Kansas City Chiefs’ approach to NFL draft visits changed in 2026 — and the decision may help Brett Veach nail Round 1
Kansas City Chiefs GM Brett Veach has made a significant change to the team’s pre-draft visit strategy in 2026. It could pay off in a big way at pick No. 9 and No. 29 in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Kansas City Chiefs have been quite consistent in how they handle pre-draft visits in the past. They’ve often prioritized players with medicals and those that they didn’t spend a lot of time with at the combine or All-Star games during the pre-draft process.
Chiefs Digest’s Matt Derrick asked Brett Veach about this year’s top-30 visits during his pre-draft presser on Thursday. He wanted to know if having the No. 9 and No. 29 pick in the first round has changed the team’s approach to visits. Veach confirmed suspicions that they have, in fact, they’ve changed up their approach for 2026.
Chiefs prioritized a different type of player in their top-30 visits in 2026
If you’re unfamiliar with top-30 visits, it’s a bit of a misnomer. These are 30 allotted pre-draft visits with draft prospects, but don’t have anything to do with “top” prospects. This year, the team actually might have used these visits like their name would imply.
“That’s a great question Matt (Derrick). In the past, picking at 32, we probably spent most of those 30 visits on non-combine players that we wanted to get medical on. We spent a lot of our time with those prospects that we felt would be in that 20-40 range at the combine and having a late pick, I think the numbers that we were looking at were different. I felt we were good with the information we got with those players. This is a unique draft where when you’re picking at No. 9 and with the uniqueness of the draft in it of itself, less quarterbacks – usually you get two or three high-level defensive tackle prospects. Having those limited numbers. As I mentioned a little while ago, the grades are so close now with these guys from say 10-30, 10-35, you want every bit of information you can get. We brought in maybe three or four non-combine guys where I think in the past we’ve brought in 10-15 non-combine guys. I feel like we’ve brought in every defensive end in the NFL Draft that could be drafted this weekend in and we must’ve brought in 12 of those guys. Again, that’s because grades are so close and you may have the opportunity to get one of those guys at No. 9 and maybe No. 29. Just making sure we cross all our I’s and dot all our T’s. The distribution of the talent and where we’re picking certainly lend itself for us – let’s just knock them all out and that was helpful and beneficial for us. It did take away from our ability to bring in some of those non-combine guys and that’s why I went back to my earlier comment thanking (Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance) Rick (Burkholder) and his staff because we’re asking him to do some unorthodox things with some of these later round picks but we have all the confidence in the world with Rick and his staff. But to your original question Matt, yes, it did affect the way we handled that process.”
Brett veach
Chiefs General Manager
Several different variables seem to contribute to the Chiefs changing their plans with 30 visits in 2026. One of those is having two first-round draft picks. Another is the complexity of navigating Round 1 of this draft with non-premium positions and the closeness of grades. There also is some pressure, knowing that this draft has the chance to shape the next several seasons for Kansas City.
All the variables serve the same goals, though. That is to acquire as much information as possible. It’ll allow them to make informed decisions on players at pick No. 9 and No. 29, as well as later in the draft. Perhaps that extra time uncovered some truth about a player that tilts the scales in their favor in a draft where the grades are so tight.
I have confirmed 19 of the Chiefs’ 30 allotted pre-draft visits. Of those visits, 10 of the prospects have Round 1 buzz with several of them being surefire first-round draft picks. Three of the players — Cincinnati LB Jack Dingle, Louisville DT Rene Konga, and Louisiana LB Jaden Dugger — were non-combine invites. It certainly tracks with what Veach said during his pre-draft press conference regarding this year’s changes.
It remains to be seen if the change in strategy will work out for the team. There already appears to be a strong plan in place, despite the need to wait to see of the first eight picks unfold next week. They’re preparing for every different possibility, including the unexpected as they try to predict and project what’s soon to come.
