Will Kansas City Go Wide With Pick #31?
With the 2023 NFL Draft just a week away, Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach is evaluating his team’s wide receiver room.
“I think you’re always looking for more talent and to go deeper,” Veach told reporters Thursday.
For a second straight season, Veach asked questions ahead of the draft about who will catch passes from — ahem — now, two-time Super Bowl champion and league MVP Patrick Mahomes.
“We have really good players,” Veach said of Kansas City’s room as it currently sits. “[Marquez Valdes-Scantling] and Skyi [Moore] And [Kadarius] Toney…brought Justin Watson back, Richie James…We can certainly go out there and win games.”
The reigning world champions saw both JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman opt for deals elsewhere, leaving 103 catches and 1,230 yards of 2022’s combined production.
“I would say the same about the offensive line, defensive line and receiver position,” Veach continued. “We’re always trying to get deeper and more athletic and talented. We’re happy with the guys we have. But like every team in this draft, we can find ways to make our team better.”
The Kansas City front office has already started work in the Wideout Room, reunited with familiar face Justin Watson on a two-year deal and signed former New York giant Richie James, whom Veach says the team has been eyeing for some time has.
“Always liked [James]. I think he’s a versatile guy,” admitted Veach, adding that he expects the 5ft 9 speedster to contribute as a punt return. “There was a trade deadline a few years ago when he was at the [San Francisco 49ers]… I think we actually tried to trade for him. One of those, you know, renunciation of cable cut deals.”
Though a deal fell through at the time, James ends up in Kansas City as another Swiss Army Knife player on the Mahomes-led offense alongside another former New York giant in Kadarius Toney.
“We have high hopes for him,” said the team’s general manager, reinforcing the organization’s commitment to the third year of the wideout at the University of Florida. “He was a first-round pick for a reason. There’s a reason we traded for him and we felt like he was a first-round talent.”
Veach praised Toney’s athletic ability and mental approach to the game while acknowledging his troubled injury history.
“I think if he stays healthy and continues to develop that chemistry with the coaching staff and with Pat…there’s no limit to him,” Veach finished.
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