Brett Veach identified 2 strong fits for Chiefs’ secondary on Day 3

The Chiefs’ general manager bolstered a position group that was already young and talented.

Entering the weekend of the 2024 NFL Draft, the safety position was one of the last directions fans thought the Kansas City Chiefs would go to address the defense. It was hard to imagine a scenario where the team drafted safety before another position under the teachings of defensive coordinator Steve Spagunolo.

And then, Of course, that happened on Saturday during Round 4 of the draft.

The Chiefs had already spent three picks on offense; by the 133rd overall selection, the defense was due, and one player stood out above the rest on the team’s draft board: Washington State safety Jaden Hicks.

There was no secret to what made Chiefs’ general manager Brett Veach pull the trigger on Hicks. Some draft experts ranked him as the top-graded safety in the entire class.

“The value was too great there,” Veach shared with reporters during a Zoom call on Monday afternoon. “This is where you just want to stay true to your board and take the best player available.”

Dane Brugler of The Athletic listed Hicks as the number-one player in his safety rankings, citing his range and playmaking as a reason to be confident in the prospect. Veach shared that Hicks is a “smart, intense player,” pointing to those characteristics as a reason special teams coordinator Dave Toub would be excited to use him.

That was the case for young safeties Bryan Cook and Chamarri Conner when they were drafted as well. Each has proven to be a key piece to special teams and has shown flashes of a further ceiling as a defensive playmaker.

Neither were considered at the top of their class (like Hicks was), and that potential was too much for Veach to pass up on.

“From a talent perspective and a long-term planning perspective, he was too good of a player to pass up,” Veach asserted. “He is a guy that you can do a lot of different things with: he is a big kid, he has good range, he is physical, he can play down low in the box, and he can play in the back end… he was by far the best player available.”

Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images

Two rounds later, the Chiefs selected another prospect some considered slipping down the board: cornerback Kamal Hadden from Tennessee. Kansas City used the 211th selection on him, bringing in another Day 3 draft pick to the group of outside cornerbacks fighting for snaps in the wake of trading L’Jarius Sneed.

Even at 6’1” and 196 lbs., Hadden does not have the same intimidating length that past Chiefs picks like Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson have — but he has the play style Veach sees as a strong fit.

“Hadden was a guy that we targeted there Day 3,” Veach admitted. “Tough, physical kid; I think he has a good press skill set. I like the way he plays. The one thing we prioritize in that defensive backfield is not just size but physicality; he will certainly bring that.”

After an October 2023 game, Hadden underwent season-ending surgery on his shoulder, possibly impacting his draft stock.

That could make both he and Hicks value picks for the Chiefs, continuing the trend of how Kansas City has built a strong secondary. Four years ago, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was undervalued, then maximized by the Chiefs’ coaching staff. Less extreme examples like Williams and Watson have already justified their selections.

At safety, the room may feel crowded — but veteran Justin Reid is entering the final year of his contract, sitting in a similar position as former Chiefs’ safety Tyrann Mathieu was entering the 2021 season.

Kansas City allowed Mathieu to walk and has built the position to withstand Reid’s leaving as well. The forward-thinking mindset is how championship teams are not only built but sustained.