $72 million contract with the Seahawks, which included $58.2 million in guarantees, according to Over The Cap.
Meanwhile, Hardman — the player the Chiefs selected over Metcalf — never surpassed 700 receiving yards in a single season and scored a total of 18 touchdowns in his five seasons in Kansas City.
The 26-year-old is currently a free agent as of April 24 — the day before the 2024 NFL Draft.
Veach shouldn’t feel bad — he wasn’t the NFL general manager who missed the chance to draft Metcalf.
As a player with exceptional athleticism when he entered the league, NFL evaluators doubted whether Metcalf could develop his route tree at the next level, which is why, despite possessing the athletic attributes of a first-round talent, he was picked on the second day of the draft.
Fortunately, Metcalf ended up with the Seahawks, who had an ideal plan for his development, utilizing his strengths early in his career while assisting in improving the other aspects of his game on the side.
As a result of that plan, Metcalf is realizing his full potential as a receiver, and the Seahawks are benefiting from it.
Brett Veach Talks Setting Up Trades Ahead of Draft
During his pre-draft press conference, Veach discussed in detail how general managers communicate in the days leading up to the NFL Draft, including trade talks.
“We’ll see, typically the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday right before the draft is when the teams do all their call checks and make sure all the phone numbers are working for all the teams,” Veach explained on April 19. “We’ll get an email list of draft day phone numbers, so we typically do a run-through and check with all the teams. Once we do that, it usually kind of spins into some casual dialogue, hypothetically if you were looking to move up or move back – those types of scenarios.
“I believe we will effectively take the lead in addressing this by discussing with teams to understand their thoughts on the value of their draft boards. We need to ensure that we are aligned in terms of the draft boards we are using, given that teams have different boards, incorporating others' boards and historical boards. We usually reach out to these teams early in the week, test communication, share ideas, and ensure alignment on the draft boards we are using.”
The 2024 NFL Draft's first round starts on April 25 at 7 p.m. Central time and can be watched on ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network.
