2022 Chiefs Draft Prospect: Kyler Gordon

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NAME: Kyler Gordon

POSITION: Cornerback

SCHOOL: Washington

HEIGHT: 5’11”

WEIGHT: 194 pounds

CAREER BACKGROUND

A native of Mukilteo, Washington, Kyler Gordon attended Archbishop Murphy High School. He played on the varsity team in all four years of his high school football career. As a junior in 2016, Gordon earned Everett Herald all-area first-team honors on both offense and defense, as well as first-team All-Cascade Conference at both wide receiver and defensive back. Archbishop Murphy went 14-0 and won the 2A state championship during his junior season.

As a senior in 2017, Gordon earned numerous accolades. This included being named Associated Press 2A all-state as both a defensive back and as an all-purpose player on offense. He was also named Offensive MVP of the Cascade Conference. To boot, Gordon earned first-team all-league honors at defensive back. 247Sports rated him as a four-star recruit. They also ranked him as the number 20 cornerback prospect and as the 102nd best overall prospect in the nation for his class.

Reserve Role

As a true freshman in 2018, Gordon redshirted and sat out during the early portion of the season. He eventually made appearances in the final four games of the year. Gordon then played in all 13 games in what was mostly a reserve role in 2019. He did make four starts and finished with 32 tackles, four pass breakups, one tackle for loss and one fumble recovery. 2020 was mostly a lost season for Washington, due to the shortened season and COVID-19 pandemic. He played in four games and started in one contest. Overall, Gordon produced 18 tackles, one pass breakup, one tackle for loss and one forced fumble in those four games.

Going Out On A High Note

2021 saw Gordon become a full-time starter on the Washington Huskies defense. He did so in all 12 games. In total, the defensive back tallied 46 tackles, seven pass breakups, two interceptions, two tackles for loss and one forced fumble. Gordon earned first-team All-PAC 12 honors for 2021, and won the Husky Excellence Award during the team’s postseason awards ceremony.

SCOUTING REPORT

Instead of listing positives and negatives for traits, this year we will be listing the best trait of each prospect and work our way down to the biggest area of improvement/absent trait(s), from top to bottom.

Football IQ

The way in which he reads and recognizes different concepts in the passing game is a major part in him limiting explosive gains. His processing speed is among the fastest in this cornerback class. For instance, Gordon urgently reads route concepts, and is often able to finish off the route like he is the one playing wide receiver. He sustains adequate body positioning and spacing between he and the opposing receiver, before making a break towards the football. Elsewhere, Gordon is highly reserved when it comes to his trigger ability and with how he reacts to possible double moves or fakes. He does a solid job of keeping his eyes locked in on their chest and shoulders in those moments. The overall patience allots Gordon many opportunities to dictate his own adjustments or alterations while covering passes.

Athleticism

Opposite of his calmness in coverage, Gordon can explode and pop off of the screen when utilizing his athletic abilities. He possesses both superb short area burst and long speed alike. On top of that, he is rather smooth with footwork and change of direction skills. Those fluid movement skills should not be confused with the foot fire and tremendously springy feet of Gordon. Simply put, he coils in and out of his hip sink effectively, while still providing plenty of energy with his lower half. His overall twitch and athletic ability is always controlled, yet explosive when necessary.

Coverage Skills

Let’s start with Gordon’s ability in man coverage. He has been used in both press man coverage and in off-man situations. As a defender in press man coverage, Gordon is not as forceful or aggressive as other cornerbacks. He is more comfortable with using a mirroring technique to stick close to the receiver’s hip. By doing so, Gordon can quickly shoot and close gaps or throwing lanes, while getting a hand on the football. He will also utilize a bail technique when playing in off-man coverage. With a half-turn technique, Gordon relies on his lateral quickness and flexibility to collapse down on the route.

In zone coverage, Gordon generally uses the aforementioned bail technique throughout most reps. He does a good job of staying low in his backpedal and stance. Because of his springy feet and closing burst, Gordon can afford to wait to flip his hips or fire out of his stance. Not all cornerbacks have that same luxury. There are times where he can be a bit of a ball watcher, rather than being locked in on the receiver that enters his zone. Nevertheless, Gordon works to stay firmly in his area and does not leave his landmarks too early.

Ball Skills

The nose for the football is a bit of a sneaky part to this defender’s game. He has not got many opportunities to consistently make plays on the football. On the other hand, finishing at the catch point has still been a work in progress for Gordon. He is remarkable when it comes to his technique to close on the football and square his body to the target. At the same time, Gordon works to keep his outside hand free, in order for possible punch out chances after the catch. He can be a clapper when looking to secure a possible interception too. As for his focus in those moments, that is something that should grow further with proper NFL coaching.

Versatility

Gordon mainly played outside on the right side of the Washington defensive formation. There appears to be a good amount of appeal for him to work both inside and outside at the NFL level, however. The reason for that, is due to the instincts and uber-athleticism of Gordon. He has the twitch and fluidity in his hips to be a reliable defender when needing to change directions. For example, Gordon has no issue when needing to cover laterally across the field. He also does well to stay on top of routes in the deeper portion of the field. When it comes to man coverage vs zone coverage, Gordon is someone who is equally comfortable in either spot. Whereas with some cornerbacks, they may be more confident in only one of those areas over the other.

Tackling

Unlike some defensive backs, Gordon comes in with an adequate strike zone. His tackling form also allows him to stun or frustrate opposing offensive skill players. On top of that, his springy feet and short area burst aid him when he is looking to get his weight on top of opponents. Those same items help Gordon land a firm, hard grasp when he is looking to wrap up ball carriers or wide receivers with a lower tackle attempt. He is simply calculated and technically sound as a tackler. That is especially true when Gordon is asked to make stops in space.

Competitiveness

This is not to say that Gordon cannot be physical if he wants to be. Yet, this is just lower for him on the totem pole of traits. Mainly, he is more reserved and relaxed in coverage, rather than being assertive. Gordon is more comfortable in relying on instincts and athleticism, as things currently stand. Thus, he is a defensive back who heavily trusts his eyes, feet and keys more than anything. His toughness and willingness as a tackler is where his physicality stands out more often.

Length

Gordon still possesses greater arm length than other cornerbacks in this draft class. However, he is not going to be able to consistently lean on this area of his game. There are times where Gordon fails to infuse the length as much as one would like either. Rather than providing quick, stiff jabs in press man coverage, he waits to get his hands active until the ball arrives at the catch point. There are still improvements needed when using his length in that area too. Essentially, extending his arms fully and reaching to the correct spots against pass catchers is still a work in progress for Gordon.

CHIEFS FIT

The Kansas City Chiefs must add much more depth to the cornerback position moving forward. Given the high-powered offenses and quarterbacks in the AFC West, the Chiefs cannot waste any opportunities to get faster and smarter at the position. Kyler Gordon could translate smoothly into a defense like Kansas City’s. He has a similar play style to that of L’Jarius Sneed. Like Sneed, Gordon makes most of his impact with elite athleticism, speed, change of direction skills and instincts. He can also thrive equally at both outside cornerback and in the slot, similar to how L’Jarius does. Because of Gordon’s identical confidence in both man coverage and zone coverage, he would likely be able to stay on the field in all aspects. His situational awareness also helps in that regard.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs draft prospect profiles throughout this spring. 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.