The Kansas City Chiefs entered the 2022 NFL Draft holding the 29th and 30th picks of the first round. But then general manager Brett Veach saw an opportunity. He traded picks 29, 94 and 121 to the New England Patriots for the 21st selection. With it, Kansas City acquired Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie.

After the draft, Veach revealed that the Chiefs had identified McDuffie as one of 18 players with first-round grades — and were certain they would have to get in front of the Buffalo Bills (who held the 25th pick) in order to get him.

The Bills then confirmed the team’s suspicions, trading up to No. 23 to land Florida corner Kaiir Elam. So in the minds of Kansas City and Buffalo fans, McDuffie and Elam’s fortunes would forever be linked.

Up to this point, there hasn’t been much doubt that the Chiefs landed a better player. In his second season, McDuffie was named a first-team All-Pro. (He made the second team in 2024). According to the Approximate Value metric maintained by Pro Football Reference, McDuffie has accumulated an AV of 29 over his three seasons. Elam’s AV of 6 over that same period pales in comparison. (Players with an AV of 4 in a season are considered average).

This week, however, we’ve seen yet another indicator that Kansas City got the better end of these two draft-day trades. As expected, Kansas City exercised its option to retain McDuffie for a fifth season — something that all teams can do with players they’ve taken in the first round. But Elam was among 12 players taken in the 2022 draft whose fifth-year options were declined.

It is well-known that Veach (and his staff) do an excellent job of evaluating defensive backs — and then maneuvering to sign them. But the McDuffie deal tops their impressive list of successes.