Sean Smith left the Kansas City Chiefs for their division rivals Oakland Raiders. The Chiefs drafted three cornerbacks in the 2016 NFL Draft. This will be a breakdown of each new corner and how they could possibly find a starting role on the Kansas City roster. The Chiefs do have some veteran presence in their secondary but it is limited. Marcus Peters is a surefire starter right now and that’s about it. The NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year hopes to have another solid season for the Chiefs. Phillip Gaines tore his ACL in 2015 but hopes to make a strong comeback in 2016.
Kansas City Chiefs Rookie Cornerbacks
Keivarae Russell
In the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Kansas City selected Keivarae Russell out of Notre Dame. At 5’11 he’s an inch shorter than Marcus Peters. Russell has been reported as having good ball awareness and can play the ball well in the air. The former Fighting Irish defensive back recorded 58 tackles, .5 sacks, and two interceptions in 2015. It is believed that he can be developed into a solid starter for the Chiefs. Russell’s downside is health and off-the-field issues. 2013 was the last full season that Russell played for the Fighting Irish. Kansas City is used to corners with off-the-field issues after drafting Peters in the first round in 2015.
Eric Murray
A round after drafting Russell, the Chiefs grabbed Eric Murray in the fourth round. The former University of Minnesota corner is known for a very physical style of play that might need to be worked on at the next level. Murray runs a 4.45 40-yard dash so his speed is good enough to keep up with most receivers. The former Golden Gopher has good ball instinct and is rarely caught out of position in college. Murray is not a ballhawk though. He only recorded two interceptions while at Minnesota. The fourth round pick’s physical play might also draw flags at the NFL level.
D.J. White
In the sixth round of the draft, Kansas City went for D.J. White out of Georgia Tech. The former Yellow Jacket is more of a football player than a gifted corner. Similar to Murray, though, White is usually not caught out of position. This is handy for the sixth rounder because he doesn’t quite have recovery type speed. He’s not afraid to hit someone and is also pretty good at stopping the run. However, White only recorded five tackles in the 2015 season for Georgia Tech. Similar to Murray as well, White did not record a single interception in 2015.
Summary
As of right now Russell appears the most likely to get the starting job nod. However, Steven Nelson is getting the most snaps right now opposite Marcus Peters. Nelson was drafted in the third round of the 2015 draft. The former Oregon State corner has been slowly working his way onto the field. Nelson is currently seeing some playing time with Phillip Gaines. As of right now, the Chiefs are also lining up the former Beaver in the nickel slot. When they go nickel they put Gaines to the outside and Nelson in the nickel corner space.