The Kansas City Chiefs knew what they were doing when they traded away superstar cornerback Trent McDuffie.
Steve Spagnuolo has a long history of developing cornerbacks into strong starters. He did it with McDuffie, L'Jarius Sneed, and Charvarius Ward, just to name a few. With multiple talented defensive backs on the board in the 2026 NFL Draft, Brett Veach is trusting that Spagnuolo can work his magic once again.
The perfect candidate to replace McDuffie is painfully obvious, and he should be available when the Chiefs are on the clock at No. 29. Tennessee's Colton Hood has all the tools to become Kansas City's next great cornerback.
Colton Hood is Chiefs' obvious replacement for Trent McDuffie
Hood has been rising up draft boards rapidly since the start of the 2025 season. He entered the campaign as a relative unknown, but an injury to teammate Jermod McCoy gave him a chance to shine. Quickly, he established himself as one of the top cornerbacks in the class.
He's a technically sound defender with the athleticism to keep up with NFL receivers. While he doesn't have the versatility to play in the slot that McDuffie does, he shares the former All-Pro's coverage instincts.
Best of all, the Chiefs won't need to use their first pick to get him. He will likely be available when Kansas City picks at No. 29. That's where NFL insider Peter Schrager had him going in his latest mock draft.
Schrager said, "Hood was highly productive last season, with 10 pass breakups despite Jermod McCoy being out of the lineup opposite him. Kansas City lost three key defensive backs in free agency (Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams), so there is a big need."
The Chiefs need to add at least one more starting cornerback to their lineup in the upcoming draft. As things stand, their defensive backfield is too shaky to start a season with. Nohl Williams and Kristian Fulton are better as depth pieces than as full-time starters. Spagnuolo deserves some benefit of the doubt when it comes to developing young defenders, but the front office needs to give him the tools to work with.
Hood could be the defensive coordinator's next project. In Spagnuolo's system, he would have the chance to develop into a dominant cornerback on the outside. If he's on the board at the end of the first round, the Chiefs should strongly consider taking him.