It's been the tried and true formula for decades in the NFL. Sustained, long-term success is built through the draft. And it's true even today. If a franchise does not draft consistently well, it really has no shot at building anything worth its salt for an extended period of time.
When it comes to the Kansas City Chiefs, they have done just that over the years. For the most part. Brett Veach has had his misses, as all general managers do. It's no different from a coach having a bad game plan or a quarterback having a poor performance. But at some point, after so many bites at the apple at wide receiver, the Chiefs need to realize they cannot fix this problem through the draft alone.
Measures have to be taken right now in order to truly compete, perhaps not to a drastic and desperate extent, but enough for it to start to make a true difference on the offense. Week 7's loss was just the chance for the whole world to see what Patrick Mahomes is having to deal with at pass-catcher. We Chiefs fans have known it for years.
Kansas City needs major help on the boundary. And waiting for Rashee Rice to come back healthy and fix everything, or for Xavier Worthy to finally take the next step, is just fool's gold at this point.
Kansas City needs all the help they can get at pass-catcher, but is trading away a first-round pick really in the cards?
Let's get the obvious out of the way. The Chiefs could trade a day-three draft pick for a guy like Dontayvion Wicks from the Eagles, Jauan Jennings from Minnesota, or even Stefon Diggs from Washington. And those guys would certainly help in terms of adding a capable body in a room that seriously needs them. But they don't move the needle.
The Chiefs could get more aggressive in the trade market and target a guy like Josh Downs from Indianapolis, who appears all too willing to let go of their star players. He is a slot-centric player who can beat man coverage, run crisp routes, and, at the end of the day, be a threat defenses have to account for. Of course, he cost upwards of a second-or third-round pick, plus a new contract, as he is currently in the last year of a four-year rookie deal.
Brian Thomas Jr. of Jacksonville has been an all-too-familiar name amongst Chiefs Kingdom for the better part of a month. How much would he cost is one question. But the other, more important query is if the Jaguars would not only be willing to trade him, despite completely fazing the former first- rounder out of their offense, but would the Jags be willing to move him to a direct AFC competitor in Kansas City. It takes two sides to tango in a trade, and as much as the Chiefs might want BTJ, it might not matter.
The final and perhaps most exciting plot point is if Brett Veach just says screw it, goes against the grain he has set for so long in KC, which is to attain draft capital, and spend a pretty penny on a true number one, alpha option like a Nico Collins or a Garrett Wilson.
The Texans and Jets have a combined 4-10 record, questions surrounding each team's long-term quarterback situation, and could be next in line for a Colts-like sell-off prior to the deadline. Collins, 27, and Wilson, 26, are in the prime of their careers, have put up big numbers despite the teams they play on, have been leaders of men, and, most of all, would completely change the complexion of the Chiefs' offense the second they step onto the field.
And if, for a second, you hesitate and ask if the contracts, both signed, would be too much for the Chiefs to handle, it wouldn't. The Chiefs are not as cap-or cash-strapped as many would have you believe. They can create space in the blink of an eye for years to come. Dealing with the drawbacks of cap space is not a legitimate excuse for the Chiefs to not land a true superstar receiver.
The Chiefs just have to ask themselves. How important is a future first-and third-round pick to them in exchange for a colossal-sized offensive improvement and, frankly, for the sanity of Patrick Mahomes? They cannot continue to run out the same guys week after week. Something needs to change. And Veach has the resources to make it happen.
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