KC Chiefs: Safety depth chart after 2020 NFL Draft

The safety position was one of the KC Chiefs’ areas of strength defensively in 2019. How does it look now that the 2020 NFL Draft has wrapped up?

Tyrann Mathieu greatly improved the safety position for the Kansas City Chiefs in their Super Bowl winning season. He, along with rookie Juan Thornhill, went on to have a tremendous season together and made KC’s safety tandem one of the scariest in the league.

Now that the most recent draft has finished up, how does the depth chart look at the safety position?

• Tyrann Mathieu
• Juan Thornhill
• Daniel Sorensen

These are the three who will be starting in 2020, barring something unusual. Now, let’s take a look at the depth behind these guys.

• Rodney Clemons
• Jalen Julius
• Armani Watts

This might not look like much depth, but keep in mind that the Chiefs have players like rookie L’Jarius Sneed and 2018 third round pick Dorian O’Daniel who can also play safety. Sneed was listed as a safety in this year’s draft, but more than likely he’ll be playing press corner for the Chiefs.

There isn’t a ton of depth at safety because quite honestly – The Chiefs don’t need a ton. Mathieu is as good as it gets at the safety spot and as long as Thornhill is healthy and good to go in 2020, that’s all the Chiefs really need. Throw in Sorensen as a nice third option and you’ve got yourselves a nice trio there at one of the league’s most underrated positions.

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When Thornhill went down at the end of the regular season, Kendall Fuller was able to switch over and play safety throughout the playoffs and it helped out tremendously. Perhaps Steve Spagnuolo looks to have rookie Sneed fill that role eventually, but for now, Mathieu, Thornhill, and Sorensen are the guys.

Watts was very hyped when the Chiefs took him in the fourth round in 2018, but he hasn’t amounted to much. This should be his final year to prove himself before the Chiefs realize there’s nothing there and move on from him.

O’Daniel hasn’t been playing safety much during his time in Kansas City, but he did play the position while at Clemson. He’s also someone who needs to up the ante in 2020 or he could see his time in Kansas City come to an end.

What are your thoughts on the safety position, Chiefs Kingdom? Is it a given that Honey Badger, Thornhill, and Sorensen are the starters? Will Sneed get a crack at playing safety? Give us your thoughts.