The Chiefs trade up for a ball-hawking cornerback with the 85th overall pick.
The Kansas City Chiefs have selected California Cornerback Nohl Williams with the 95th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
After a trade-up with the Patriots, the #Chiefs selected California cornerback Nohl Williams with the No. 85 pick in the third round of the NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/VbnLAVhRrJ
— Arrowhead Pride (@ArrowheadPride) April 26, 2025
6’3” | 200 lbs. | California
Oxnard, California
Background: A three-star recruit out of Pacifica High School, Williams spent the first three seasons of his career at the University of Nevada Las Vegas before transferring to California at the start of the 2023 season.
Williams is a ballhawk, recording 14 career interceptions, with seven coming during the 2024 season. Williams doesn’t just get the ball; he looks to score and will also add some kick-return value to the Chiefs.
Williams has good height and size for the position, and, with decent athletic testing, he projects to be a solid outside cornerback in the NFL.
Strengths: Williams has great ball skills and does a fantastic job of finding the ball when it is in the air. He excels in man defense, where he can use his large frame to jam defenders at the line of scrimmage or fight to jar the ball free when quarterbacks do look to throw his way. A willing tackler, he should not have any problems stepping into the box when needed.
Weaknesses: Williams will likely be limited to playing only man coverage early on in his career, and projects to an outside-only corner for the time being. Without tremendous long speed, he will need to rely on his ability to press and jam receivers early to avoid being beaten downfield.
How he fits with the Chiefs: This feels like a very Veach and Spagnuolo selection. Williams hits the parameters the Chiefs are looking for in an outside corner, and the physicality is a definite plus. The Chiefs’ defense ranked 14th last season with 20 takeaways, but the addition of Williams could help add to this number while also allowing the Chiefs to move Trent McDuffie back to the inside confidently. Given the Chiefs’ history of drafting secondary players, this could turn out to be a very good selection for Kansas City.
Chiefs Draft Picks (9)
- Round 1 (32): Ohio State LT Josh Simmons
- Round 2 (63): Tennessee DT Omarr Norman-Lott
- Round 3 (66 — from Tennessee): Louisville DE Ashton Gillotte
- Round 3 (85): California CB Nohl Williams
- Round 4 (133)
- Round 5 (164 — from Philadelphia, through Cleveland and Detroit)
- Round 7 (226 — from Carolina)
- Round 7 (251 — compensatory)
- Round 7 (257 — compensatory, final selection of draft)