2022 NFL Draft crushes for the Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs desperately need some help in the secondary, especially at cornerback. Thankfully, there are a lot of prospects that I love in this draft. I could have listed 3-4 guys at both positions, but these four are my top draft crushes in the secondary.

Cornerbacks and Safeties

Coby Bryant – Cornerback – Cincinnati – 6-foot-1 – 193 pounds
Consensus Big Board Ranking: #91 (3rd Round)

If Veach wants to continue his tradition of not investing early picks at cornerback but still wants someone that can contribute as a rookie, Coby Bryant would be my top target in the the third round. Bryant played opposite of top corner prospect Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner. That led to Bryant being tested frequently as quarterbacks looked to avoid throwing towards Gardner. Bryant held up really well, and if he wasn’t overshadowed by his teammate, he might have built more of a name for himself.

Bryant has the size and experience to help contribute on the outside right away. He may not have the elite athleticism and upside of some of the other corner prospects in this range (including the next guy on this list), but unlike those guys, he’s ready to help now. Don’t believe the mock draft simulators that sometimes have Bryant going later. The Chiefs should be thrilled if he’s still available when they pick in the third round.

Zyon McCollum – Cornerback – Sam Houston State – 6-foot-2 – 199 pounds
Consensus Big Board Ranking: #122 (4th Round)

The Chiefs under Brett Veach and Steve Spagnuolo have seemed to operate with the philosophy of “We don’t need elite corners. If a guy fits our physical criteria, we can make it work. “So if they’re confident that their system and coaches can turn guys into starters, there might not be a better corner to target in the third or fourth round than Zyon McCollum.

McCollum has one of the best size/athleticism combos of any corner we have seen in recent years. He also showed nice ball skills at Sam Houston, totaling 54 passes defended and 13 interceptions in his college career. He does not look ready from a technique perspective. If he gets fooled from time to time at that level of college competition then veteran receivers are going to make his life miserable early on. However, we’ve seen the Chiefs get starting-caliber corner play out of guys with WAY less physical abilities than McCollum. So if K.C. thinks Zyon is coachable, he’d be one of my top corner targets in this entire draft class.

Jalen Pitre – Safety – Baylor – 5-foot-11 – 198 pounds
Consensus Big Board Ranking: #55 (2nd Round)

If the Chiefs could draft Jalen Pitre in the same offseason that they let Tyrann Mathieu walk, it just might work out perfectly for them. Pitre is the size of an average cornerback but plays like a slot corner/safety/linebacker hybrid. He is another one of my absolute favorite players in this entire draft. Part of me wants the Chiefs to draft him in the first round to make sure they get him, but if they could somehow get him at pick 50 it would be a home run. In fact, my dream scenario for the Chiefs would be them trading up for an edge from 29, taking a wideout at pick 30, and then Pitre falling to them at pick 50.

I think Pitre has a unique enough skill set that he could both take some of Tyrann’s snaps in the slot AND some of Daniel Sorensen’s snaps as a third safety/dime linebacker in some packages. My hope is that Pitre’s lack of one clear position causes some teams to not know what to do with him and that allows him to slide to K.C. in the second round. Then again, if they just want to take him in the first round, I’m on board.

Bryan Cook – Safety – Cincinnati – 6-foot-1 – 206 pounds
Consensus Big Board Ranking: #95 (3rd Round)

If the Chiefs miss out on Pitre earlier in the draft, Bryan Cook is another safety that I really love in the third round. While I wouldn’t play Cook as a nickel corner like Pitre, he would be really good playing in the box as a Sorensen replacement. Cook is one of the best tackling safeties I watched in this class and he would add some pop that was lacking from the safeties in K.C. last year.

Cook wouldn’t be my top choice to play on the back end, but with Juan Thornhill and Justin Reid at safety he wouldn’t need to be used in that roll. The combined “pop” from the safety position if Kansas City added Reid and Cook in the same offseason would be so much fun and opposing players would definitely think twice when moving through the middle of the defense.

So there you have it Chiefs fans. Those are my favorite players in this draft class. Are any of your favorite draft crushes on this list? Are there any of these players that you don’t like for the Chiefs? Feel free to list your favorite draft crushes in the comments below. There’s only a few days left before the draft kicks off. The wait is finally about over!

Check out my other 2022 Draft Content:

Should The Chiefs Target A 1st Round Receiver?
3rd/4th Round Running Back Targets
3rd/4th Round Cornerback Targets
1st/2nd Round Edge Targets