Mike Hughes Acquired By Chiefs

On Thursday afternoon, the Kansas City Chiefs made yet another addition to their roster for 2021. This time it came via trade. Cornerback Mike Hughes, along with a 2022 7th Round pick, will be moving to Kansas City in the deal. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings will get back a 2022 6th Round pick in return. The trade news was broke by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and later details of the swap emerged from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

With that, we will quickly recap Hughes’ career so far, how his style fits in the team and what this move means in the grand scheme for the Chiefs entering 2021.

Former First Round Pick

The Vikings selected Mike Hughes near the end of the first round (30th overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft. Durability has been the main issue for the defensive back throughout his career so far. In his rookie season, Hughes tore his ACL after just six games and two starts. The UCF product officially ended his rookie campaign with 22 tackles, three pass deflections and one tackle for loss, interception, forced fumble and fumble recovery apiece.

2019 saw him play the most games in a single season during his Vikings tenure. Appearing in 14 games, while making three starts, Hughes had his best campaign in terms of pass coverage. He allowed just 61.2% of opposing passes to be completed against him, along with lower yards per completion allowed (11.8) and lower yards per target allowed (7.2). The corner also notched nine pass deflections. Unfortunately for Mike Hughes, his 2019 season ended in the final game due to another injury. This time it was a cracked vertebra.

Subsequently, his 2020 season was also marred by injury. A neck injury landed Hughes on injured reserve after just four games played. This was something that Minnesota said was unrelated to the cracked vertebra injury from the year prior, according to Sports Illustrated.

During his time in Minnesota, Hughes played in 24 of a possible 48 regular season games. He recorded 80 tackles, 13 pass deflections, three fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles and two interceptions.

Style Of Play

With the Vikings, Mike Hughes showed he could hang both outside and in the slot. For his career, he has aligned in the slot for 29% of defensive snaps. He does not necessarily possess the traditional size Kansas City has coveted at cornerback in the past (5’10”, 189 pounds). But yet, Hughes tends to play bigger than that and his physical side at the catch point has stood out. Being as tough and as confident as he is, makes him a natural fit to play that exact position on the field.

While watching some of his play with the Vikings, it is easy to see how explosive Hughes can be. This generally shows up in his tackling attempts. To boot, he can turn and run urgently to stick hip to hip with the opposing wide receiver. Moreover, he reads plays quickly and has a great understanding for where the ball is going. You love to see his eagerness. Though still, Hughes does a fairly nice job of staying patient and under control.

What Does Trade Mean For Chiefs?

Obviously, the aforementioned injury history is a concern for Mike Hughes and how he will do in Kansas City. The Chiefs, and specifically general manager Brett Veach, have never been shy about attempting to help former top picks complete reclamation projects in hopes to turn their career around.

The style of play and confidence really is not a concern for Hughes. Rather, it is the fact that his results in pass coverage have been inconsistent at best. He has also struggled to hold down a starting role (seven starts in career).

He may not be the most athletically gifted or natural mover in space. However, Mike Hughes’ toughness and physicality adds an intriguing wrinkle to the Chiefs cornerback room. The team has expressed interest in moving L’Jarius Sneed to the outside permanently. You also have longer corners like Charvarius Ward, Rashad Fenton, Deandre Baker, BoPete Keyes and others battling on the practice squad.

Due to Hughes’ age (24) and the minimal draft pick compensation used to get him from the Vikings, this is a fairly risk free move by Kansas City. If the Chiefs cannot get him on the field as a starter, you have some experience and ball skills as solid depth in pass coverage. Hughes enters the final year of his rookie contract, as Minnesota did not pick up his fifth year option for 2022.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles throughout the week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.

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