Expect Multiple Trades in the First Round? One NFL GM believes it will be crazy

As the NFL draft approaches, Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach is setting expectations for what could be one of the most unpredictable draft nights in recent memory.

Speaking ahead of next week’s draft, Veach suggested that fans should prepare for a flurry of activity, with trades likely to shape the board in ways not typically seen. His reasoning points to a draft class that lacks clear separation among prospects, particularly at the top.

“It should be an entertaining night,” Veach said Thursday. “There’ll probably be a lot of trades.”

Unlike recent years, where elite quarterbacks often dominate the early selections, this class appears thinner at the position. Many analysts project only one quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, to be taken within the first 10 picks. Without multiple franchise signal-callers driving early demand, teams may feel less pressure to stay put and more incentive to move around the board.

“I think that the fans will be in for a treat next Thursday because I think the grades [on prospects] are going to be so close from some of these [offensive] tackles and D-ends and receivers,” Veach said. “A lot of these guys that are mocked high may go a little lower and a lot of these guys that are getting mocked a little lower may go higher because I think they’re so close this year. There’s not this huge gap and huge fall off.

Veach also highlighted that several of the draft’s most talented players don’t play traditionally premium positions. Prospects like Sonny Styles, Jeremiyah Love, and Caleb Downs are highly regarded, but their positions historically don’t command top draft capital in the same way quarterbacks, edge rushers, or offensive tackles do.

That dynamic, combined with closely graded prospects across key positions such as offensive tackle, defensive end, and wide receiver, creates a scenario where teams’ draft boards may look very different from one another. With minimal gaps in talent evaluations, players projected to go early could slide, while others may rise unexpectedly.

Veach pointed out that this kind of parity tends to fuel movement. Without a handful of consensus elite players, like Myles Garrett or Will Anderson Jr. in previous years, teams are more likely to trade up or down based on specific needs and internal rankings rather than chasing universally coveted stars.

The result could be a draft defined less by predictability and more by strategy, as front offices look to capitalize on value wherever they see it. For fans, that uncertainty may translate into one of the most entertaining draft nights in years.