Arrowhead Pride
Every NFL Team’s Most Promising Building Block Entering 2026
Kansas City Chiefs: CB Nohl Williams
Before this past season, the Kansas City Chiefs had done a ridiculously good job of staying in title contention. A big, not-so-secret part of their success was their ability to successfully reload the roster through the draft.
This year, Kansas City will need to reload its cornerback room in a big way. The Chiefs traded starter Trent McDuffie before losing another starter, Jaylen Watson, in free agency.
In camp, expect plenty of eyes to be on rookie first-round pick Mansoor Delane, whom the Chiefs selected sixth overall after trading up. However, second-year corner Nohl Williams might become a defensive headliner even before Delane.
In fact, the promise that Williams consistently showcased last season might be why Kansas City was comfortable moving McDuffie.
A third-round pick out of Cal, Williams appeared in all 17 games as a rookie and performed extremely well. He finished the year with 48 tackles, a sack, and seven passes defended, and he allowed an opposing passer rating of just 82.9 in coverage.
Why the Chiefs Need Even More from Star Guard Trey Smith in 2026 | Sports Illustrated
Smith’s Strengths and Weaknesses
During his first four years in Kansas City, Smith started 67 of a possible 68 regular season games, plus another 13 in the postseason. As Smith grew as a player, his reliability bolstered his case as one of the league’s best young interior offensive linemen.
Unfortunately for Smith and the Chiefs, the then-26-year-old only appeared in 12 games in 2025 due to back ailments and an ankle injury.
At this point, Smith’s injury-riddled ’25 is still the outlier after four seasons of exceptional consistency, but that will be an issue worth monitoring in 2026.
While Smith’s Pro Football Focus grade understandably dipped in 2025 while playing through injury, he has historically been a dominant run-blocker and strong pass-protector throughout his career.
More than ever, Kansas City needs help at edge rusher. The Chiefs are coming off a season where they did not get enough production from their edge group, placing an immense burden on Chris Jones to carry the defensive line. The team responded by adding some talent this offseason, but they could serve to add more.
Second-year player Ashton Gillotte has already said he is unhappy with how he played during his rookie season and aims to perform more like himself in Year 2. Rookie R Mason Thomas doesn’t fit the typical Kansas City edge rusher prototype, but he was a dynamic speed rusher at the University of Oklahoma and could provide a similar presence for the Chiefs. Second-year players Ethan Downs and Tyreke Smith spent the majority...
