The Kansas City Chiefs technically didn’t make a pick in the first round, but the team doesn’t necessarily feel that way.
In their eyes, they turned pick No. 31 into their starting left tackle of the future. The trade to acquire Orlando Brown Jr. from the Baltimore Ravens was about more than landing a player at a clear position of need, though. It had a lot to do with the things that the specific player brought to the table versus those who would have been available at pick No. 31.
Chiefs GM Brett Veach had his first opportunity to publicly talk about his new left tackle on Thursday night. That’s when he went into further detail about his decision to acquire Brown and the various factors.
“We looked at the draft and as we mentioned earlier, just picking 31 and wanting to have a plug-and-play guy and not just a tackle—a real tackle, a Pro Bowl-caliber tackle,” Veach told reporters on Thursday. “And I had the opportunity to talk to a lot of people during this process that worked with Orlando (Brown) in the past and knew Orlando, and it was very consistent with what we had on him coming out. Just a high-character guy, really smart, loves the process, all the things we talk about when we talk about the checked boxes for these offensive linemen. Durable, the guy hasn’t missed any snaps. He’s smart, he’s tough, he loves the process and that’s an infectious trait.”
Brown checks a lot of the boxes for Kansas City. Beyond his proven success in the league, his football character, smarts and durability stood out. The Chiefs also seem to envision him as someone who can step in and replace their presence in the locker room.
“Losing some guys like (Eric) Fisher and (Mitchell) Schwartz, it’s one thing to replace the athlete, but also the type of people these guys were and what they bring to the locker room,” Veach explained. “So, we talk about Orlando and he has all those attributes you look for—the size, the length, the mental toughness, the durability, the leadership. It’s hard to find that. These guys that you’re looking at, a lot of these guys you like and they have developmental upside, but we’re certainly built to win and built to win now, and to have a plug-and-play guy is very hard and that’s why we couldn’t pass up that opportunity.”
Veach knows that his team is set up to win championships now. Brown is someone who can step in right away and be everything the team needs, both on the field and in the locker room. It’s unlikely that you could say the same about any of the players who were available with the 31st pick on Day 1.
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