The Chiefs don’t have the luxury of waiting around in their secondary. With proven playmakers gone and starter snaps sitting there for the taking, Kansas City needs newcomers who can step in fast. Louis Riddick thinks Jadon Canady is one of the rookies most likely to do it.
Riddick recently put together a list of draft picks he believes can make a real impact, with an emphasis on players taken outside the first round. When he got to Kansas City, Canady was the name that stood out.
The Chiefs found him at the top of the fourth round after Brett Veach adjusted his board heading into Day 3. Canady came in as a well-traveled corner, with stops at Tulane and Ole Miss before finishing his fifth and final college season at Oregon in 2025.
At 5-10 and 182 pounds, Canady fits the profile of a slot corner, and that’s the spot where he’s expected to compete. He handled that role well before, especially during his lone season with the Ducks, when he posted 39 tackles, 8 pass deflections and 2 interceptions on his way to Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors.
There are limitations that come with his size, particularly when bigger receivers are involved. But Kansas City is banking on the part of his game that matters most here: the burst and quickness that help him operate in the middle of the defense, an area that looked slower overall last year.
Canady is expected to push for primary slot snaps right away after the blockbuster trade of Trent McDuffie and other notable departures in the secondary. Still, nothing is handed to a fourth-round rookie. The Chiefs also added veteran Kader Kohou from the Miami Dolphins, and Christian Roland-Wallace showed well late in the season as the main holdover.
Even with Canady in the mix, Kansas City will need more than one answer to absorb the offseason losses of McDuffie and Jaylen Watson among several others. But the Chiefs have a track record of developing talent, and the front office clearly saw enough upside inside to make the pick in the first place. That’s why Riddick’s Canady call feels like one worth watching.
In Other News...
Patrick Mahomes Card Drama Has Chiefs Fans Sounding Off
A video making the rounds on social media has put Patrick Mahomes in the middle of an odd little off-field saga, this time involving the trading-card world. The clip purportedly shows a man and a boy at a card show in Illinois taking a Mahomes card valued at $15,000, and the scene has quickly drawn attention well beyond hobby circles as Chiefs fans and collectors react to what appears to be a brazen moment caught on camera.
The problem is that the authenticity of the theft has not been confirmed, which has only fueled the online debate. Even without a final answer on what exactly happened, the incident has already sparked plenty of commentary, with social media users weighing in on the card, the setting and the people involved while images tied to the alleged theft continue to circulate. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Get An Early Reminder Of How Thin This Receiver Room Is
Kansas City got an early look at how quickly the receiver depth chart can feel fragile in training camp. Xavier Worthy left practices with a shoulder sprain, though Andy Reid said the second-year target is expected back later in the week, a small sigh of relief for a player whose shoulder issues already interrupted parts of last season. For a Chiefs offense that is still trying to settle in and build timing, every rep at receiver matters, especially when one of the groups most explosive options is working through another setback.
The concern only grew when rookie Cyrus Allen also went down after a collision in a special teams drill. Camp injuries happen every summer, but the timing here puts an immediate spotlight on a room Kansas City was already watching closely. The Chiefs do not need a long-term alarm in July, yet they do need their young receivers on the field, and the first few days of camp were a reminder that there is not much margin for error if one of them misses time. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Secondary Suddenly Has A Camp Concern Fans Cant Ignore
Training camp has a way of turning a position group into a weekly referendum, and the Chiefs secondary is looking like one of those rooms right now. With Bryan Cook gone and the defense adjusting to life without some familiar structure, Kansas City is still sorting out its back end while the offense works through changes of its own. The cornerback picture is especially crowded, with several players getting real run as the staff tries to find the right mix before the preseason ramps up.
Mansoor Delane adds another wrinkle to that competition. After hurting his shoulder in minicamp, he has been working through camp with limited use of his right arm, which only sharpens the sense that every rep at corner matters. LJarius Sneed, Nohl Williams and Kristian Fulton are all in the mix on the outside, while the nickel job is also unsettled with Chris Roland-Wallace, Jadon Canady and Kader Kohou competing for snaps. [Read more 🡒]