Getty The Kansas City Chiefs have signed USC cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace (#17) after the NFL draft.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ 2024 draft class is in the books, and that means you can expect several UDFA signings over the next 24 hours. The first notable KC addition was reported by KPRC2 NFL insider Aaron Wilson.
“Christian Roland-Wallace (USC DB) signed with Kansas City Chiefs,” Wilson informed, noting a “$150,000 P5 guarantee per league source.”
Over the Cap translates a “P5 salary” as a paragraph 5 salary. Defining: “The P5 salary is what I refer to as a player’s base salary.” Although it appears Roland-Wallace is getting a hefty amount of guaranteed money — which is less common for undrafted prospects.
Not long after, the KC Star’s Sam McDowell confirmed this agreement.
“So happy for Christian Roland-Wallace,” Arizona Wildcats DBs coach DeWayne Walker also stated after the news. “He is going to sign with KC Chiefs, great organization. I put him in the same category as Al Verner and Davon House. These guys are not only ballers, but great people. I am so proud of you my man. Go be great because you are blessed 🙏🏾.”
New Chiefs CB Christian Roland-Wallace Coming off Career Season With 2 Interceptions & 11 Pass Breakups
Roland-Wallace is coming off a strong season at USC after four years with the University of Arizona. He weighed in at 5-foot-11, 201 pounds, but has been listed as a 6-foot cornerback in the past.
At USC, Roland-Wallace registered two interceptions and 2.5 tackles for a loss, as well as 11 pass breakups according to the Trojans team website. These were career highs for the fifth-year senior, and one of the two takeaways came off of potential 2025 first-round quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Shedeur Sanders is PICKED OFF by Christian Roland Wallace and this game is looking bad.
“Highly experienced cornerback with good build and average speed,” NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein scouted ahead of the draft, regarding the USC product. “Roland-Wallace has the athleticism and play strength to disrupt the catch, but tight hips and average instincts limit opportunities for takeaways.”
“He allows too much pitch and catch in front of him in off-man but is a much tougher matchup when pressing,” the draft expert went on. “[Roland-Wallace] has the patience and footwork to match releases and is quick to get into the receiver’s face from there, [but] is just average shadowing patterns and doesn’t have a big make-up burst in recovery.”
Zierlein concluded that his “size, strength and talent are worthy of a Day 3 selection and future backup opportunity.” In the end, Roland-Wallace instead enters the league as a priority UDFA.
Chiefs Draft CB Kamal Hadden in Round 6 of NFL Draft
Speaking of the cornerback position, Kansas City selected Tennessee CB Kamal Hadden in round six of the NFL draft. The 2024 pick stands a little over an inch taller than Roland-Wallace at 6-foot-1 but is a tad skinnier at 196 pounds.
Zierlein described him as a “big cover corner with the athletic talent and skill set to employ in a variety of coverages.”
“Hadden has the feet and strength to redirect routes from press but can be a little tight in his transitions when trying to simply mirror and match the release,” the NFL Network analyst detailed. “He anticipates route breaks with timing and steams in to break up throws. The ball skills are fine, but there can be too much panic and grab once he falls behind because of his subpar deep speed.”
Zierlein also noted that Hadden’s length is known “to annoy receivers from press,” but added that defensive scheme may have to help account for a lack of speed.
The Draft Network’s Damian Parson agreed on Hadden’s versatility in coverage, highlighting football IQ, physicality in press-man and a disruptiveness at the catch point as strengths.
“Overall, Hadden projects as a backup/rotational cornerback with roster-caliber talent,” Parson concluded. Although he did add that in the right situation, “Hadden can earn a starting role in a defense.”