With the 98th-overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected Steven Nelson, a cornerback out of Oregon State. Nelson adds to a secondary which ranked second in the league against the pass, certainly an important strength to have in the pass-happy AFC West.
Nelson has decent size at 5’10 and 197 pounds. Nelson had a good showing at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, doing a position-best 19 reps of 225 pounds. He also showed considerable speed, running a 4.49 40-yard dash. In 2014, Nelson was selected to the second-team All-Pac-12.
With first-round pick Marcus Peters, Sean Smith, Phillip Gaines and Nelson in the fold, Kansas City has a bevy of young talent. Peters and Smith are built to play on the outside, while Gaines showed the versatility in his rookie campaign to play outside and in the slot. Nelson appears to be a slot corner who can match up with the quick-twitch type of receivers. It will be intriguing to see if he can start right away, or if he’s more of a special teams player to begin his NFL career.
The Chiefs started the draft by taking Peters in the first round with the 18th-overall selection before going with Missouri center Mitch Morse in the second round. After trading up four spots in the third round, general manager John Dorsey took wide receiver Chris Conley out of the University of Georgia, a speedster that could contribute immediately.
Niner Noise
On Saturday afternoon, the NFL Draft will conclude with rounds 4-7. Kansas City is slated to have five picks, including one in the fourth, two in the fifth, one in the sixth and one in the seventh. The picks are 118th, 172nd, 173rd, 217th and 233rd. There are still a bevy of quality players on the board, including quarterbacks in Bryce Petty and Brett Hundley, offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings and receiver Rashad Greene.