It's all about trust for Kansas City Chiefs' General Manager Brett Veach, who is tackling his first NFL Scouting Combine this weekend as the man in charge.
That trust – which permeates throughout the Chiefs' scouting department – is paramount when embarking on the mighty task that is building an NFL roster.
"You trust your scouts," Veach explained. "Now that I am in this position, having been there and done that as a scout, I have to step back now and I am very blessed to have a great personnel staff. When I'm with them, I understand what they are saying. I trust them, I trust the information they give me, and we use that to put guys in our locker room and get the culture right."
Veach has indeed been around the block as a scout, joining Head Coach Andy Reid's staff in Philadelphia in 2007. Veach accompanied Reid to Kansas City in 2013, working his way up to Co-Director of Player Personnel in 2015 before taking the reins as General Manager last July.
It's a path that's molded Veach into the executive that he is today, forming a mindset that he's relying on as he evaluates the roster and prepares for the upcoming draft.
"A lot of the work having come up through the Eagles system scouting and having the opportunity to work in Kansas City, you build relationships and you build trust," Veach said. "You go into schools and you talk to coaches and they see you in there every morning at 6 or 7 a.m. and you build relationships with them and they trust you. They want the best for their players."
That process is in full swing this weekend as the best draft-eligible prospects are gathered in Indianapolis for the Combine. With only a few days to evaluate and meet with dozens of players, Veach's trust in his staff is critical.
"We spend all fall watching tape and analyzing their ability and how they will fit in our structure. You get to have a good feel of what they can and can't do, their strengths and weaknesses, but you really don't know the person," Veach said. "It goes back to the trust you have with your staff and you read the dialogue in the notes and get a feel."
And though there's still plenty of work ahead, the trust the front office has in one another points towards a bright future.
"We're excited," Veach said. "We look forward to ushering in a new age of Kansas City Chiefs football."
