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NFL Draft

Five Things to Know About Chiefs Sixth-Round Pick CB Kamal Hadden

The Chiefs selected Hadden with the No. 159 overall pick on Saturday

The Kansas City Chiefs made another addition to their secondary on Saturday with the selection of former Tennessee cornerback Kamal Hadden with the No. 211 overall pick.

Here are five things to know about the newest member of the defense.

1. Hadden was one of the Volunteers' most productive corners over the last few years.

The 6-foot-1, 192-pound Hadden appeared in 23 games (15 starts) over the last three years at Tennessee, logging 87 tackles, 18 passes defensed, six interceptions, 5.5 tackles-for-loss and two forced fumbles.

He led the Volunteers in interceptions in each of the last two seasons despite missing at least four games in each campaign. He recorded 11 passes defensed and three interceptions in 2023, which included a 28-yard pick-six.

2. He was an incompletion machine in 2023.

The 23-year-old Hadden allowed just one catch of 15+ yards on 33 targets in 2023, consistently finding ways to prevent the big play. In total, he yielded just 12 catches for a grand total of 96 yards on 184 coverage snaps last season.

Additionally, prior to suffering a season-ending shoulder injury, Hadden's 11 passes defensed through mid-October ranked second in the FBS. He earned Pro Football Focus' No. 4 overall coverage grade among all FBS cornerbacks in 2023.

Lastly, Hadden's earned the top Next Gen Stats “production score” among defensive backs at the NFL Scouting Combine.

3. The experts lauded Hadden for his athletic tools.

Hadden garnered praise for his athletic skillset throughout the pre-draft process. Here's what The Athletic's Dane Brugler wrote about him:

"A well-built athlete, Hadden plays sticky coverage, because of his pattern recognition, foot quickness and play confidence."

In a similar sense, here's what NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein wrote about Hadden:

"Big cover corner with the athletic talent and skill set to employ in a variety of coverages."

Tennessee defensive back Kamal Hadden (5) prepares to defend during an NCAA football game against Austin Peay on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

4. He was primarily an outside cornerback during his time in school.

Hadden was almost exclusively an outside corner during his time at Tennessee, logging snaps on both the left and the right side.

Specifically, Hadden recorded 267 snaps at outside corner, 28 snaps in the box and eight snaps over the slot in 2023.

5. Hadden began his career at nearby Independence Community College.

A native of Michigan, Hadden moved to southeastern Kansas in 2019 to attend Independence Community College. He tallied a pick and eight passes defensed during his freshman season there, and despite the cancellation of the 2020 campaign due to the pandemic, he still received several offers from FBS schools heading into the 2021 season.

He eventually landed at Tennessee, and now three years later, Hadden is headed back to the Midwest as a member of the reigning back-to-back champions.

The Kansas City Chiefs selected Tennessee defensive back Kamal Hadden in the 6th Round (Pick 211) of the 2024 NFL Draft.

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