Grading the KC Chiefs defense prior to the 2021 NFL Draft

Cornerbacks: B+

The cornerback position has been a sore spot for the Kansas City Chiefs for quite some time. The Chiefs front office has only drafted four corners in the first three rounds in the Andy Reid era, none of which have remained with the Chiefs long term.

The player who generated the most disagreement amongst fans was Marcus Peters. A mercurial personality, Peters demonstrated unique playmaking ability for the position. His relationship with the front office deteriorated following the departure of John Dorsey, and similarly to Dorsey, he was shown the door. Since then the Chiefs have struggled to put together a unit of consistent playmakers. Fortunately, in the last two years the team have found a couple “diamonds in the rough” with the likes of Charvarius Ward and L’Jarius Sneed.

Ward showed great promise in 2019 and followed that up with a marginal decline in 2020, but he still maintained a quality level of play. Sneed came out of nowhere after the Chiefs drafted the unheralded safety prospect in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Sneed went on to be the highest-rated corner on the Chiefs according to Pro Football Focus.

The Chiefs also have some promising players in Rashad Fenton and Deandre Baker. Fenton won’t light up the stat sheet but he’s proven to be a consistent player for the team against stiff competition. Baker was a former first-round pick, and while he had some legal troubles and a season ending injury, he has the tools to be a quality starter at the NFL level.

This is a top-15 unit, justifying an optimistic “B+” grade in my opinion. If the team can add a draft pick or a veteran, or simply re-sign Bashaud Breeland, there’s no reason why they couldn’t creep into the top-10 during the season.