The ‘Shock and Awe’ Series: Part Two Defense – Cornerbacks

Continuing with the Roster Building Format adopted by GM Brett Veach, Scouts and Coaches alike: Obtain Players with ‘Shock and Awe’ who play the game fundamentally with football intelligence, sound, solid, hard-nosed, physical football.

The Chiefs have struggled off and on, staffing the cornerback room with solid pass defenders who are also part of the “Shock and Awe” force. Some of that has to do with the player’s physical stature. In 2022, that is not the case. For example, last year, the Chiefs only had one player in the secondary who was 6’2″ tall. Length was obviously a missing metric, and most players were not 6’0″ tall. Currently, the Chiefs have three players who are 6’3″ or taller. The general physicality of the players that have been added is a noteworthy characteristic whether the players arrived in the draft, F/A signing, or as a UDFA.

There are no CBs in my list whose length is less than 5’11”, so physical presence in the cornerback room has advanced. Of course, at this point, I do not yet know who will make the 53-man roster. However, I am sure of the first four players on my list, as well as Rashad and Fenton. I can see that the coaching staff is working hard with Joshua William in the OTAs and Minicamp. I suspect these six players have a good shot at being the core of the first line of defense of the secondary.

L’jarius Sneed(6’1″)- PFF rated the Chiefs secondary as #14 in their appraisal for 2021, and one primary reason for that is due to the under-valued L’Jarius Sneed. He made the most of being a “Shock and Awe” defender in his first two seasons with the Chiefs and was #2 in defensive stops in 2021. According to Michael Renner, Sneed was the best Cornerback of his draft class in 2020.

While he’s been overshadow by more prominent names on the Chiefs’ roster, L’Jarius Sneed deserves some credit for his play since entering the NFL. He’s had arguably the best start to his career of any cornerback from the 2020 draft class. While being asked to move between outside and slot cornerback, depending on where he’s needed, he’s been excellent through two seasons. He made the second-most defensive stops of any cornerback in the league last year.”

I agree with Renner’s assessment. Now entering his 3rd season in the NFL, Sneed should shine both in pass defense and his run-stopping physicality. He has been an excellent defender outside but has probably the best technique of the existing roster players, being able to defend effectively a route runner who can break either way in the slot. He will be a starter outside, but when three CBs are on the field, I can see him or Trent McDuffie in the slot, but that is sort of like tossing Trent to the wolves manning the slot as a rookie. On the other hand, the Chiefs did that with Rashad Fenton in his rookie season.

The metrics that make L’Jarius Sneed an excellent fit for a boundary CB are his length at 6’1″, his arm length(31-3/8″), his speed(4.37-40), and his physicality. His versatility allows him to play the slot and adds another dimension to Sneed’s repertory. His ability to lock receivers up at the line of scrimmage in press-man coverage, even in the slot, is a big credential. Beyond the CB role, Sneed played Safety for a season for Louisiana Tech. This familiarity fits well with what DC Steve Spagnuolo likes to do with his secondary assignments. He can swap a safety forward in coverage and drop Sneed deep. That aids in disguising coverages and confusing the opposing QB. I should have mentioned this in yesterday’s article, especially with the newcomer Bryan Cook and new addition Justin Reid.

Sneed is an excellent boundary corner with the prototypical physicality for the outside role. Sneed had three INTs in his rookie season. Here is a video showing Sneed’s physicality in press-man coverage vs. the Saints. Not his proximity and physicality, his use of his arms, and his tenacity: https://twitter.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/1340774640193572867?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1340774640193572867%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pff.com%2Fnews%2Fnfl-ljarius-sneed-was-the-best-rookie-defensive-back-in-2020

Sneed will be the anchor of the cornerback room as it sees the emergence of newcomer Trent McDuffie.

Trent McDuffie(5’11”)- I am excited about the new arrival CB from the Dub(Washington). The NFL draft profile rated him a year-one starter, and the appraisal by Veach & Co. influenced the move up to pick 21 to draft him. Everything about his play made me whet my appetite once he was drafted. For the 2021 season, McDuffie had 25 solo tackles which highlight his aggressiveness and my forecast that he would be a “Shock and Awe” defender.

McDuffie was rated the #4 CB in the draft with a timed 40 of 4.44 seconds. McDuffie has many superlatives from outsider observers:

• He made an impact as a freshman starting 11 games while playing in 752 snaps and logging 41 tackles but surrendered a 94.3 QB rating when targeted. The downside of his freshman year was his QB rating, but he was nominated for a potential Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year award.
• 2020 McDuffie only played four games in the Covid shortened season, but his productivity improved significantly.
• Finished with a QB rating of 52.1 when targeted. This resulted in him receiving a second-team All-Pac-12 nod.
• In his junior year with the Huskies, he played 702 total snaps while only giving up a QB rating of 52.0 after being targeted 36 times. McDuffie received first-team, all-conference honors from Pac-12 coaches, Pro Football Focus, West Coast CFB, and the Associated Press.
• McDuffie plays with highly focused awareness in the red zone and stays on the back line to take away fade throws. Capable of making quarterbacks pay for late throws.
• An excellent athlete with top-level explosiveness, speed, and quickness.
• Has top-drawer football intellect, reads and reacts to unfolding plays with great anticipation.

McDuffie is a student of the game. He watches game film daily–it’s part of his daily routine.

“I break down film every single day of the week,” he observed at the Combine and described himself as a ‘student of the game.’ McDuffie told reporters at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine. Watching game film before facing opponents is a prominent part of his game prep. He studies NFL game film with the same intensity.

When interviewed, McDuffie said: “I love studying film, I love watching guys all over the league, past, present. I spend a lot of energy and create an organized plan to watch as many games as I can. Beginning of the season, I watch last season’s film. Going through the season, I try to get through every game and all the games from last season. So, I start at 5:30, end at about 10 o’clock at night. I watch at least four games a day. I feel that has helped me so much.”

All the things I see about Trent educate me that he will quickly impress Chief’s fans in 2022. I’d wager a large sum of money putting it on McDuffie and his fit with the Chiefs. I firmly believe that McDuffie is an “Ace Draft Pick” by GM Brett Veach.

Lonnie Johnson(6’2″)- The Chiefs signed Johnson in a trade for a conditional 7th-round future pick from the Chiefs.

Johnson requested the trade, and Veach accommodated. In addition, he was polite when he tweeted about it without making negative comments.

Two things immediately came to mind when Johnson came aboard; He has good length, and he has experience as a team-mate of Justin Reid. Johnson came out of Kentucky and had a 4.51-40 recorded. His length is an advantage for the Chiefs. He was rated by the NFL analysts at 6.30, and they stated he would become a “plus” starter. Johnson was drafted by the Texans in the second round, pick 22. Daniel Jeremiah observed at the time of the draft: “Johnson has a rare height-weight-speed combination. Showed up at the Senior Bowl and was outstanding, and that’s why his stock began to rise. You love how hard he plays.”

Since I live in the Houston area, I can state that I never heard negative remarks about or by Johnson. However, that he was traded may tell part of the story that we never hear about – a disgruntled player demanding an out. Johnson was not a starter but played in 14 games in 2021, garnering three picks. He started seven of those games.

I think Johnson is a good enough defender to make the upcoming roster even if he is not a starter. His length, speed, and physicality will benefit the Chief’s secondary, and he could be a starter on the boundary, a player who adds to the depth of the cornerback group.

Jaylen Watson(6’3″)- I had written before that Watson was on my draft watch list. I reasoned that the Chiefs needed a CB who had top-level length and Watson fit that bill. Watson was the fastest player on the Washington State Cougars team in 2021.

Watson’s Strengths?

• Good size, strength, and length.
• Fought through adversity to find an FBS home.
• Developmental traits for zone-heavy units.
• Very physical in bullying the release from press.
• Strong punch drives through wideout’s shoulders.
• Overwhelms catch point on contested catches.
• Willing hitter with plus strength in run support.

He does have weaknesses that require coaching:

• Lacks foot agility and quickness for man coverage.
• Gets routed out of position fairly easily.
• Doesn’t trust his eyes just yet.
• Takes poor angles and lacks a credible burst to the ball.
• Doesn’t find the football in downfield route phase.

I thought Watson would be drafted in round 5 or 6. It is clear that he has work to do. Brett Veach picked him up in round 7. We’ll have to wait and see how he develops in training camp.

Joshua Williams(6’3″)- I did not have Williams on my player appraisal list. He came out of a small HBCU school, Fayetteville St., and the Chiefs do great work scouting those schools. His addition to the draft came as a complete surprise. I know this much: He has good technique, and length is a factor that fits the Chiefs. William’s 40 time was 4.53 seconds. The NFL draft profile indicated that he would be a good backup and develop into a starter. Williams looked good at the Combine, and he even had a short segment of coverage from Good Morning Football. That he did get an invite to the Combine should have caught my eye.

Reports from OTAs and the Minicamp were good. It was noteworthy about Staff working with him on fundamentals, and this informs me that Williams was not an afterthought. Coaches were taking specific time to work on his skills of Williams which bodes well for how the Coaching Staff sees his future. Williams appears to have a very good shot at making the 53-man roster.

Rashad Fenton(5’11”)- Fenton has grown since his arrival as a 6th-round draft pick. What more can one wish for from a 6th-round draft pick? However, he played in the slot almost exclusively in his first season. That was a surprise for me.

Since then, he has played inside and outside both. He has never been a full-time starter, but he has been an integral piece of the Cornerback group. I think you can be safe in saying that if McDuffie doesn’t win the starting CB role immediately, the player opposite Sneed would be Fenton(or Lonnie Johnson). In 2021, Fenton earned particular recognition from PFF when he rated NFL Secondaries for 2021. There is some talk in Chief’s circles about 2022 being a contract year for Rashad and whether the Chiefs should extend him. I firmly believe this should happen, and it’s better to do it early than late(Cost-effective).

There are, of course, other DBs on the roster. But these six players appear to me to be good fits to make the 53-man roster.

David Bell – ArrowheadOne