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

The Kansas City Chiefs need help at cornerback. Last season Charvarius Ward and Mike Hughes played a combined 1,542 defensive snaps for the Chiefs, and they have both now signed elsewhere in free agency. As of press time, the Chiefs have not added any starting caliber corners to replace them. They still have L’Jarius Sneed and Rashad Fenton who can be counted on, but if the season started today they would still be woefully short on cornerback talent.

While rumors have swirled about the Chiefs’ interest in signing veteran free agent Stephon Gilmore or trading for New York Giant James Bradberry, nothing has materialized with them yet. If that doesn’t change before the 2022 NFL Draft kicks off, cornerback will absolutely be one of the team’s top needs. General manager Brett Veach’s history suggests he’ll do something to fill that hole before the draft, but it’s starting to feel like the Chiefs are taking a different path this offseason.

Traditionally, the Chiefs under Veach have not invested heavily in either cap dollars or high draft picks at the corner position. So far that has worked out for them, but it feels like they may be pushing their luck too far if they don’t sign a proven starter AND they don’t draft a corner until the mid-rounds. That is why I still expect a signing of a starting-caliber player at the position to come at some point.

Should the Chiefs decide to break from their tradition and target a cornerback early, this draft does have some options that might fit in KC. The top corners, Derek Stingley Jr. and Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, should be long gone by the time the Chiefs pick, but guys like Andrew Booth Jr. and Kaiir Elam could make it to K.C. and both fit the profile of the type of corner they would target to start on the outside. Could this be the year the Chiefs actually make an early commitment to the position? Possibly, but what if they once again wait until the mid-rounds? Who might they target to be their next Charvarius Ward or L’Jarius Sneed?

I’ve identified four players that they could target in the third or fourth round that I really like and think fit what K.C. looks for at the position. I’ll give you a quick breakdown of the player, why I like them, and then in case you don’t want to just take my word for it, I’ve got some quotes from other sources that back up my view of the player and some clips for you to watch and judge for yourself.

So let’s get started with what may be the most tempting of my four options.

Tariq Woolen – University of Texas at San Antonio

• 6-foot-4
• 205 pounds
• 33.5″ arms
• 4.26 forty
• 7.10 three cone

If the Chiefs (or any other NFL team) like the idea of a 6-foot-4 corner with long arms and absolutely blazing speed then Tariq Woolen of UTSA may be too tempting to resist. You simply don’t usually find corners with that physical profile. That is why of the four corners on my list, Woolen is the most likely to not make it to the third round. The tough thing to decide about Woolen is if his drool-inducing physical traits are worth taking early despite how raw he is at the position. Woolen was originally a wide receiver and has only been playing defense for a couple of seasons. He has shown good growth during that time, but he’s far from ready to start in the NFL right now.

Woolen may have the highest upside of any cornerback in this draft class, but you’re banking entirely on potential, not proven production. The Chiefs were willing to do that with guys like Ward and Sneed, but the cost to acquire them was likely less than it will take to draft Woolen. Still, if the Chiefs could design their ideal outside corner in a lab, he would probably look just like Woolen. He has electric straight-line speed, elite height, and long arms. He isn’t as physical of a tackler as you’d like for his size, but if KC thinks they can get him to maximize his potential he’d be a home run pick in the third round and I’d even be fine if they took a gamble on him at pick 62. They would just need a veteran starter on the roster to man the position this year while they try to get Woolen up to speed.

Don’t Just Take My Word For It:

This quote from Dane Brugler’s (of the Athletic) draft guide sums Tariq Woolen up well:

"Woolen will require time to develop his technique and recognition both in coverage and run support, but he has a rare package of traits worth betting on with his height, length and speed. He is an appealing draft-and-develop prospect."

You can see a little of Woolen in action for yourself in the tweet below. If you like what you see there you can click the links below to watch even more.

Check out more of Woolen’s highlights HERE.

You can see his game vs Illinois (look for #3) HERE.

Woolen isn’t the only athletic specimen from a small school that may be of interest to the Chiefs.

Zyon McCollum – Sam Houston State

• 6-foot-2
• 199 pounds
• 30.75″ arms
• 4.33 forty
• 6.48 three cone

While Tariq Woolen may be the prospect getting the most hype for his size/speed potential, Zyon McCollum deserves a fair amount of hype of his own. McCollum might be two inches shorter, has shorter arms, and ran a 4.33 forty compared to Woolen’s 4.26, but he’s still an elite athlete for his size. In fact, using Kent Lee Platte’s (@mathbomb on Twitter) Raw Athletic Score (RAS), McCollum ranked first out of 1,923 corners he’s tested since 1987.

So if Woolen is taller and faster, why did McCollum have a better athletic score? His change of direction was noticeably better than Woolen. Woolen put up a mediocre 4.29 second short shuttle and 7.10 second three-cone while McCollum’s 3.94 short shuttle and 6.48 three-cone were elite times. That better change of direction upside should give McCollum a better chance to stick to quick-cutting receivers in man coverage.

The other reason McCollum deserves some hype as well is that he has more proven ball skill production. His 13 interceptions and 54 passes defended in his college career dwarf the 2 interceptions and 11 passes defended that Woolen had in his two seasons as a cornerback. Now, McCollum is still pretty raw technique-wise coming out of Sam Houston State and will also need a lot of coaching and time to adjust to NFL-level receivers, but if Woolen has the highest ceiling out of the corners in this class, McCollum isn’t too far behind him. His arms are a little shorter than KC typically likes on the outside, but they’re similar in length to Rashad Fenton’s who is also 3 inches shorter than McCollum.

I think McCollum would be a great third-round pick in the upcoming draft for the Chiefs and a home run pick if he makes it all the way to the 4th round. Similar to Woolen though, counting on McCollum as a rookie probably isn’t a smart idea. So while I love his long-term potential, the Chiefs would need some veteran help to get them through the 2022 season.

Don’t Just Take My Word For It:

I love this quote about McCollum from the excellent KC Sports Network Draft Guide:

"He’s a physical cornerback with good ball skills that clearly has a ton of athleticism and that speaks directly to the Chiefs soul when talking about the position."

You can see McCollum in action at the bottom of the screen in the tweet below. If you like what you see there or just want to see more for yourself, check out the links below.

Check out more of McCollum’s highlights HERE.

You can watch his game vs South Dakota State (look for #22) HERE.

If the Chiefs want a more proven and NFL-ready corner that still fits their profile, there is at least one good option they could target in rounds three or four.

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.

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