The Kansas City Chiefs made an addition to their defense on Thursday by signing veteran cornerback Kristian Fulton.
Here are five things to know about the newest member of the defense.
1. Fulton spent last season with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The 26-year-old Fulton recorded seven passes defensed and an interception in 15 games with the Chargers last season. His 760 total defensive snaps ranked fourth on the team.
Additionally, among players with at least 750 total snaps, Pro Football Focus ranked Fulton as the No. 15 cornerback in the NFL last year. Notably, among that group of players, Fulton also ranked eighth in terms of his run-defense.
His performance prompted the folks at NFL.com to rank Fulton as the No. 44 overall free agent (and the No. 6 cornerback) available this offseason, writing the following:
"Fulton had stretches in Tennessee and then Los Angeles where he performed like a plus starter on the outside. He's earned a multi-year contract after a strong season with the Chargers."
2. He played the first four years of his career for the Tennessee Titans.
Prior to joining the Chargers, Fulton spent four seasons as a member of the Tennessee Titans from 2020 through 2023.
He tallied 25 passes defensed and four interceptions during his time in Tennessee, notably compiling a 2021 campaign in which he ranked 11th among all players with 14 passes defensed.
3. Fulton has primarily served as an outside cornerback during his career.
The 5-foot-11, 197-pound Fulton has lined up as an outside corner for the vast majority of his career (with the lone exception being his rookie season).
Here's a year-by-year breakdown of his snaps at wide corner in the context of his total defensive snaps played:
2024: 659 of his 760 (87%)
2023: 589 of his 644 (91%)
2022: 565 of his 642 (88%)
2021: 634 of his 738 (86%)
2020: 65 of his 203 (32%)
That experience on the outside will provide the Chiefs with additional flexibility in their defensive coverages in 2025.
4. Fulton originally entered the NFL as a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Titans selected Fulton with the No. 61 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, making him the eighth cornerback selected that year.
Here's a portion of Fulton’s draft profile on NFL.com as written by Lance Zierlein:
"Well-built as an outside cornerback. Allowed 40 percent completion rate since 2018. Solid athleticism and foot agility. Can extend mirror-and-match of release. Plays through receiver's catch-side underneath. Looks for chances to make plays and rarely complacent. Works hard to prevent being stacked downfield. Some success pressing Alabama receivers. Reads receivers' hands/eyes with back to the ball. Drives with burst on football from off-man."
5. He played his college ball at LSU.
A native of New Orleans, Fulton was a five-star recruit and the top-ranked player in Louisiana following a decorated high school career. He then chose to remain in-state and attend LSU, where he went on to start 25 games over his final two years in school. He recorded 15 passes defensed and an interception during his senior campaign in 2019 as the Tigers went on to win the College Football Playoff.
Fulton entered the 2020 NFL Draft as one of the top players in the country, and now all these years later, he's headed to Kansas City to join the Chiefs.
