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NFL Draft prospect Jeff Gladney would add remarkable athleticism to Chiefs defense

By Travis Steffen

LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 18: Dylan Cantrell #14 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders has the ball knocked away by Jeff Gladney #12 of the TCU Horned Frogs during the game on November 18, 2017 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. TCU defeated Texas Tech 27-3. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 18: Dylan Cantrell #14 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders has the ball knocked away by Jeff Gladney #12 of the TCU Horned Frogs during the game on November 18, 2017 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. TCU defeated Texas Tech 27-3. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 26: Cornerback Jeff Gladney #12 of the TCU Horned Frogs intercepts a pass from the California Golden Bears during the first half of the Cheez-it Bowl at Chase Field on December 26, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 26: Cornerback Jeff Gladney #12 of the TCU Horned Frogs intercepts a pass from the California Golden Bears during the first half of the Cheez-it Bowl at Chase Field on December 26, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Areas for improvement

Gladney is not the perfect cornerback, or we wouldn’t even be discussing him for the Chiefs. Gladney can be overly aggressive at times. He can also get a little too grabby in the deep portions of the field. In addition, he could use some upper body strength and mass to be more productive with his jams at the line of scrimmage.

While the TCU product has good length, it’s not the length that will bail him out in certain situations. There were multiple instances when a receiver would wait until the last second to split off at the top of a route just in time to grab the ball. Gladney gave up multiple plays like this by inches due to that lack of arm length to get his hands in there. He struggles at times against sharp breaking routes coming back towards the line of scrimmage as he loses balance, trying to plant at the top of the route to collect himself and turn around.

Even though Gladney was extremely physical at the line of scrimmage, his jams were average. His quick feet and mirroring to stay on top of his assignment bailed him out most of the time when he couldn’t get a good jam on a receiver. Bigger receivers give him trouble as well as they can out physical him at the catch point. However, one of his best games in 2019 was against Texas, in which he went up against the 6-6 Collin Johnson. Both players got theirs in the end, but Gladney showed some ability to make up for the lack of length and size against bigger opponents like Johnson.

Everyone remembers Marcus Peters playing overly aggressive when he was in Kansas City. No one is going to complain about it when he’s making more plays than plays given up. Like Peters, Gladney will get overly aggressive, trying to jump a route that can lead to big plays if he’s unable to get his hands on the ball. He also doesn’t have the hands of Peters as he struggles to come down with the ball for interceptions. There are too many lapses when trying to pick the ball off.

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