The Kansas City Chiefs opened Day 3 of last month’s NFL Draft by selecting Oregon defensive back Jadon Canady in the fourth round. Canady is coming off a five-season college career that included stops at Tulane and Ole Miss before landing at Oregon for 2025.
While multiple college stops can be met with scrutiny, Canady believes his experience adapting on the fly to new situations will be helpful as he transitions into the NFL. He spoke about what he learned from multiple transfers when he spoke on Saturday,
on the second day of Kansas City’s rookie minicamp.
“I think it’s about the team part of it,” Canady said. “Guys will be here from Florida, California, or from New York — just meeting people from all over the area and seeing how guys talk and react to certain things. Secondly, just learning defenses. I played different things at Ole Miss from Oregon. Me learning things vs. the guy who has only been at one school will teach me a lot more than guys who have only been at one school.”
Those stops have included stints as an outside cornerback early on and a hybrid role between nickelback and safety within a stout Oregon defense. Canady will defer to head coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to decide where he plays in Kansas City.
“However, Coach Spags sees it or Coach Reid,” remarked Canady. “I’m good at corner, free [safety] or big nickel. I’m just seeing how Coach Spags and Coach Reid are going to use me this year.”
Outside of the first two rounds, most rookie defensive backs make their first NFL mark on special teams. Canady also brings skills that assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Dave Toub will covet in Kansas City.
Expect to see Canady on the field for punting and kickoff situations.
“I played best at gunner or holdup,” he recalled, “but I also played [kickoff return] and kickoff if need be,” said Canady, “Just my ability to hold up as a gunner or to win at the line of scrimmage as a receiver is pretty elite.”
Canady’s last stop at Oregon saw him play under head coach Dan Lanning, a Kansas City native and former linebacker at William Jewell College. Lanning did not discuss the Chiefs with Canady until after the selection was made, but he suspects the college coach had been in contact with his now professional coaches.
“It really wasn’t until after the draft that he told me,” Canady revealed. “Obviously, pre-draft, he had talks with Coach Reid or Coach Spags. After I got the call, he was the first guy saying how happy he was for me playing for his home team. He’s thrilled, for sure.”
