Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has a great track record of finding valuable defensive backs from the college ranks, and his performance in the 2025 NFL draft may have landed his team its best cornerback prospect in years.
Veach traded up in Round 3 to select California Golden Bears star Nohl Williams with the No. 85 pick.
Williams was a standout at the East-West Shrine Bowl earlier this year, and he caught the eye of expert scout Eric Galko during the pre-draft process.
Galko serves as the Director of Football Ops and Player Personnel for the East-West Shrine Bowl, and got an up-close look at what Williams can do in Arlington, Texas.
Take a look at what Galko had to say about the Chiefs’ decision to select Williams in Round 3:
Congrats #Chiefs fans, you got maybe the BEST zone CB in 2025 #NFLDraft class
Nohl Williams finished with 7️⃣ interceptions in 2024, including one pick six (and another return TD)
He showed his NFL-readiness on and off the field at the @ShrineBowl, and is a plug and play starter… pic.twitter.com/l4iYef36GP
— Eric Galko (@EricGalko) April 26, 2025
If Williams ends up being a plug-and-play starter as Galko expects, Kansas City may soon have an elite boundary cornerback who can give Trent McDuffie more flexibility to play in the slot.
Stay tuned to see if Williams will compete for snaps as a starter during his rookie season with the Chiefs.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Expert scout had high praise for Chiefs’ Round 3 pick Nohl Williams