Returning KC Chiefs who will make an impact down the stretch
By Matt Conner
L’Jarius Sneed
Speaking of rookies with stellar early returns, Brett Veach must be beside himself with what he saw from L’Jarius Sneed in the secondary before the rookie cornerback was lost for several weeks with a clavicle injury.
When the Chiefs took Sneed late in the fourth round (just before Danna), Veach insisted that Sneed was rated much higher on their draft board and that he would have been their top pick if they’d selected first in that round. In fact, Sneed might have been taken higher if others had been off the board for the Chiefs in Day 2. That said, Sneed made an instant believer of Chiefs Kingdom by backing up Veach’s belief on the field.
Sneed has only played in three games as a professional football player, but in that span of time, Sneed showed the ability to go toe-to-toe with some great receivers—from Keenan Allen to Hollywood Brown—and come away the victor. He deflected three passes and intercepted two more and inserted himself as a starter on the boundary for a Chiefs team desperate for instant help from its young players.
For the Chiefs to find a starting outside corner early on day three of the draft was a masterstroke for Veach and his staff. When Sneed returns, the secondary will be deep and young with plenty of promise as they grow together.