A closer look at new Chiefs cornerback Kendall Fuller

LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 17: Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald
LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 17: Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald

Let’s take a closer look at Kendall Fuller, the young cornerback who was the player prize in the Alex Smith trade with the Washington Redskins.

A key part of the Kansas City Chiefs great train robbery this week was getting cornerback Kendall Fuller. The Washington Redskins cornerback was a significant asset in the deal to trade away Alex Smith, so let’s take a look at the young corner who will be wearing the red and gold now.

Fuller is a 22-year-old (he turns 23 on February 13) from Baltimore, Maryland. Clearly there was something in the water in the Fuller household there in Baltimore, as he was the fourth of four brothers to become an NFL player. His oldest brother Vincent Fuller was a safety in the NFL for six years from 2005-11. Next in line came his brother Corey Fuller who has been a wide receiver in the NFL since 2013. Kyle Fuller is a corner who was drafted in the first round by the Chicago Bears in 2014.

Fuller followed the family path to the NFL as all four played football at Virginia Tech under defensive guru Frank Beamer. While at VT, he was a three year starter including the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2013 and a two-time All ACC selection. During his freshman year, he had 58 tackles and 6 interceptions. For his sophomore season, he dropped to 54 tackles and 2 interceptions. His third season was cut short after three games when he tore his meniscus.

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Prior to his knee injury, Fuller was seen as a clear first round pick. Even with the injury he was still seen as a solid second round pick by all the scouting groups like Ourlads, NDT Scouting and Pro Football Weekly. The Washington Redskins got a steal when he fell to them in the third round at No. 84. This is a good time to remind everyone that in that same draft the Chiefs took KeiVarae Russell 10 picks before Fuller. Russell was cut following the Chiefs first regular season game that season, meaning the third round pick never played a down for the Chiefs.

Fuller came into that draft as a 6’0 tall, 197 pound corner that ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds. Pre-draft reports on him listed his positives as having great intangibles. He had the speed, fluid hips and good footwork to be a shutdown corner. He had natural ball skills, was a solid tackler, and had an aggressiveness to go for the ball. He had high football IQ, which wasn’t a surprise coming from a bloodline of NFL player

Like every player in the draft, though, he had some weaknesses. The injury concern was real as it’s always scary taking someone coming off major knee surgery. His straight line speed was seen as a weakness as his 4.48 speed doesn’t look good covering deep balls against 4.3 speed receivers. His upper body also was seen as needing work. While his footwork was seen as outstanding, his upper body wasn’t as strong and he tended to be handsy and had trouble pressing at the line.

The Redskins gobbled him up in the third round and he turned into a steal. Fuller started slow given the knee surgery, causing him to be inactive for the first three games of the 2016 season. He got his first game action in Week 4 of that season against the Cleveland Browns. Fuller filled in for an injured player and went from not playing to a starter in the nickel spot. He played well recording eight total tackles and showed enough to earn the starting job for the rest of the season.

However his rookie year wasn’t perfect. Teams often moved their top receiver away from All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman meaning the rookie went up against some of the best receivers in the game. In his worst game of the season he gave up 13 catches and 164 yards to Stefon Diggs. During that season he gave up big plays to some of the NFLs best including Jordy Nelson, Dez Bryant and A.J. Green. It never got to Fuller though, as he remained calm and laid back saying, “That’s part of the position. Guys are going to make plays, you just have to line up and keep on competing.” Later when asked about facing the best in the game, Fuller said, “That’s just the NFL. You’re going to go against a dog every week. You’ve just got to make sure you come prepared.”

His maturity and ability to handle the pressures of the league probably have a lot to do with having three brothers who have played in the league to lean on for support.

Fuller finished his rookie season with 40 total tackles and zero interceptions. He wasn’t a star but many in the Redskins organization were high on him and were prepared for a breakout year. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry said, “I think he’s had some ups, some downs. I know one thing:z for a long time. His maturity, his instincts, his awareness have been really, really impressive for a rookie.”

His second year in the league made his defensive coordinator look like Nostradamus. Fuller recorded 54 total tackles, four interceptions and eight pass deflections in 2017. Pro Football Focus graded him as the top overall player on a Redskins team that has stars like Norman, Ryan Kerrigan, Kirk Cousins and Brandon Scherff.

It wasn’t that he was just the best player on the Redskins according to PFF. He was also ranked highly among other corners in the league. In terms of slot corner position he allowed a 55.0 passer rating, lowest in the NFL. As a slot corner he allowed 0.74 yards per snap which was the third lowest in the league. Overall PFF had him rated as the second best slot corner in the NFL.

The Chiefs are getting a top three slot corner and likely top 30 corner overall when Fuller puts on the Chiefs uniform. This means the Chiefs have upgraded one of their weakest positions at corner. The best part, they upgraded this for less than $2 million total of the next two seasons. Yes you read that right: Fuller’s cap hit the next two years is only $647,500 and $750,000 per Spotrac.

This trade was a home run for the Chiefs. They dealt away a player they no longer needed and added $17 million to a cap that desperately needed it. In return they got a valuable third round pick that in the past the Chiefs have used to get players the likes of Travis Kelce, Justin Houston and Jamaal Charles. They also fill what many deemed the biggest hole on the roster in a solid number two corner, and filled that spot for less than $1 million per year. Chiefs’ general manager Brett Veach hit this deal so far out of the stadium that I think the Kansas City Royals may be looking at him as a power bat off the bench.

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