The Kansas City Chiefs have embraced a youth movement on the defensive side of the ball.
Each of their first four 2026 NFL Draft picks were defensive players, as were four of their seven draft selections in 2025. It is much needed, as age and declining athleticism caught up with Kansas City’s defense during last season.
CB Nohl Williams Named Kansas City Chiefs’ Breakout Player for 2026 Season
GettyChiefs CB Nohl Williams
ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak named one potential breakout player for each team on Wednesday. Like many other outlets have during the offseason, here is why Solak chose Williams for the Chiefs.
“This is one of my guys. A smart press corner with a nose for the football at Cal, Williams seemed like an obvious middle-round Steve Spagnuolo corner up to and including the moment the Chiefs drafted him in the third round. Behind Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, Williams could never be more than third in the rotation. With both gone, he’ll be fighting with Kristian Fulton for a starting job opposite 2026 first-rounder Mansoor Delane.”
On 457 defensive snaps played, Williams recorded 48 total tackles (four for loss), seven passes defensed, and one sack as a rookie. Solak not only believes Williams will put it all together in 2026, but the Chiefs won’t miss a beat after parting with McDuffie and Watson.
“Williams is on the inside track. He took his rookie lumps last season, but he had plenty of splashy moments against legitimate NFL receivers. I’d go so far as to say Williams’ work as a rookie was part of the reason the Chiefs felt so comfortable letting McDuffie and Watson out of the building. He’s the next man up.”
Williams was a third-round pick by Kansas City in 2025. He was incredibly productive in college, recorded 14 interceptions, including seven in 2024. Williams played well right off the bat as a rookie for Kansas City, and many fans were frustrated that he wasn’t playing more early on. He eventually did when McDuffie and Watson were placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Nohl Williams, Mansoor Delane Could Be Chiefs’ Next Great CB Tandem
GettyChiefs CB Mansoor Delane
Kansas City has a rich history of cornerbacks, and is now banking on Williams and Delane to continue that tradition. It also brought L’Jarius Sneed back to the mix, who played at a high level with the Chiefs from 2020-2023. Not to be forgotten is 2026 fourth-round pick Jadon Canady, who compete for the nickelback role.
Being a first-round draft pick, Delane will be often compared to McDuffie. That will be big shoes to fill, as McDuffie is a two-time All-Pro. However, Delane has the traits to do it. He is smooth and fluid in coverage, and possesses 4.3 40-yard dash speed. Throughout his four-year collegiate career, Delane recorded eight interceptions, 191 total tackles, 27 passes defensed, and four forced fumbles.
Williams will mostly draw comparisons to Watson. While Watson was a very solid player and awesome success story being a seventh-round pick, he was often injured and wasn’t a tier 1 cornerback. It is reasonable to expect Williams to perform as well as Watson did, if not better.
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