Chiefs Draft Fayetteville State CB Joshua Williams with Pick No. 135 Overall
After a very successful stretch between Days One and Two in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs got back to work to begin their Day Three slate. With the No. 135 overall pick, the team has drafted Fayetteville State cornerback Joshua Williams.
Feb 5, 2022; Mobile, AL, USA; American squad wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. of Tennessee (1) returns a put defended by National Squad cornerback Joshua Williams of Fayetteville State (30) in the first half at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
The Chiefs hadn't built a reputation for investing heavily in the cornerback position before their 2022 first-round pick of Washington corner Trent McDuffie. Instead, general manager Brett Veach was known for Day Three picks Rashad Fenton and L'Jarius Sneed — both players who have played significant roles on the team in recent years. With Williams in the fold, the Chiefs gain yet another great athlete and a player who fits the Steve Spagnuolo mold as a defensive back.
At Fayetteville State, Wiliams is coming off a season in which he recorded 31 tackles and six passes broken up. He also had three interceptions in the process, returning them for a total of 32 yards.
The NFL Draft Bible on Sports Illustrated recently broke down Williams' game, citing his size and feet as two clear plus traits:
A small school standout, the long-limbed defensive back from Fayetteville immediately stands out on film as a dominant presence. With great size and excellent feet and fluidity, Williams looks to be the first player drafted from Fayetteville State in over 40 years.
Williams had a terrific pre-draft process from an athletic testing standpoint, posting a 9.41 Relative Athletic Score on the heels of plus-plus size and good agility scores. His RAS ranked 115th out of over 2,000 cornerbacks who had sufficient data since 1987.
