3 Cornerbacks Chiefs Need to Target in NFL Draft

Another big name cornerback was taken off the free agent market on Friday morning as Stephon Gilmore signed a two-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts. It leaves teams searching for cornerback help with dwindling options only two weeks before the 2022 NFL Draft gets underway.

One of those teams is the Kansas City Chiefs. This is a secondary that lost Charvarius Ward as well as Tyrann Matheiu and would benefit from added talent. Fortunately, the front office has two first-round draft picks to use. Here's a look at three CBs Kansas City needs to target when on the clock.

Kansas City Chiefs NFL Draft

1. Andrew Booth Jr., Clemson

The Chiefs should do whatever it takes to have Andrew booth Jr. making plays in front of a raucous Arrowhead crowd. That could mean trading up a few spots or simply making sure he falls to No. 29 overall. The Clemson standout showcased his dynamic coverages skills by racking up 9 pass breakups and 5 interceptions across 25 career games played. He has a knack for getting backfield pressure on screens and possesses enough speed to keep up with any receiver that lines up on the opposite of him. One thing to keep in mind here is that Booth seems ready to start right away, which is an important factor for a Chiefs team whose Super Bowl window is wide open.

2. Kyler Gordon, Washington

While Booth has the makings of a day one starter, Kyler Gordon out of Washington is much more of a project. The 22-year-old regularly uses his length to disrupt pass attempts and posted 7 pass breakups to go along with 2 interceptions during his sophomore season with the Huskies. However, he is a converted safety and lacks the technical skills of an NFL level corner. The good news is that the Chiefs have experience bringing the best out of their players and Gordon's raw potential alone makes him well worth the risk here. His ability to step up in rush defense or cover a receiver deep down the field would make him a perfect fit in Kansas City.

3. Kaiir Elam, Florida

Kaiir Elam is a bit of an overlooked name in this draft class and that makes him a viable target for the Chiefs at he end of the first round. The Florida product showed off at the NFL Combine in March, logging a 4.39 40-yard dash and 37.5-inch vertical. His results were impressive and backed up his college statistics. In three years with the Gators, Elam allowed only 619 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns while facing some of the best pass-catchers the SEC had to offer. Assuming he can figure out his penalty issues (7 drawn in 2021), Elam could push for playing time with a strong showing in training camp this summer.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.