Kansas City Chiefs opened a few unexpected presents in 2020
By Scott Loring
L’Jarius Sneed
It was remotely surprising to see the Chiefs avoid the cornerback position on the first two days of the 2020 NFL draft. Kendall Fuller had left in free agency, and Kansas City’s starting corners—Charvarius Ward (RFA) and Bashaud Breeland—were both entering contract years. However, Brett Veach had something up his sleeve.
With the team’s 4th round pick, the Chiefs selected L’Jarius Sneed, a tall, rangy defensive back who played safety his senior year at college. In hindsight, it’s obvious that Sneed would have been a much higher pick had he stayed at his true position, cornerback, during his final season, but it was a team need, not player fit, that caused the change. Veach would later say that the Chiefs would have selected Sneed with the first pick in the fourth round if they could have, meaning the team must have had at least a third round grade on the 6’1″ cornerback with 4.37 speed.
It became obvious very early why Veach was so high on Sneed. In the season opener against the Houston Texans, Sneed had an excellent night in coverage before he intercepted Deshaun Watson in the 4th quarter. The next week, with the Chargers leading the Chiefs 17-9 in the 3rd quarter, Sneed acrobatically picked off Justin Herbert in the red zone, sparking a comeback victory.
One pressing question was whether Sneed could continue to play up to that level after suffering a clavicle injury in Week 3. When he returned in Week 11 for the key AFC West tilt at Las Vegas, Sneed proved he was here to stay. The rookie continues to play at a high level, and played his best game of the season in Week 15 at the Saints, where he notched his third interception and his first career sack. Playing primarily in the slot, Sneed allows Steve Spagnuolo to move superstar safety Tyrann Mathieu around freely, and that has elevated the play of this entire defense.