The Kansas City Chiefs are wrapping up their pre-draft visits, and Chris Johnson of San Diego State was a surprise.
The Kansas City Chiefs are in the process of wrapping up their pre-draft visits, and one of the more interesting reports that surfaced has them meeting with cornerback Chris Johnson, a late riser who’s been getting a lot of attention from multiple teams as the draft prep heads into its final stages.
The report came from Nikhil Mehta of ProFootballRumors.com, who used Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 as his primary source. In addition to the Chiefs, Johnson has met with the New York Jets, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Dallas Cowboys. The visits were also reported by Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports, and draft expert Dane Brugler has Johnson ranked 24th in this draft class, although Daniel Jeremiah of NFL .com has him at 40th.
It’s somewhat unusual for Johnson to be getting this kind of attention so late in the draft process. He was the Defensive Player of the Year in the Mountain West for San Diego State last year, so he’s got some bona fides as a top college corner. He picked off four passes in 2025, and he’d be a fit for the Chiefs given that they just lost both of their cornerbacks, with Trent McDuffie going to the Los Angeles Rams in a trade and free agent Jaylen Watson following him to LA by signing with the Rams.
The big question for a player like Johnson would be the step up. The Mountain West doesn’t exactly feature an array of top receivers, so he’ll be seeing a lot of receivers with skill sets he hasn’t encountered yet. There’s also the question of whether he’d be able to play the kind of physical style the Chiefs prefer from their cornerbacks.
When it comes to Kansas City’s overall draft approach, Johnson probably checks in as a tire-kicking visit. The Chiefs have bigger needs than cornerback, and GM Brett Veach recently referred to the cornerback depth in this particular draft as “moderate.” But Johnson could be a part of a Plan B scenario if the Chiefs somehow don’t land the player they want, so that could be an element of this visit, too.
The Chiefs have made several smaller moves at cornerback that could indicate a somewhat different approach this season. They’ve taken “fliers” on Kaiir Elam and Kader Kohou at cornerback, according to Mehta, and they also have players further down their depth chart like Nohl Williams who played well in late-season tryout games. Kansas City also signed Alohi Gilman at safety, and he’s more of a coverage player who could be a part of that shift.