Today’s the day, Chiefs Kingdom! The 2026 NFL Draft finally kicks off Thursday night and continues into the weekend, as 257 college prospects will hear their name called to transition into the next level of their football careers.
Brett Veach and the Kansas City Chiefs' front office have been hard at work for months, and so have fans, as a lost 2025 season has only amplified excitement for the upcoming campaign. There are more holes to fill on this Chiefs team than in years past, and cornerback is no exception.
Trading away an All-Pro in Trent McDuffie to the Rams awarded the Chiefs a haul in draft capital, including the No. 29 overall pick in this year’s draft. Also, it precluded them from signing him to the massive four-year, $124 million contract. But his loss on the back end of Steve Spagnuolo’s defense will be felt, as will the free agency departures of Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams. Watson has been simply excellent over the past two seasons, seventh-round pick pedigree aside. And Williams, while shaky at times in coverage, helped the Chiefs win back-to-back Super Bowls in 2022 and ‘23.
It’s a cornerback room with second-year Nohl Williams and much-maligned veteran Kristian Fulton leading the charge. The addition of Kader Kohou to play in the slot is a fine move, but the Chiefs lack meaningful depth players at the position.
Chiefs Must Target Potential Star CB Late in the Draft
During the Veach era, Kansas City has been one of the very best franchises at finding talent late in the draft, specifically at corner. L’Jarius Sneed was a home run fourth-round pick in 2020. Williams, Watson, and Nazeeh Johnson had varying levels of success as Day 3 selections. And Chamarri Conner, with all his flaws, is a good player for where he was drafted at No. 119 overall.
To keep this level of success going, I believe the Chiefs could really benefit from using their early picks on premium positions of need and waiting on cornerback until the middle to latter stages of the draft, where they know they have a high hit rate. One of my favorite late-round targets, at any position for that matter, is Washington Huskies CB Ephesians Prysock.
Glaringly awesome name aside, Prysock measured in at the combine at a lengthy 6’3”, 195 lbs, with 33-plus inch arms, and a fast 4.45 40-yard dash time. These measruables, among a few others, scored him a 9.90 out of 10 RAS (Relative Athletic Score). After two solid years at Arizona, Prysock transferred to Washington, which, interestingly enough, is the program Trent McDuffie came out of back in 2022.
He started all 26 games, accumulating over 90 tackles, forced two turnovers, and led his team with 13 pass break-ups. Not only is he freakishly athletic, but Prysock is really smart and sees things develop on the field much faster than many other Day 3 corners would. He can diagnose routes really well, helping him crowd the intended area of the field. While he plays a bit too upright, Pryock is fast enough to close on routes on the occasions he does get beaten, thanks in part to his long arms.
Prysock had so many more chances to force turnovers, but couldn’t quite reel in the interceptions. He tackles well, which is something Spags not just asks, but requires of his secondary players. And while he may not force a ton of turnovers, with the help of CB coach Dave Merritt, Prysock's already good coverage skills will only get better, which may prove to benefit his ball production.
Being a starter from the jump is likely too lofty a goal, as Prysock is a little too raw and needs some refining. But the defender can certainly back up a Kristian Fulton on the outside and hopefully grow throughout the season. He’ll no doubt be another day late-round hit for Veach if he decides to go that route.
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