Nohl Williams had an impressive rookie season for the Kansas City Chiefs last year, and he cold make a big leap.
The Kansas City Chiefs have been generating a lot of buzz regarding their secondary this offeseason, starting with the loss of three starters, then by drafting Mansoor Delane with the No. 6 pick in the draft. But the player chosen by Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus to have a breakout season was cornerback Nohl Williams, a player even some Chiefs fans know little about.
They’ll learn more this season. Williams played well during a late-season tryout, and he earned the start. Moreover, Williams gave the Chiefs the security to trade away slot corner Trent McDuffie, then let Jaylen Watson walk in free agency.
But Williams’ season was more than just a tryout. He played a total of 458 snaps last season, and his PFF coverage grades placed him 15th among cornerbacks with at least 250 coverage snaps. Williams also placed in the 93rd percentile in single coverages, and in the 89th percentile at outside corner.
The results on the field tell a similar story when you watch Williams’ tape and playing style. He’s the kind of tough, physical corner the Chiefs love, and they’ve specialized in taking mid-round picks like Williams and developing them into top talent.
Williams is just 23, and he was drafted in the third round out of California by the Chiefs in last year’s draft. He’s 6’1” 200 pounds, and Williams fast-tracked himself during his rookie year by posting 30 tackles and defending seven passes.
The best-case scenario for the Chiefs at cornerback is that Williams and Delane both develop into shutdown corners, which is a very realistic goal. Kansas City’s secondary struggled in coverage when the pass rush didn’t get home, and receivers were able to get free and make plays.
That seems far less likely this year. In addition to drafting Delane, the Chiefs made some significant additions to help the pass rush, taking edge rusher R Mason Thomas in the second round to go with new defensive tackle Peter Wood, who was also selected in the first round. Wood is expected to improve the pass rush by freeing up tackle Chris Jones from double teams so he can make more plays.
The overall idea is to give defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo some new weapons as the Chiefs reload on defense. The synergy between the secondary and the pass rush should help the Chiefs get off field more frequently and easily this year, and Kansas City is expecting Williams to be a big part of that effort.
