2022 NFL Draft: KC Chiefs can find solid corners in middle rounds

Coby Bryant – Cincinnati

• 6-foot-1
• 193 pounds
• 30.5″ arms
• 4.54 forty
• 7.31 three-cone

Coby Bryant may be the least impressive from a physical/athletic profile standpoint of the corners on my list, but his experience against major competition dwarfs the other three. While the other three names on this list all come from small schools, Bryant has been a four-year starter at Cincinnati where he has faced some solid competition. In fact, since he started across from first-round prospect Ahmad Gardner, Bryant often found himself the preferred target of opposing quarterbacks who were trying to avoid throwing at Gardner. Bryant held up to that test well, and while he isn’t the top prospect that his teammate is, he shouldn’t be overlooked.

While Bryant is slightly shorter than the other guys on my list, 6-foot-1 is still plenty tall enough to start on the outside for the Chiefs. His arms are a little shorter than you would prefer and his 4.54 forty time means you probably don’t want him alone on an island against the fastest wideouts in the game, but those numbers don’t disqualify him from being able to be a solid NFL starter on the outside. He just doesn’t have as high of a ceiling as the first two guys on this list.

What Bryant does have going for him is the ability to come in and contribute right away. He’s the only guy on this list that I’d feel safe being part of the rotation at corner as a rookie. That’s not to say he might not have some growing pains, but his experience in both man and zone coverages against division one receivers would make his transition much faster and smoother. So if the Chiefs don’t go out and sign a proven starting corner in free agency and don’t draft a corner early, picking Bryant in the 3rd or 4th round would actually make more sense than grabbing a higher upside guy that likely won’t be ready on day one.

Don’t Just Take My Word For It:

I think this quote from Lance Zierlein’s profile at NFL.com sums up his strengths well:

"Productive four-year starter whose experience sharpened his football IQ and leadership qualities. Bryant has good size and can be a real-time route reader, with above-average ball skills and an anticipatory brand of coverage."

You can see Bryant in action for yourself in the tweet below. To see more of him you can click the links for his highlights and the 2020 game against UCF below.

Check out more of Bryant’s highlights HERE.

You can watch his game vs UCF from 2020 HERE.

Finally, if UTSA and Sam Houston State just weren’t small enough schools to satisfy your small school sleeper prospect fix, boy do I have a prospect for you.