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

Summary

Jeff Gladney is a ready-made, starting-caliber cornerback with the versatility to fit most schemes. Using his quick footwork, smooth hips, physicality, mirroring, and ball skills, he has the traits to succeed in press man, soft press, off man, and some zone as well. The only area that he would not benefit from would likely be a heavy Cover 3 scheme, which requires longer corners.

The TCU cornerback displays outstanding competitiveness as he’s always thriving to be the best player on the field. Physicality is his game. He will stay on top of receivers, making it difficult for quarterbacks to even think of throwing the ball his direction while playing primarily on the offense’s number one receiver. Gladney understands how to get in receivers’ heads, and it shows with the amount of pushing following the whistle from receivers late in games.

Despite not having outstanding length, Gladney refuses to be pushed around by bigger weapons. He will find ways to succeed against any receiver. Some of his best games in 2019 came against bigger wideouts, including Johnson and Baylor’s Denzel Mims. Coming from the Big 12, there weren’t many teams looking to run the football, and despite the heavy spread offenses, Gladney was tough to complete passes against.

The Chiefs are in dire need of cornerback help in 2020. Whether they find a way to spend the big bucks and sign a veteran free agent or not, they will need more in that secondary room. Gladney brings that alpha mentality that Kansas City has been building over the last year on defense. He would fit right in with the defensive playmakers that are already here.

If the young corner continues to improve, he has the potential to be an actual number one cornerback, which is something the Chiefs don’t possess at this point. Gladney is a first-round talent, and if he’s somehow sitting there at 32, Veach would be wise to think long and hard about selecting him.