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The Kansas City Chiefs won the AFC despite relying on one of the youngest groups of cornerbacks in football.
L'Jarius Sneed is his position's elder statesman in Kansas City, enjoying a breakout campaign in his third NFL season at age 25. The Chiefs' three other main cornerbacks are all rookies, none older than 24. Only Trent McDuffie, the team's first-round pick in April, had the pre-draft pedigree of an impact player, too. Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson, both of whom picked off Joe Burrow in the AFC Championship Game, were selected in the fourth and seven rounds, respectively.
Impressive as Kansas City's first-year corners have been this season, there's no doubt that Sneed is defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's most most dynamic and productive cover man. Might he take on the onus of shadowing star pass-catchers A.J. Brown or Devonta Smith with the Vince Lombardi Trophy on the line against the Philadelphia Eagles, then?
“No,” he said succinctly when asked about that possibility on the Tuesday before the Super Bowl.
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That comes as no surprise to anyone who's watched the Chiefs this season. Sneed is an extremely versatile player, capable of playing outside and inside corner at a high level while also threatening defenses as a blitzer. He traveled with DK Metcalf in Kansas City's win over the Seattle Seahawks in late December, matching size with size, but otherwise lined up in different spots across the field throughout the regular season.
It would be foolish, of course, for the Chiefs to tip their hand defensively before facing Jalen Hurts and the Eagles' explosive offense. There's always an outside chance Sneed—who's cleared concussion protocols, by the way— was bluffing, primed to matchup with the physically imposing Brown one-on-one for the duration of Sunday's title game.
We'll find out for sure when the Chiefs and Eagles kickoff Super Bowl LVII.
