Another day and another trade-up for the Kansas City Chiefs, but this time Brett Veach made a move up the draft board to select a defender. He sent a future fifth-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings to grab Virginia Tech S Chamarri Conner at pick No. 119.
Conner (6-foot, 202 pounds) appeared in 61 games at Virginia Tech over the past five years, lining up in a number of different spots for the Hokies. He can play cornerback, safety, and slot corner. He’s also been a four-phase contributor on special teams, which means this is a Dave Toub draft pick.
At the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indy, Conner was one of our standout performers. Here’s what we wrote about him back then:
In what is considered a weak safety class, a player like Conner could be pushed up the draft board because of his workout. His 40-yard (4.51) ranked No. 7 among safeties. His vertical (40.5 inches) tied for the third-best mark. His bench press (20) and broad jump (125 inches) both tied for the fifth-best mark. During the on-field work, his backpedal and transition were extremely smooth. I was impressed with his ability to break on the ball as well. It also doesn’t hurt that he comes from a school that has constantly been praised for putting out good defensive backs.
Overall, this feels like a good move to grab a valuable depth piece for the secondary and core special teams contributor. His versatility will be coveted in Kansas City.
