Kansas City Chiefs: Rashad Fenton Is a Highly Underrated Cornerback

In 2019 Brett Veach would be in his second year as general manager for the Kansas City Chiefs. This would also be his second draft as general manager. The Chiefs would use their 6th round pick No. 201 on Rashad Fenton, a cornerback from South Carolina.

What Did the Scouts Say about Rashad Fenton?

According to thedraftnetwork.com,

Man Cover Skills –”I’m a fan of his toughness and tenacity inside the contact window, and he does a good job of keeping receivers working at the catch point when he’s attached. His transitions can be a bit labored; there isn’t a lot of upside with reach or fluidity to help him recover.”

Zone Cover Skills –”There’s some anticipation here on film, he shows the ability to creep and break on routes. His click and close burst to take away routes in front of his face are adequate, but once he needs to flip and carry a route vertically in the zone, he can’t keep the window shut.”

Rashad Fenton is a physical corner that is not afraid to play press-man coverage. Many of the traits listed above have carried over to the NFL.  According to PFF, Fenton has an 81.9 PFF Grade (2nd among CBs with 100 snaps). He has an 80.9 coverage grade (5th) and a 59.5 passer rating (7th).

Rashad Fenton’s 2021 Season So Far?

Since being drafted in 2019, Fenton has improved and also received more playing time. So far in 2021, he has played in eight games, starting five of those. In those games, Fenton was targeted 29 times allowing 20 completions for a completion percentage of 69%. He has not allowed a touchdown this season. He also has added 26 combined tackles and four pass deflections.

According to Hunter Stanton at Arrowhead Addict,

“In my eyes, Fenton has developed into a starting corner, and his last three games have shown that. Last week against the Giants, only one target flew his way and fell for an incompletion. The week before that against the Titans, he allowed a measly 20 yards on three completions. Then, against Washington three weeks ago, he was targeted ten times, allowing six completion for only 37 yards! That is insane, no matter the CB you’re talking about. To make things sweeter, Fenton hasn’t missed a tackle all year. He’s the Chiefs’ M.I.P this year!”

The Future Looks Bright for Rashad Fenton

As a Chiefs fan, one of the more appealing sites is an aggressive, physical cornerback and that is exactly what Rasad Fenton is. Every time No. 27 takes the field, I am confident in his ability to cover his opponent. Since Brett Veach has taken over as the general manager they have taken a lesser approach at signing big-name corners. If that is how the front office operates, Rashad Fenton fits into the Chiefs’ future.