Getty Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson.
The Kansas City Chiefs defense is filled with several young and talented playmakers. But there’s one young defender, in particular, that has flown under the radar as a rising star in Kansas City that Mark Van Sickle of Arrowhead Report is drawing attention to.
Van Sickle believes that second-year cornerback Jaylen Watson will build upon an extremely impressive rookie season as he works his way toward stardom.
“With the Chiefs focusing on improving the defensive line in the 2023 draft, Kansas City’s secondary could look even better in 2023, and Watson will play a big role in making that happen,” Van Sickle wrote on July 15. “Watson should be able to make that second-year jump and give the Chiefs what they need out of him to continue being a Super Bowl contender.”
Jaylen Watson a Draft Steal for Chiefs in 2022
Jaylen Watson, 24, was the 234th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. It didn’t take long for the Day 3 prospect to earn a significant role on Kansas City’s defense, as he played 51 percent of the team’s defensive snaps during the 2022 regular season opener against the Arizona Cardinals according to Pro Football Reference.
Watson went on to play 56 percent of the team’s total defensive snaps in the 16 regular season games he played last season. With those snaps, he registered 39 tackles, 8 stops, 2 pass breakups, and 1 interception, which was a 99-yard pick-six, according to PFF.
Though Watson’s regular season efforts were remarkable given his draft status just several months prior, his postseason performance was the cherry on top of a spectacular first NFL season for the rookie.
In three playoff games, Watson recorded 2 interceptions — which came while facing Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow — and also had 10 tackles.
Overall, Watson’s production during his first season in the NFL was a welcomed surprise for Chiefs Kingdom. His rookie season also displayed yet again how good Kansas City is at drafting and developing talent at the cornerback position.
Current State of KC’s Cornerback Room
As it stands, Kansas City’s cornerback room consists of L’Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams, Chamarri Conner, Nic Jones, DiCaprio Bootle, Lamar Jackson, Reese Taylor, Isaiah Norman, Kahlef Hailassie, and Ekow Boye-Doe.
Sneed, McDuffie, Watson, and Williams are locks to make the 2023 regular season roster. Conner and Jones, who were drafted in the fourth and seventh rounds respectively in April, are strong candidates to make the regular season roster unless they fall flat on their faces this summer.
Heading into Year 2, Watson is expected to start alongside Sneed and McDuffie, which makes that unit yet again not just one of the more youthful starting cornerback groupings in the league but also one of the most talented and biggest values based on the fact that all three projected starters are on rookie deals.
The cornerback room in Kansas City being so cheap allowed the defending Super Bowl champions to add to its edge rushing unit this offseason via free agency, which will help improve the defense as an entire unit in 2023 and beyond.
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Analyst Claims Chiefs 2nd-Year Starter & Playoff Hero a ‘Rising Star’