KC Chiefs: Sizing up the competition at cornerback

Additions

The Chiefs made several acquisitions at cornerback this offseason, primarily through the draft, but also through a trade. Let’s take a look at some of the Chiefs’ most notable additions at cornerback this offseason.

Trent McDuffie

The Chiefs used the 21st overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft on Trent McDuffie, a cornerback out of Washington. I did not expect McDuffie to be available at 21 and his average spot among media members’ big boards was 19 ($).

McDuffie is expected to be a starter for the Chiefs this season. In year one, he can play either inside or outside. According to Cory Giddings of Bleacher Report, McDuffie is a willing run defender, is a willing tackler, and has solid ball skills. All of those are good ways to get on the field as a rookie.

Overall, McDuffie has a lot of pressure since he was the Chiefs’ first draft pick in its most anticipated draft in years, so he will have a lot to live up to. If he reaches his potential, the Chiefs may have just found the franchise corner that they have been searching for since Marcus Peters was traded. He can be a guy who plays all over the field and can maybe even shadow a team’s #1 wide receiver. But that could be a ways away.

Joshua Williams

The Chiefs used the 135th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Joshua Williams, a cornerback out of Fayetteville State University. He was selected around the range he was expected to go as, per Arif Hasan’s consensus big board, he was projected to go around 125th overall.

I don’t project Williams as a starter his rookie year, given that he is coming from a Divison II. If he can adjust to NFL speed and physicality, he may be able to play consistently earlier than expected.

In my opinion, I see Williams as a starter two or three years down the road, but not in 2022. I foresee him playing special teams and serving as a depth player.

Jaylen Watson

The Chiefs used the 243rd overall pick in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Jaylen Watson, a cornerback out of Washington State. He was selected relatively later than expected, per Arif Hasan’s consensus big board, since he was projected to go around 194th overall.

I’ve seen some people around Chiefs twitter say that Watson may get playing time on defense earlier than Joshua Williams. I do not know if that will be the case, but like Williams, Watson has great size and arm length. Long-term, both will compete for Charvarius Ward’s old role as their primary boundary corner who will take on the opponent’s bigger receivers.

I also wrote more about Jaylen Watson here.

In the end, in all likelihood, we are probably multiple years away from knowing what Watson will truly be in the NFL, but I am excited for what he could be.

Lonnie Johnson Jr.

Lonnie Johnson was traded by the Houston Texans to the Chiefs in exchange for a conditional 2024 seventh-round pick. He will reunite with former Texans teammate Justin Reid in Kansas City. Originally, he was a second-round pick out of Kentucky in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Texans.

It feels safe to say that his career has not gone as planned while in Houston. But the Chiefs have shown that they are not afraid to take flyers on players who were premium picks, but haven’t lived up to expectations on their original, see Deandre Baker and Mike Hughes.

Over three years in Houston, Johnson had PFF coverage grades of 29.0, 69.1, and 33.3 in 2019, 2020, and 2021 ($), respectively.

Even though he is listed as a cornerback, I do not believe that Lonnie Johson will be a cornerback for the Kansas City Chiefs. In Houston, he spent the majority of last season, and the high majority of 2020, as a safety. Also, due to the Chiefs having several guys ahead of him on the cornerback depth chart, it would make sense for the Chiefs to try him out at safety.

Let’s move on to who has carried over from last year’s roster on to this year’s team.