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

Joshua Williams – Fayetteville State

• 6-foot-3
• 195 pounds
• 33″ arms
• 4.53 forty
• 6.95 three-cone

I actually went back and forth on who was going to be in this last spot between Joshua Williams, Missouri’s Akayleb Evans, and Washington State’s Jaylen Watson. I actually think all three of them would be good fourth-round picks for the Chiefs. After watching all three I don’t think I’d feel confident in any of them starting as rookies, so since I feel like Williams has the most upside, he earned the final spot on this list.

Williams has fantastic size for an outside corner. His 6-foot-3 frame and long arms will make him a prime target for teams that like to play press man on the outside (like Kansas City). He doesn’t have the elite long speed as Woolen and McCollum do, but his 4.53 forty is still solid for a big physical outside corner and his three-cone time (for change of direction) was second only to Zyon McCullum of the guys I looked at for this post.

The only problem with Williams is that he comes from tiny Fayetteville State. Not only does that mean he hasn’t played against legit competition, it also means there just isn’t a lot of easily available footage of him to watch. That’s another reason I considered Evans and Watson for this spot, but at the end of the day, the little bit of footage I did find from his games and the senior bowl was enough to tip the scales towards Williams upside. His size, physical play, and athleticism flashed in the little bit I found enough for me to feel like Williams isn’t just some workout warrior that tests well, but can’t carry it over to the field.

Don’t Just Take My Word For It:

If I didn’t sell you on Williams’s upside yet, check out Joe Marino’s take on his strengths at TheDraftNetwork.com:

"An imposing player in the DII ranks, Williams swallowed up receivers in press coverage and didn’t give them a chance to get into their route stems. He was sticky in off man and played with the confidence expected from a guy that was the best player on the field and he knew it. Despite a limited amount of targets against him, Williams was still able to make impact plays on the football and is an alpha on the field. He’s a willing participant against the run and is an enthusiastic tackler."

I mean that description alone has to at least get your attention, right? You can see his size and recovery speed in the tweet below.

As I said, there are not a lot of highlights or games for Williams available, but you can watch a few highlights HERE. You can also search for “Joshua Williams” on Twitter and then look at the video results to find more clips of him from senior bowl practices.

So there you have it Chiefs fans. Those are my four favorite mid-round cornerback targets for the Kansas City Chiefs in the upcoming draft. Do you like these four as fits for the Chiefs in that range? Are there other mid-round options that you like more? Would you rather they go against their history and target a corner earlier in the draft? I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments below.

More of my 2022 NFL Draft Work:
First Round Wide Receiver Targets
Mid-Round Running Back Targets