Five very different Chiefs cornerback solutions in the 2026 NFL Draft

Over the last decade, the Kansas City Chiefs have seemingly been able to grow quality cornerbacks on trees, identifying and developing them better than any other team in the league. This offseason, the Chiefs will almost certainly go to the well again, as they are losing their top boundary corner, Jaylen Watson, to free agency and could also look to trade star corner Trent McDuffie, who enters the last year of his contract in 2026.

There is a laundry list of talented players the Chiefs have both identified through the draft and developed into high-quality NFL players. That list includes Nohl Williams, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, L'Jarius Sneed, Charvarius Ward, and many more players who have contributed to some of the best secondaries in the NFL throughout the Chiefs' dynasty in the late 2010s and 2020s.

As of today, there are roughly 15 corners who could hear their names called in the top 100, and from top to bottom, the Chiefs will have several options to build their secondary this offseason. When it comes to outside corners, the Chiefs like big, athletic players they can mold into their defense, and if they also lose McDuffie, they could be looking to add a slot corner this offseason as well. With the team potentially having two starting jobs opening up, who could be their replacements?

The First Round Option: Jermod McCoy

Jermod McCoy has been the top corner in the 2026 NFL Draft since the first boards were created at the end of last season. He was arguably the best defensive back in the nation in 2024, and scouts were giddy to see what he could do in his return to Tennessee this season. But in January of last year, McCoy suffered an ACL tear and never returned to the field in Knoxville. Still, he decided to declare for the draft in December and (assuming he is healthy) remains the top corner in the 2026 class.

Scouts will be forced to go off the 2024 tape for McCoy, and while he looked good as a freshman at Oregon State, he really started to get national attention after his incredible sophomore season at Tennessee. McCoy was dominant in every facet of the game, proving to be a lockdown outside corner against some of the nation’s best receivers and showing the physicality to take over games in the SEC. If the Chiefs are going to fall in love with a corner they believe is worth a first-round pick, McCoy would be the guy.

The 2026 "My Guy" : Davison Igbinosun

It would be a disservice in a DB article not to mention one of the most underrated prospects in the draft: Davison Igbinosun. Over the last two years, Igbinosun has been one of the most underrated corners in college football, and he is still flying under the radar for most NFL scouts. He was eligible to declare for the draft last season, but after getting feedback from NFL scouts, he chose to return to school for a fourth and final season.

Last year, there was one clear issue for Igbinosun that showed up time and time again on film: penalties. In 2024, he was flagged a whopping 16 times, with many of those coming in coverage during some of the biggest moments for Ohio State. But this offseason, Igbinosun worked tirelessly to put an end to the penalty issues, and it paid off. He was flagged just five times this year, with only three coming in coverage.

Igbinosun became a lockdown corner this season and proved himself to be one of the most well-rounded corners in the 2026 class. Still, despite the massive reduction in penalties, he has not received the attention he clearly deserves. When you also consider that, in his four-year career, Igbinosun has played for three different defensive play-callers and found success under all three, that blend of versatility, athleticism, and physicality would make him a perfect fit in the Kansas City defense.

The Top-Notch Nickel: Keionte Scott

If the Chiefs lose Trent McDuffie via trade this offseason, adding a nickel corner will be near the top of their priority list. Having a strong nickel corner who can impact the game in coverage, as a blitzer, and as a run defender is immensely valuable in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, which uses a lot of disguised coverage and requires versatility from defensive backs. If Kansas City enters the draft needing a nickel corner, look no further than Miami star Keionte Scott.

Scott is a top-10 player in the class talent-wise, but the question will come down to who is willing to pull the trigger on a slot corner first. Teams are starting to recognize the value of a slot/nickel corner, and that value may be on the rise, as several mock drafts have Scott going in the top 50. I would be happy with the Chiefs grabbing Scott at pick No. 40, but if he makes it to them in the third round, he could be the steal of the draft.

The New Sneed: Jalon Kilgore

In 2020, the Kansas City Chiefs stepped up and drafted a small-school safety prospect with the vision of turning him into a full-time corner. That player was L'Jarius Sneed, who went on to become one of the best hybrid corners in the NFL and helped himself earn a nearly $80 million deal. The Chiefs would love to have a player like Sneed on the roster again in 2026, and when I watched Jalon Kilgore for the first time, Sneed was the first player who came to mind.

Playing at South Carolina, Kilgore has filled a variety of roles in the secondary, but in the NFL, he will likely play as a nickel corner because that is where he clearly made the most impact. On film, it is clear he even has the athletic ability to play on the outside, similarly to the way Sneed did when he arrived in Kansas City. Kilgore is a top-100 prospect in this year’s draft and would be a great fit in Kansas City. If he makes it to Day 3, he would be a perfect addition to the Chiefs’ defense.

The Man-to-Man Specialist: Julian Neal

Despite often being widely seen as an early Day 3 prospect, Neal is arguably the best man-to-man corner in the 2026 draft. Kansas City would be one of the perfect fits for Neal, as they consistently rank near the top of the NFL in man coverage rates. Typically, Steve Spagnuolo runs man coverage around 25 percent of the time and loves to lean on press-man late in games as he begins to dial up heavier blitzes. That philosophy is exactly what Neal needs to find success in the NFL and makes him a strong later-round option who could contribute on the boundary from Day 1.

With the Chiefs’ history of developing corners, they will likely wait until later in the draft to address bigger needs and let this year’s class fall to them. One of these players could make it to Day 3 and become a major steal if they slip outside of the top 100 and find their way to Kansas City.