Both of the Kansas City Chiefs’ starting outside cornerbacks are set to become free agents in 2021. Bashaud Breeland will be a free agent again after re-signing on a one-year deal. Charvarius Ward will be a restricted free agent, so it’s likely that he’ll be back at least for that season. There is a need to find some cheap options in the draft to eventually replace one or both of these players.
Kansas City has been interested in adding a cornerback since the 2018 NFL Draft. They had a strong interest in now-Vikings cornerback Mike Hughes in 2018. We learned on the Chiefs’ 2019 documentary series “The Franchise” that the team also had an interest in many of the corners selected at the top of the second round in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Will 2020 be the year the Chiefs land a cornerback early in the draft? Here’s a look at some of the cornerback prospects Kansas City could consider in each round of the 2020 NFL Draft:
Round 1: TCU CB Jeff Gladney
At 5-10 and 191 pounds, Gladney is one of the smaller corners getting first-round consideration, but he has good length with 32-inch arms. One thing that stands out with Gladney is his durability. He’s been a four-year starter at TCU appearing in 46 career games with the team, missing no time due to injury.
Gladney is an athletic cover corner, and while he doesn’t have the desired measurables, he never shies away from the competition. He knows how to fight through the catch point against bigger receivers. He’s very aggressive when defending the run.
Gladney has drawn a lot of interest from the Chiefs in the pre-draft process. Some view him as the No. 3 corner behind Jeff Okudah and C.J. Henderson, so the Chiefs might have to get lucky to draft him here.
Round 2: Mississippi State CB Cameron Dantzler
At 6-2 and 188 pounds, Dantzler measured in as the tallest cornerback at the NFL Scouting Combine. He has a very competitive playstyle in coverage, excelling at getting his hands on a receiver at the line of scrimmage and fighting through the catch point. He’s also very aggressive as a tackler, making plays in the screen game and run defense often.
There are a few issues for Dantzler and his projection to the NFL, the first being his wiry frame. While he has great length, he’s struggled to put on weight, even at a big SEC program like Mississippi State. Additionally, he tested poorly at the combine, running one of the worst 40-yard dash times (4.64). His play speed appears to be much faster than that, though. For as much as Dantzler has to overcome, his tape is phenomenal and against some top talent too.
Round 3: Auburn CB Javaris Davis
Davis screams nickel corner at the next level. At 5-8 and 183 pounds, Davis is a little undersized. What he lacks in size he makes up for in quick footwork and explosion. At the combine, he ran one of the top 40-yard dash times at 4.39. He also had a top broad jump score of 124 inches.
A beacon of consistency for the Auburn Tigers, Davis appeared in 44 games over the course of his career spending time at cornerback, nickel and as a punt returner. In each of his seasons at Auburn, he finished with at least 29 total tackles, two interceptions and six passes defended.
Round 4: Tulsa CB Reggie Robinson II
Robinson II had a highly productive career at Tulsa with 41 games played, 132 total tackles, three interceptions, and 34 passes defended. He has an incredible knack for locating the football and making sure it doesn’t reach its destination. He’s also an ace special teams player on the field goal unit, with four blocked kicks in his career.
At the Senior Bowl, Robinson was a standout player, proving that he can handle all of the top-flight competition. He also showed off his athleticism at the combine, running 4.44 40-yard dash at 6-1 and 205 pounds.
Robinson met with the Chiefs informally at the combine, but you can bet they had a more in-depth meeting back in Mobile, Alabama.
Round 5: Oklahoma State CB A.J. Green
Not to be confused with the wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, Green is a talented cornerback prospect out of Oklahoma State. Listed at 6-1 and 202 pounds, Green is a long press-coverage cornerback. He’s not going to beat anyone with his speed, but he has a good punch to disrupt route timing at the line of scrimmage. He does a good job of staying in phase despite his lack of speed.
Green did meet with Chiefs coaches at the 2020 NFL Scouting combine, having an opportunity to break down film with some of the staff. He could be a solid developmental candidate for Kansas City to target at pick No. 177.
Round 6: San Diego State CB Luqman Barcoo
College Football’s reigning interception leader, Barcoo had a crazy 2019 season for San Diego State. He recorded 16 passes defended and nine interceptions on the season. In one of the most impressive displays of defense this season, during his game against Colorado State, Barcoo had three interceptions on consecutive defensive snaps.
Size could also be a concern with Barcoo as he’s only listed at 175 pounds. He’ll need to bulk up for the NFL game. He does have good length though with 32-inch arms. He’s not the most physical cornerback, which is unsurprising given his size. The Chiefs did some homework on Barcoo and could pursue him on Day 3.
Round 7: Michigan State CB Josiah Scott
A distinct lack of size (5-9) and length (29-inch arms) will be problematic for Scott at the next level, possibly limiting him to a nickel corner role. The one thing that Scott is not lacking for is speed, running 4.43 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.
That speed translates to gameday too. In 2019, he locked heads with some of the quickest receivers in the Big 10 like K.J. Hamler, K.J. Hill and Donovan Peoples-Jones. He battled in those matchups, proving he has some gusto to his game.
Scott is another player that recently had a pre-draft video chat with the Chiefs.
