Chiefs select Juan Thornhill for more safety help
The Kansas City Chiefs selected safety Juan Thornhill out of Virginia in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 63rd overall.
After waving goodbye to Eric Berry and signing Tyrann Mathieu in free agency, the Chiefs added who some consider the best safety in the draft.
Kansas City had the league's second-worst passing defense in 2018, necessitating this offseason overhaul.
Prospect profile
School: Virginia
Height: 6-0
Weight: 205 lbs
Strengths
- Elite athlete with high-end speed and explosiveness
- Fluid hips in coverage drops and transitions
- Great ball skills and tracking ability downfield
- Instincts most evident in zone with understanding of route concepts
- Experience as cornerback helped develop man-coverage skills
- Takes good angles in pursuit of ball carrier
- Impressive production in senior season - six interceptions, 98 tackles
Weaknesses
- Too many low tackles leave him vulnerable to misses
- Will get stuck on blocks when working in box
- Still new to safety position
Bottom line
Thornhill's greatest contributions will come as a deep safety, where his range, instincts, and ball skills should help him become an impact cover man over the top. As a former cornerback who has skills in man coverage, though, he can also rotate down and cover the slot against receivers or tight ends. That versatility is crucial in the modern game. He needs to finish more consistently as a run defender but there's upside for plus-value in that area of his game, too.