Chiefs Could Eye ‘Positionless’ Cornerback to Replace McDuffie

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Slap a blindfold on Steve Spagnuolo, then read him this description of a potential Kansas City Chiefs cornerback.

“Someone who just plays with his hair on fire,” said draft expert Daniel Jeremiah on Friday’s edition of Move the Sticks. “He ran great, ran 4.33 at his pro day. Someone who is an outstanding blitzer. He plays with energy and an edge that I love. He can play some nickel, you can move him around, do a lot of different things but I like him best as a nickel, where he's just going to be a dynamic blitzer.

“He can be a force player against the run. The big pick-six against Ohio State when he jumps the route, just an easy, fluid mover who's tough.”

The Chiefs’ defensive coordinator prefers a certain cloth of cornerback, and Keionte Scott is cut from that fabric. A 5-11, 193-pound defender, Scott is exactly the same stature as Trent McDuffie, Spagnuolo’s All-Pro cornerback now with the Rams. And based on Jeremiah’s scouting report, Scott sounds like a prospect who can step into the cleats McDuffie left in Kansas City.

Round 2 projection

Unlike McDuffie, Brett Veach’s initial selection in Round 1 of the 2022 draft (21st overall), Scott is expected to go in Round 2.

That’s OK, though, because Veach and Spagnuolo have been drooling over their film of Day 2 cornerbacks, including Scott. They’ve had a lot more time to to evaluate them, too, after a 6-11 season kept the Chiefs from the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds and San Diego State’s Chris Johnson are other Round 2 or 3 projections.

pond — Indiana's D'Angelo Ponds (5) and Tyrique Tucker (95) celebrate after the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

But Scott is a difference-maker. For anyone who wonders why NFL scouts love speed in cornerbacks, pull up that 72-yard interception-return touchdown in the Cotton Bowl against the Buckeyes – and watch Scott leave Ohio State’s receivers and backs in his FieldTurf pellets.

The touchdown capped a remarkable three-play sequence that began with Julian Sayin’s 59-yard pass to Jeremiah Smith, putting Ohio State on the Hurricanes’ doorstep. But on the next snap, short-armed Rueben Bain sacked Sayin to set up Scott’s game-turning interception.

bai — Dec 31, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (4) sacks Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) during the 2025 Cotton Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Scott fed off Bain: A preview of future Chiefs defense?

Instead of driving for a game-tying touchdown early in the second quarter, Scott’s touchdown was a 14-point swing in Miami’s favor. Momentum evaporated from the Ohio State sideline and the Buckeyes never led in a season-ending, 24-14 loss. They can thank Scott and Bain.

And don’t lose sight of the fact that Bain, again, affected Sayin on the interception. That combination of Miami Hurricanes could become household names for Chiefs followers in coming years as they continue to complement each other in Spagnuolo’s system.

carter mahome — Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is sacked by Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) and defensive tackle Milton Williams (93) during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Six Georgia Bulldogs helped the Eagles reach and then thrash Kansas City in Super Bowl 59. Two years later, the Chiefs and their Super Bowl aspirations have eyes on another high-level college program. Bain is clearly a possibility for Kansas City at No. 9. And Scott is clearly a possibility for Veach and Spagnuolo at No. 40, or even at 29 in the first round.