With the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs are entering an unfamiliar arena. But general manager Brett Veach admits the road ahead won’t be an easy one. Speaking after the NFL Scouting Combine, he explained why finding talented, underrated players on Day 3 has become more difficult. However, this situation was amplified when head coach Andy Reid received a harrowing update on running back Jeremiyah Love.

“It makes it more difficult just from the volume of players and a lot of those young guys that would fill up your day three guys are staying in school,” he said via the Chiefs’ YouTube channel. “Once you hit round four, then it really comes down to how much tape you watched and how good your evaluations are and the vision and the scheme and the fit.”

Veach’s response came when Mitch Holthus asked him about the changing landscape despite the team’s reputation for dominating the second and third day of the draft. In Veach’s view, the first 75 players on most draft boards are almost similar for all franchises. The positions of these players may vary slightly based on the team’s needs and scheme, but the list is largely the same. 

That changes completely when the draft goes beyond the first 100 picks. It is because every team differs drastically in evaluating the same players. For instance, a player viewed as a fourth-rounder by one team could be a free agent for another. And this difference in degree for determining a player’s prospects makes the later rounds extremely difficult.

It starts from round three, which usually marks the transition. And that’s why the GM believes the later rounds demand due diligence. He noted that the Chiefs take their sweet time studying prospects in rounds five through seven, as they do in the early rounds.

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“I think it pays off more because I think leagues don’t see guys in the same value kind, conceptually,” he said. “So that’s where you got to be on your mark, and that’s where you get the really good values.”

Weighing in on the draft class, Veach sees depth along the defensive line, especially at defensive end. He also thinks there is talent across the cornerback and wide receiver positions, while he believes running back runs thin. With a rare top-10 pick and several positions in possession, Andy Reid’s team enjoys flexibility. But it must navigate the draft season carefully. While Veach focuses on finding value in the later rounds, coach Andy Reid just received major news about a potential target.

Andy Reid’s potential RB may be gone before No. 9

This offseason, Kansas City gets a rare chance to lock in an impact player near the top of the board through the draft. The player that experts have been linking to them lately is Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. But after the NFL Scouting Combine, draft expert Todd McShay thinks Love’s rising draft stock could change everything. At 6-foot and 212 pounds, Love wowed scouts with his explosive 40-yard dash in only 4.36 seconds.

He became the second-fastest player in the running back group. Moreover, he posted a 1.55-second 10-yard split. McShay thinks such an impressive performance could make him unavailable before the Chiefs could even make their first pick. Pointing to his ability to run routes and his 40-yard dash, the analyst described Love as a “special” player. 

“We all agree that Fernando Mendoza is going number one to the Raiders,” McShay said on Up & Adams while exploring Love’s position in the draft. “After that, I think it’s probably gonna be an edge rusher to the Jets. Maybe Sunny Stiles gets into that mix. But then you look at Arizona at three, Tennessee at four, even the Giants at five, with [Cam] Skattebo coming off of that injury, I don’t think Jeremiyah Love gets out of the top five, and it won’t shock me if he’s the third pick in this draft.”

If that projection holds, Kansas City won’t get a chance to draft him at No. 9. Earlier, many mock drafts had tied the RB to Andy Reid’s team. In fact, Love ranked as the top running back. He was also projected at the No. 6 position on PFSN’s Consensus Big Board. But his sound performance at the pre-draft event won’t let him slide down the board.

Additionally, his college production of 2,882 rushing yards, 594 receiving yards, and 42 total touchdowns adds to his bright prospects. This prediction could be a major blow to Kansas City, whose rushing game ranked 25th last year. With running backs Isaiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt both entering free agency, Andy Reid must find players to maintain depth in the backfield.