Even though they just won back-to-back Super Bowls and are in prime position to do what no one ever has - a three-peat - the Kansas City Chiefs have some needs they have to address in the draft. The Chiefs' holes are all fixable through the draft. They need an offensive tackle, guard and possibly center depth, linebacker depth, tight end depth, a wide receiver, and an edge rusher. Even with some of their draft picks coming later in the round, they can still get some really good players.
We are getting very close to the NFL draft, and it feels even closer now that the two biggest things on the Chiefs' checklist are out of the way. One was to handle the Chris Jones situation in the best way possible, and the other was to handle the L'Jarius Sneed situation in the best way possible.
While trading away Sneed was likely hard for everyone involved, it's what had to be done. He was one of the best cornerbacks in the league, and he is going to get paid like that. However, losing one of the best cornerbacks in the league does not mean the Chiefs have a new need on their team. They don't need to go after a cornerback now by any means, even if the national media is telling you they do.
If you watched any of the Super Bowl a few months ago, then you know the best player on the field was Trent McDuffie, no matter who else was out there with him or against him. He was dominant and showed up this season.
He is also a top-five cornerback in the league and definitely the best nickelback. His shutdown abilities are the largest reason why the Chiefs don't need to draft a new cornerback.
The next biggest reason is that the Chiefs already prepared for this L'Jarius Sneed situation last offseason when they drafted Chamarri Conner on day three from Virginia Tech. Conner was drafted to help fill the void when Sneed left, not to be a complete replacement.
And when Connor played last season, he was good in the limited time we saw him. He played just 28% of the total defensive snaps last season, which comes in at about 305 total defensive snaps. So, he didn't play much, but he played enough to show he can be a great piece to the defense.
The Chiefs have a track record of not only drafting well when it comes to cornerbacks but drafting well when it comes to cornerbacks on day three and players in general on day three. Let's start with the players who have been drafted on day three of the last few seasons. Chamarri Conner, Nick Jones, Nazeeh Johnson, Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson (all cornerbacks), and even running back Isiah Pacheco were all-day three picks, and some of them seventh-round picks.
The Chiefs are good at getting under-the-radar talent in the later rounds and developing into good football players. I don't think they should draft a cornerback at all, especially with guys like Johnson coming back from injury, who was looking to be a rotational player in training camp before an injury, and others developing. If they do, though, it will likely be on day three, as it should be.
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