The Kansas City Chiefs need to get a cornerback in the NFL Supplemental Draft

The biggest question mark on the Kansas City Chiefs is their lack of depth at cornerback. They need to fix that by taking one in the supplemental draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs made the decision this offseason to revamp their defense. While the offense and new starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes have received the bulk of the headlines, one can argue that the defensive side of the ball has had every bit as big of a makeover. Gone are the aging veterans like Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali who had been fixtures of the defense for the past decade but had begun to look like time had finally caught up to them. Also gone is star cornerback Marcus Peters. While Peters had some questionable antics on the field at times his talent was off the charts and his loss left the Chiefs with a massive hole to fill in their secondary.

The Chiefs attempted to fill the void left by Peter’s departure by getting Kendall Fuller from the Redskins as part of the Alex Smith trade. Fuller is a proven slot cornerback (which is incredibly valuable) but the question on if he can be a true number one cornerback like Peters remains unanswered. The Chiefs also signed veteran David Amerson who fits their profile as an outside press corner but simply didn’t perform up to expectations in Oakland after a promising start to his career. The only other corner with proven NFL experience is the Chiefs own Steven Nelson. Nelson also has the most experience in the slot and while he’s physical enough to press on the outside his size isn’t ideally suited to match up with larger NFL receivers on the outside.

So the Chiefs top three corners all have some question marks. After those three the questions get even bigger. Can guys like Keith Reaser and Will Redmond turn into successful NFL players after fizzling out with their first NFL team? Can young rookies like Tremon Smith and Arrion Springs prove able to contribute at the NFL level? The Chiefs have a lot of guys with questions that COULD end up solidifying their very unproven cornerback position, but they simply don’t have any definitive answers right now.

That is why I believe that the Chiefs NEED to add another cornerback to that equation through the 2018 NFL Supplemental Draft. The cornerback position is just too vital to a defense in today’s NFL to risk being weak there. Does taking a corner in the supplemental draft insure that the position will be stabilized? Of course not, but the more talented guys you have competing for playing time the better the odds that one hits and becomes a quality NFL starting caliber player.

So, I believe you can safely say that the Chiefs have a real need to add another talented cornerback to their roster.

Establishing you have a need is fine, but that in and of itself doesn’t mean much. Lots of teams have needs at lots of positions every year at this time and yet most years no one is selected in the supplemental draft. However, this year there are actually two talented cornerbacks that look like they would be a good fit in the Chiefs system in this supplemental draft. So not only do the Chiefs have a need, it just so happens that the one position in this supplemental draft where there is draftable talent is at that position of need.

I won’t take time to give you in depth scouting reports on Western Michigan’s Sam Beal and Virginia Tech’s Adonis Alexander. The bottom line is that they are both seen as draft worthy press corners that may be a good fit in KC’s system. Beal is the higher profile corner. He’s seen as having better ball skills than Alexander but Alexander is bigger and stronger (which could appeal to KC). You can find more in depth profiles on these two online but the bottom line is either one would have a great chance to make KC’s 53 man roster this season and that makes them worthy of a selection in this supplemental draft.

So the Chiefs have a need and the supplemental draft has players available to fill that need but do the Chiefs have the draft capital to make this move without hurting themselves in next year’s draft?

In a word….yes.

The Chiefs acquired an additional second round pick in their trade of Marcus Peters. That means that KC could give up a 2nd-5th round pick in next year’s draft to land one of these corners and not feel like they are short on picks in the 2019 draft. Should they waste a high pick on a player they aren’t wild about? Of course not, but if the Chiefs like either of these guys they don’t need to worry about pulling the trigger because they’ll end up short handed next year. That isn’t the case.

Finally, the timing here makes sense. The Chiefs currently have the admirable situation of having their quarterback on his rookie contract. That window doesn’t last very long and the opportunity to add a player at a position of need now as opposed to a year from now makes too much sense. If your argument against using a supplemental draft pick on either of these corners is that they’re too raw and won’t be ready to contribute this season, my counter argument is that at least they are getting a year of NFL coaching and experience NOW as opposed to a corner they would take in next year’s draft. If that player needs a year (or more) of coaching to contribute too we are already getting close to Mahomes rookie deal running out and the roster/salary cap situation becomes more complicated.

The Chiefs are hoping their young and incredibly talented quarterback will live up to the hype. If that’s the case they’ll need a defense to help him win soon while his rookie deal makes it easier to surround him with the talent he needs to win. A cornerback they add this week has a much better chance to contribute in that window than a corner taken with that same round’s pick in next May’s draft. Period.

All of this hinges on the Chiefs liking one or both of these corners. If they don’t, then of course they should pass, but if they do like them they should aggressively pursue them in this supplemental draft. It all just makes too much sense.

Brett Veach has been an aggressive GM early in his tenure and he needs to continue that trend this week and get the Chiefs one of these corners in the supplemental draft.

So what do you think Chiefs fans? Do you agree that it makes perfect sense for the Chiefs to go after one of these corners in this supplemental draft? Do you like either Beal or Alexander better for KC? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

As always, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!!