The Kansas City Chiefs need to invest in the trenches and their secondary through free agency and the 2025 NFL draft. Super Bowl LIX revealed Kansas City’s lack of depth in several positions, including cornerback. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach should search for a more long-term option on the perimeter.
California Golden Bears cornerback Nohl Williams didn’t weigh in at the Shrine Bowl and won’t post official measurements until the NFL Combine, but he appears to meet or surpass all of the league’s height, weight and arm length thresholds. With more than 3,300 career defensive snaps, he’s one of the most experienced defenders in the class.
Williams uses a powerful one-armed stab to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage and drives outside releases into the sideline. His use of inside leverage deters quarterbacks from testing him when receivers release outside. Williams maximizes his size in press coverage to re-route receivers or halt releases at the line of scrimmage. His vertical speed allows him to carry receivers downfield out of press coverage.
Cal CB Nohl Williams has outstanding ball skills. But I’m even more impressed with the edge and physicality he put on tape.
This dude competes! Really impressive match up vs. Ayomanor. pic.twitter.com/PnImMdvxPg
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 23, 2025
Williams quickly gets in phase and sticks on the receiver’s back hip on inside releases. However, he frequently takes false steps in press coverage and allows early separation against inside releases. Williams plays on his heels and loses early in the play. He gets happy feet, which causes him to overreact and abandon his technique.
Williams possesses the physical tools to see playing time early in his NFL career, but he needs to clean up his footwork. He lacks the twitch to recover when his technique breaks down early in plays. He defaults to grabbing and hooking receivers to hide his mistakes.
Williams looks for opportunities to jump routes in zone coverage and quickly closes when routes break in front of him. Unfortunately, he often drifts in coverage and isn’t a fast processor post-snap to diagnose route combinations. His ball skills pop at the catch point and helped him amass seven interceptions in 2024.
Williams is one of the more controversial cornerback prospects in the 2025 NFL draft. He possesses the physical talent to be a top 100 selection. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler listed him as the 91st prospect and tenth-highest-ranked cornerback on his recent top 100 big board. However, Williams’ lapses in technique could drop him into the fourth round.