Pros, cons of Kansas City Chiefs picking Tennessee’s Kamal Hadden in 2024 NFL Draft
Tennessee football cornerback Kamal Hadden is officially an NFL rookie after being picked by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2024 NFL draft on Saturday.
He was selected No. 211 overall in the sixth round. Here's what Hadden brings to the Chiefs based on his career with the Tennessee Vols.
What Kamal Hadden brings to Kansas City Chiefs in 2024 NFL Draft
Hadden has good length and size (6-1, 196). And he was rated one of the top coverage cornerbacks in college football in 2023 by Pro Football Focus until a shoulder injury ended his season.
Hadden has the makings of a defensive back who’ll hang around the league for a long time. But it’s imperative that he lands in the right scheme.
Kamal Hadden highlights, strengths, weaknesses at Tennessee
Hadden has a knack for making big plays. He made interceptions to clinch wins against Florida (2022) and Texas A&M (2023), and his pick-6 helped beat South Carolina (2023).
Hadden won’t be intimidated by the challenge of the NFL. And he’s an aggressive player who loves competition. However, occasionally his emotions go too far when he’s mouthing with opposing wide receivers.
There are questions about Hadden’s top-end speed and agility. He ran the 40 in 4.53 seconds. And his broad jump of 10 feet, 2 inches and a vertical leap of 34.5 inches were in the bottom third of cornerbacks at the combine.
Granted, Hadden was recovering from the shoulder injury, meaning teams must project how he’d perform at full strength. But those potential limitations indicate he’ll likely be better in zone coverage.
Kamal Hadden stats with Tennessee
In 2023, Hadden had three interceptions, including one returned for a TD, and 11 passes defended in seven games before his injury. He also had 19 tackles.
In 2022, Hadden had 51 tackles, two interceptions, five passes defended and one forced fumble.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Chiefs draft Kamal Hadden in 2024 NFL Draft: Pros, cons of pick
