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The 2024 NFL Draft will present many different pathways for teams to go down. One of those teams that could go in many different directions, is the Kansas City Chiefs. Wide receiver was thought to be the position KC would go with in round one. And while that could still happen, the Chiefs could certainly wait to add another receiver if they wanted to, after the signing of Marquise Brown. Meanwhile, cornerback could become a lot more interesting, as far as early draft picks go. With L’Jarius Sneed now traded, Kansas City may opt to invest in one of the top cornerbacks in round one.
While being defending champions again, the Chiefs have the ability to really attack any position of need whenever they would like during the draft. There are certainly some spots that provide more questions than others. Yet, Kansas City does not have to necessarily force a pick to address a need. Depending on how the board falls, cornerbacks may offer a chance to the Chiefs that they cannot refuse at the end of round one.
With the Sneed trade now in the rearview mirror, which options among the cornerbacks could make sense for the Chiefs in this year’s draft? How would some of those pieces fit within the KC defense? Let’s kick it off.
Chiefs Have Largely Built Cornerback Room With Late Picks
Under this current regime, the Kansas City Chiefs have largely built the cornerback room with late draft picks and smaller assets. Sneed, who was just traded for a third-round pick and received a huge extension from Tennessee, was a fourth-round pick that became one of the team’s top defenders. The duo of Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson were both selected on day three of the draft a couple of years ago. Obviously, they could each be due for more consistent playing time with Sneed now out of the picture. Other names have filled adequate roles on defense or on special teams, without being high investments for the Chiefs, so to speak.
The only real time Kansas City invested a premium asset into the cornerback position within the last handful of years, it worked out swimmingly. Trent McDuffie is someone who KC traded up for in the first round, after they believed he was going to be off of the board earlier. His versatility, ball skills and football IQ have created many important plays for the Chiefs defense over the last couple of years.
Knowing that history of how this Chiefs team addresses the cornerbacks with very little top picks, it could still be unlikely that KC goes there in round one. However, Kansas City is losing a unique skill set in Sneed that is difficult to replicate and replace. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo likes to throw out different things with his defensive backs. As a result, drafting one of these cornerbacks early is not completely off of the table for the Chiefs.
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First-Round Cornerback Options For Kansas City
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First and foremost, the Chiefs are likely going to be out of the range of cornerbacks like Quinyon Mitchell (Toledo) and Terrion Arnold (Alabama). Barring something unforeseen, those two should be off the board way earlier than Kansas City would make their first-round pick. Namely, there are four names that we are going to focus on, in terms of first-round options among cornerbacks for the Chiefs.
The quartet that is more likely to go round one after Mitchell and Arnold include Nate Wiggins (Clemson), Cooper DeJean (Iowa), Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama) and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (Missouri). In total, all four of these defenders could see a wide range in which they are ultimately drafted. Anywhere from two-thirds of the way through round one to even early day two could make sense for all of these guys.
Elsewhere, each of these four provide a different flavor at the cornerback position. Entering the NFL, not all of these cornerbacks are built the same, nor would they offer the same exact play style for someone like the Chiefs. If Kansas City were to draft one of these four pieces in the first round, there are a plethora of ways in which each of them could be deployed.
How Those Names Fit Within KC Defense
Let’s look into how these possible first-round cornerbacks could fit within the Chiefs defense. As mentioned above, none of these four are necessarily the same exact player, when considering play style. So, that makes the different options much more fascinating, if Kansas City were to go cornerback in round one.
The Speed Demon
Starting with Wiggins, there is no doubt that his speed and athleticism are items that help him make plays. His recovery quickness and long speed to stay on top of receivers down the field are consistently on display. Along with that, Wiggins offers a smooth nature when dropping into coverage, while still being able to click and close swiftly if working downhill or laterally. The one thing that is a question is his lack of immense size. Perhaps, his length can make up for that as one of the man coverage cornerbacks, if selected by the Chiefs.
Versatile Pieces
The pair of DeJean and McKinstry offer some similarities. Each player is incredibly smart and can give their team a jolt of momentum by baiting the opponent into a horrible decision. Outside of the instincts, DeJean and McKinstry are already well-rounded with their ball skills and can add further versatility for the KC defense. Beyond that, both of these cornerbacks have experience as a returner, something the Chiefs could look to add, as well.
Physical Presence
Finally, Rakestraw Jr. may be the exact type of cornerback that Kansas City has gone after in recent years. Out of all of these cornerbacks, the Chiefs would be adding a physical, competitive defender who is not afraid to get in an opponent’s face or tackle. While he can be tenacious, Rakestraw Jr. has also shown an ability to remain poised when working down the field and has savvy body control at the catch point.
Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis throughout this 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.