Fayetteville State’s Joshua Williams draws KC Chiefs’ attention

Joshua Williams is a small-school cornerback prospect from Fayetteville State whose draft stock has soared this offseason.

The Kansas City Chiefs are the latest team to show some love for small-school cornerback Joshua Williams. It’s a sign of just how hot the Fayetteville State product has been in the run-up to the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Fayetteville State Broncos are a Division II school that competes in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), so Williams was always going to face questions about the level of competition in his quest to make the NFL. However, he took advantage of every opportunity afforded him this pre-draft season with a strong showing at the Senior Bowl in Mobile and again at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

Scouts love Williams’ size at nearly 6’3″ and he has the athleticism to back it up at the pro level. The Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, and San Francisco 49ers have all shown interest in Williams along with the Chiefs, per Aaron Wilson of the Pro Football Network. Williams can make plays on the ball with 21 passes deflected and 5 interceptions in his career at FSU.

The Chiefs have also checked out other cornerbacks recently, including Toledo’s Tony Womack and another small-school option like Ouchita Baptist’s Gregory Junior, as part of their 30 allowed pre-draft visits with prospects at Arrowhead before the 2022 draft at the end of the month.

As for the positional need, it’s definitely there given the losses of Charvarius Ward and Mike Hughes in free agency. The Chiefs have L’Jarius Sneed and Rashad Fenton returning along with Deandre Baker, but the Chiefs are going to need multiple new faces before training camp in order to feel okay about the position heading into another year.