The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t have a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, so they had to make the picks they did have count.

Therefore, it was somewhat surprising when they traded up from No. 54 to No. 46 to draft former Ole Miss DL Breeland Speaks.

However, the Chiefs knew they wanted Speaks, so they moved up to get him. GM Brett Veach explained the decision to RotoWorld:

“He’ll never be there by the time we pick in round three, so we might have to pick him at 54,” he said. “Then we realized he likely wouldn’t be there at 54.”

Speaks came into his own in 2017, recording 61 tackles (eight for a loss) and seven sacks. The Chiefs are counting on him to continue to improve.

The Chiefs invested a lot in the former Rebel, so the pressure is on entering the 2018 season.