The Kansas City Chiefs currently sit at No. 31 overall in round one of the 2025 NFL Draft, but it’s still possible that a trade could change that.
“The Chiefs could be interested in moving up a couple of slots, depending on the price,” The Athletic’s lead NFL insider Dianna Russini reported just before opening night of the draft.
An interesting note, but not necessarily a surprising one. The Chiefs have never been strangers to moving up the order to secure their guy under general manager Brett Veach.
We’ve seen Veach trade up often on day two and day three, but he also jumped several teams to acquire cornerback Trent McDuffie in 2022. And let’s not forget that superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes was acquired following a massive draft trade.
Could KC accomplish a similar move on April 24?
Chiefs Would Likely Trade Up for Offensive Line Help
If Veach trades up in round one, he would most likely do so to target an offensive lineman.
Insiders have relayed that the top offensive linemen are expected to fly off the board in 2025, with it being a top-heavy class at the position. And the Chiefs’ blocking unit could still use some work.
Kansas City basically swapped out All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney for a risky left tackle signing in Jaylon Moore. Even if Moore succeeds at LT, there’s now a question mark at LG with Kingsley Suamataia expected to compete with Mike Caliendo and Hunter Nourzad.
And although the Chiefs did well to retain right guard Trey Smith, his presence is more of a wash than an addition.
Many have predicted that Veach will spend his 2025 first rounder on an offensive tackle prospect of the future, despite the Moore signing. He could also utilize the selection on one of the best guards of this 2025 class.
Either way, the goal would be clear — give Mahomes more time to throw.
When the Chiefs’ offense is at its best, Mahomes is able to navigate in and around the pocket. When it’s at its worst, like in both Super Bowl losses, Mahomes is running for his life.
To be fair, the same can probably be said about most NFL teams, but the Chiefs have typically risen above that commonality in recent years due to sturdy, consistent OL play. The one weak spot has been left tackle, and it’s possible KC continues their attempts to rectify that on Thursday night.
NFL Draft Trend Could Determine If Chiefs Trade Up or Not
Veach seemed very open to trading out of round one when he addressed the media ahead of the draft, so all options could be on the table on April 24.
Watching the trends of the 2025 NFL Draft could provide a better sense of what they’ll end up doing.
For example, if offensive linemen go much higher than expected and there are no clear first-round talents left in the 20s, that could change the Chiefs’ plans. In this scenario, they’d likely stay put at No. 31 overall and take the best player available at a different position.
On the flip side, if one or two strong offensive linemen are on the board when we hit the pick No. 23 range, keep an eye on Veach.
If Kansas City passes on offensive line, the next most likely targets would be defensive tackle, defensive end, running back, or wide receiver.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Chiefs the Subject of Last-Minute Trade Rumor Before Draft: Insider appeared first on Heavy Sports.