Kansas City Chiefs: Cornerback targets for 2020 NFL Draft

It’s draft day! For the procrastinators who are trying to get caught up on players the Kansas City Chiefs could be targeting, here is a last-minute cornerback round-up for you!

It is no secret by now that cornerback is one of the bigger areas of need for the Kansas City Chiefs even with the top two corners from last season locked in for 2020. There are a ton of corners in the draft that need to be combed through to determine the best targets, luckily for you I’ve done it.

So without further ado, let’s look at eight cornerbacks to target starting with round one targets.

Cornerback Targets for Round One (pick 32)

1. Jeff Gladney, TCU

I was on this hype train well before he was a consensus first-rounder. He has climbed throughout the offseason and is now likely to go before 32, so this may not be the likeliest of targets for the Chiefs, but if he is there at 32 he would be a great selection.

What sold me on Gladney was an article on The Athletic written by Bruce Feldman called the 2019 College Football Freak List (subscription required).  Gladney made the freak list mainly because of his work in the weight room.

According to Feldman, before the 2019 season, Gladney squatted 620 pounds and put up 400 pounds bench pressing and power cleaning (and remember this is a guy who is listed at 191 and these numbers were from last offseason). He also added in a 40-time of 4.34 which ended up being a 4.48 at the combine, but that was with a meniscus injury.

It’s easy to see how Gladney landed on the “freak” list, but he is also pretty good at actual football stuff too. He has great coverage skills and ball skills and plays very competitively and he might be even faster than what his 40-time says. Gladney is the best corner KC could [possibly] grab at 32.

2. Jaylon Johnson, Utah

Johnson might be considered a reach in round one right now, so he may be more of a target for the Chiefs if they decide to trade back. He will definitely be gone by 63 though, which is why he lands in our first-round category. Johnson is a guy who lately I have been “banging the table” for as a first-round talent.

He has the size and speed to be an NFL corner and has great coverage skills. You will find that on this list I really like players who thrive in man coverage and Johnson certainly qualifies. He is also physical and has solid baseline ball skills which could likely improve as he reaches his full NFL potential.