Kansas City Chiefs sign Juan Thornhill to rookie contract

Second round safety Juan Thornhill posted on his Instagram account that he’d signed his rookie contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs selected two players in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. On Tuesday, they seemed to have locked up the second one with an official signature on the rookie contract, at least that’s what the player himself posted on Instagram.

If the signs are right, Juan Thornhill is now officially a member of the Chiefs, a move that secures one of the league’s better safety tandems in what has been a complete makeover at the position.

The Chiefs reportedly had high second-round grades on each of their three picks in Day 2. They traded up a handful of spots to get Mecole Hardman, a wide receiver out of Georgia, and then selected Thornhill a few picks later at No. 63 overall. Hardman signed earlier this offseason along with the final three picks of the Chiefs draft class. That left only two players unsigned: Thornhill and third round defensive lineman Khalen Saunders.

Thornhill’s deal is expected to be around $4.6 million over the next four years, including a cap hit this year of $837K.

Thornhill entered the NFL Draft as one of the most heralded all-around safeties in the class. Virginia had played him all over the secondary, and he came with starting experience as a cornerback on the outside and the slot as well as both safety positions. However, he’s a natural fit at free safety, which is what makes him such an ideal fit alongside new free agent signing Tyrann Mathieu.

Earlier this offseason, the Chiefs released legendary safety Eric Berry and traded one of last year’s starters Eric Murray. Jordan Lucas is back, as is last year’s fourth round rookie Armani Watts. Daniel Sorensen also returns and is healthy during the offseason which could bode well heading into training camp and the regular season.

Thornhill had 26 passes defended and 13 total interceptions in his collegiate career at Virginia.