Brett Veach already spoke on the strengths of this draft class a bit at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. There he spoke about the receivers and the quarterbacks being really strong position groups in 2020.
During Thursday’s pre-draft press conference, Veach added some new position groups to the list. As we’ve inched closer to the draft, it appears that his opinions have changed on the strengths and weaknesses of the draft class.
“Yeah, I’m kind of looking right here, I have names and tags and stuff written all over my basement wall here,” Veach said. “The linebacking corps, there’s a lot of intriguing prospects. There’s a lot of good athletes, a lot of guys that can really make a difference in space in the coverage game early on. I can’t sit here and say it’s as deep as the wideout position. I think the offensive line is a group that is pretty good, I think we’re really excited about the depth of the offensive line, really rounds one through four. Receiver seems like there’s depth throughout the draft. I would say the cornerback position is fairly deep, offensive line and receivers are probably the three positions that there’s a lot of depth that we’re excited about.”
This seems to check out with what we heard from other general managers at the combine. They listed offensive tackle, wide receiver and cornerback as some of the strengths of this class. Some position groups they didn’t seem too high on were the tight end and edge rusher positions.
Linebacker has been one of the most popular choices for Kansas City in mock drafts. We’ve learned that the Chiefs are on the hunt for a coverage linebacker and Veach’s comments all but confirmed interest in adding one.
It’s unique that Veach named the first four rounds as the areas where you can find offensive line depth. They’ve been meeting with quite a few tackles and interior offensive line prospects ahead of the draft. So it’d make sense that he’d target a player during those four rounds.
The receiver spot is one area where the Chiefs don’t have an immediate need, but Veach also mentioned they are planning 2-3 years in advance. If they find a player that they think could help them down the line and think they’re the best available player, you can rest assured Veach will make the choice.