Getty Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach in 2019.
The Kansas City Chiefs ended up with Kansas State edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah at the end of round one, but according to Dallas Cowboys insider Kyle Youmans on 105.3’s “The Draft Show” (via KD Drummond of Sports Illustrated’s Cowboys Wire), general manager Brett Veach attempted to trade up before eventually staying put at No. 31 overall.
“Kyle Youmans reports the Cowboys turned down trade offers from Kansas City (31) and [the] Las Vegas [Raiders] (38),” Drummond relayed.
Youmans circled back around and says the source indicated Kansas City was trying to move up so they could take Mazi Smith.
This is Tennessee Titans and Tyler Smith all over again.
Later, he added that “Youmans circled back around and [said] the source indicated Kansas City was trying to move up so they could take Mazi Smith.” Obviously, the Cowboys ended up drafting Smith, which explains their reluctance to trade the pick.
Veach and the Chiefs had been rumored as a candidate to trade up over the past few weeks, although the predictions typically targeted the wide receiver position. Either way, a round one jump didn’t end up coming to fruition on draft night as four pass-catchers were selected in a row from No. 20 through No. 23, and Smith was eventually taken by Dallas.
Chiefs GM Brett Veach Admits Trade ‘Conversations’ Were Had During NFL Draft
After the draft, Veach addressed the media, and he was asked whether or not the Chiefs considered trading up.
#Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach on the possibility of trading up.
“Yeah, we had conversations,” the Chiefs GM admitted, “and some of the teams that we spoke to earlier in the day — I mean, the price was pretty steep at the time — and then there was a window I think minus the [Buffalo] Bills moving up two spots with the four. There [were] conversations that we had with teams but when it was their time to pick, they were staying.”
This response syncs up with the Cowboys report, as Dallas was on the clock right in that range that Veach is referring to — plus they supposedly “turned down” KC.
“The teams around [Jacksonville and Buffalo], they were not interested in trading,” Veach reiterated later. Along with the Cowboys — who picked right in between the Bills and Jaguars — the New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals were also in that area.
The franchise to target as a trade partner was seemingly Jacksonville, who began at pick No. 24, dropping back one spot with the Giants and then two more with the Bills. Veach did not comment further on the Jags movement but he did make it clear that the asking price to move up “was a lot,” adding that the Chiefs “still want to deal in volume” with several selections in the coming rounds.
Chiefs Stick With D-Line After Mazi Smith Drafted By Cowboys
Assuming Smith was the pick as Youmans reported, the Chiefs ended up sticking with that plan and fortifying the defensive line — just on the exterior, rather than the interior. Anudike-Uzomah and Smith were both mocked to KC regularly throughout the 2023 draft cycle, but the two are very different prospects.
The Kansas State defensive end is more of the “hard-charging edge” and natural disruptor on passing downs. NFL Network scouting expert Lance Zierlein compared him to Dante Fowler Jr. before the draft, reasoning: “Anudike-Uzomah has good strength and a long frame that should continue to fill out. His run defense is unrefined and in need of better fundamentals, but he’s clearly gone to school on his pass-rush approach.”
On the other hand, Smith was the “space-eating” defensive tackle that Kansas City could use alongside Chris Jones on the interior. Zierlein had compared him to Dontari Poe, a former Chiefs first-round selection.
Alas, Smith is gone to the Cowboys, and we’ll likely never know how close this supposed trade was to happening. Instead, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo gets another edge rusher to rotate in with 2022 first rounder George Karlaftis III and newcomer Charles Omenihu — as well as Mike Danna, Malik Herring and Joshua Kaindoh.
It’ll be interesting to see how fast Anudike-Uzomah works his way up the ladder in training camp.