Kansas City Chiefs: Rookie DB Juan Thornhill is a difference-maker

The Kansas City Chiefs will be able to count on rookie safety Juan Thornhill to make an immediate impact.

The Kansas City Chiefs are going to look a lot different on the defensive side of the ball this season. Not only is new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo installing his 4-3 defense, but the Chiefs also have exciting new faces all over the field.

The Chiefs brought in veterans Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu to lead their defense and they will both undoubtedly be major impact players in 2019. However, do not sleep on their addition of rookie safety Juan Thornhill.

The Chiefs drafted Thornhill in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He was a three-year starter at the University of Virginia starring at both cornerback and safety. Kansas City had a lot of issues in the secondary last season and saw Thornhill as a player who can come in and help them immediately.

Thornhill is a fast and athletic safety prospect who shows fantastic skills in coverage. He has the size, length, speed and athleticism to compete against most players in man coverage and shows the range and ball skills to make an impact in deep zone coverage.

An extremely aggressive player, Thornhill is always working towards the ball. Even if the ball is thrown away from him, he consistently puts himself in a position to make a play. His combination of athleticism, competitive toughness and coverage skills makes Thornhill an impressive player who can certainly make some noise for the Kansas City Chiefs as a rookie.

But don’t take my word for it, ESPN’s Louis Riddick is head over heels for Thornhill.

While he will have to earn his spot in training camp, Thornhill is the current favorite to start at safety opposite of Mathieu. In today’s NFL, where the passing game is king, having two safeties who can roam around the field and cover almost anybody is a massive weapon.

Everybody knows how great Mathieu is, and we will all see what Thornhill can bring to the table soon. Make no mistake about it, Thornhill is great and the Chiefs are quickly going to have one of the best safety duos in the entire NFL.