2018 NFL mock draft: Chiefs get lots of defensive help per Pro Football Focus
By Matt Conner
No. 78. Darious Williams, UAB, Cornerback
They say:
"The Chiefs have holes to fill in the secondary and Williams has a chance to fill one of them after coming off one of the most productive years in the nation in 2017. He ranked third in the country with a 90.9 overall grade, while allowing only 36.0 percent of passes to be completed his way."
We say:
Yes. Honestly, we would say yes to any qualified person with the letters “DB” listed as the player’s position. The Chiefs have completely remade their secondary this offseason and need several more additions to even have quality throughout the depth chart. Williams would most certainly fit the bill.
Consider this: the Chiefs have already watched Terrance Mitchell and Phillip Gaines sign elsewhere in free agency and will presumably see the same from Kenneth Acker and Darrelle Revis and Steven Terrell. The team also released starting free safety Ron Parker despite having a need at the position already. Oh yes, there’s also the trade of the most important defender on the team in Marcus Peters. That’s a total of seven players, including several players who garnered multiple starts, gone from the roster.
The Chiefs have started to restock the cupboards by signing David Amerson away from the Oakland Raiders and by trading for Kendall Fuller from the Washington Redskins. Together with Steven Nelson, the Chiefs at least have a decent trio at cornerback but they’re woefully thin after that. They’re also short on high ceiling players since no one is expecting Nelson or Amerson to make a Pro Bowl anytime soon.
Enter Williams, a player known for being daring and disruptive. He’s a bit smaller than some teams might like at 5’10, but he’s got exactly the sort of attitude and playing style that the Chiefs could use after dealing Peters. Last year, he had 5 picks and 15 passes defended (tops in Conference USA), and even if he’s used only in sub packages next year, he’s instantly play meaningful reps for the Kansas City Chiefs.