NEW ORLEANS -- The weekend of April 28-30, 2022, Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach hit for the cycle, launching home runs, blasting doubles, a triple, a couple of singles. A direct line runs from those three draft days to a potential three-peat Sunday at the Ceasars Superdome when his team faces the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.
Following a Super Bowl blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and an AFC title game overtime loss to Joe Burrow's Cincinnati Bengals in back-to-back years, the Chiefs needed a talent infusion on defense.
Veach delivered. The dividends are still being collected.
The '22 draft class netted CB1 Trent McDuffie, sack leader George Karlaftis, starting safety Bryan Cook, key cornerbacks Jaylen Watson, Nazeeh Johnson and Josh Williams, impact linebacker Leo Chenal and bulldozing running back Isiah Pacheco. There were two strikeouts in Skyy Moore, who hasn't stayed healthy, and offensive lineman Darian Kinnard, who landed on the Eagles this offseason. However, one draft class can't do much more to keep the Super Bowl window open in K.C.
"That was a big draft for us," Veach told NFL.com during Monday's Super Bowl LIX Opening Night. "I mean, that was coming off the heels of a Tyreek Hill trade. You know, you had to have impact players, and it just worked out that they were more so on the defensive side, but all those guys in that draft class have turned out to be, you know, really good players and certainly a big reason why we're here."
For good measure, Veach then signed undrafted guard Mike Caliendo, who entered the starting lineup following the move of Joe Thuney to tackle in the middle of the season.
The group knows nothing but Super Bowls.
"It's awesome, and I wouldn't trade this experience for anything," Karlaftis said on Tuesday. "We came in, and our one goal was to grow and learn, and I think that's what we've done. Even though we're in Year 3, a lot of us are feeling more like veterans just because of all the experiences that we've had. We've had a great relationship, and it's been amazing."
From that Lombardi run in 2022, the crew played a pivotal role in the sustained success in Kansas City, particularly in the postseason.
"Once you hit the playoffs, no rookie time," Karlaftis said of the mentality his draft class came in with.
McDuffie said he knew immediately that first season that the draft class would be special.
"I think there's always a special bond with really whatever place you come in as," he said on Monday. "And for me, this started my rookie year, like OTA, rookie minicamp, coming in and not knowing anybody and just the laughter, how well we already just communicated and united with each other, just showed me just how special we were before we won anything."
Then they started winning. And haven't stopped.
McDuffie's burgeoning talent has been a key. Last year, he played a pivotal role guarding the slot in the run to Super Bowl LVIII. With the Chiefs trading veteran corner L'Jarius Sneed to Tennessee this past offseason, McDuffie stepped in on the outside and proved just as sticky.
"Trent's as good as there is in the NFL," Veach said on Monday. "On one end, the Sneed trade was more of something we had to do just because we have a lot of highest-paid players at their position on our team. (The trade) wasn't something that we really wanted to do. It certainly gave us comfort that we had Trent and we had some young guys that we believed in.
"We'll continue to add talent as we go here, but Trent McDuffie, he's one of the best in the game, so it makes those tough decisions -- even though they're decisions you have to make for the betterment of the team in the long run -- you at least feel like you got a shot because you have Trent McDuffie."
It wasn't just the first-rounders whom Veach hit on that season, but also the late-round picks like Pacheco, Johnson and Watson who have played pivotal roles.
Watson missed the final 11 games of the 2024 regular season due to an ankle injury. His absence was noticeable as offenses picked on the corners opposite McDuffie. Even Veach acknowledged the dip with Watson out. The third-year pro's return for the playoffs, however, gave K.C. a boost in wins over the Texans and Bills.
"I mean, we had a little bit of a fall off there, and we kind of re-found our footing a few weeks later, but it was so great to see him battle through that adversity, get healthy, and now he's out there helping us win," Veach said. "But he's another one. He's a really good player, and he's a tough kid, and he means a lot to us. I know (defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) is glad to have him for this week, and certainly, we were blessed to have him the last few weeks."
The seventh-round finds are a feather in Veach's hat. Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and Travis Kelce receive their rightful flowers for getting the Chiefs to the precipice of a potential three-peat, but without some of those late-round finds, this dynasty wouldn't be so fruitful.
"You take pride in all your picks, but I think every GM will tell you that at the end of the day, they like to hang their hats on those late-round picks," Veach said. "We've been really fortunate over the last few years, whether it be Trey Smith, Noah Gray, Isiah Pacheco, Nazeeh Johnson, Jaylen Watson. We've had a lot of those guys. I think in a salary-cap age, to do what we're doing, that's the formula. You've got to hit the draft, and that's the only way to get here. Because it's inevitable that you're going to lose players, and probably at a more higher volume than most teams. It's certainly helped us sustain our success. We're going to have to continue that if we want to come back here again."
Having Mahomes in his prime is the catalyst for the dynasty, but in the most team-centric sport on the planet, even the superstar quarterback couldn't collect championships without aid. The 2022 draft class helped fuel an empire that won't decline anytime soon.
