The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to host San Diego State star cornerback Chris Johnson in the coming days, as one of their top-30 visits ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, next month.
What is a top 30 visit?
NFL teams are allowed to bring in up to 30 players for “top-30 visits”. It’s essentially a way for teams to get
to know a player better. To toss some game film at them and see how they process it, and to give the team doctors a chance to take a look at any lingering questions regarding past or present injuries.
Players from schools within a 50-mile radius of the team facilities do not count against top-30 visits. It’s important to note that on-field work is strictly prohibited during these visits. Players can tour facilities and locker rooms, but that’s it.
Background
Johnson was a three-star recruit coming out of Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Corona, California, in the class of 2022. He was not heavily recruited and was the 136th-ranked cornerback nationally. A handful of teams did offer Johnson a scholarship coming out of high school. These teams included fellow mid-major programs like Boise State, San Jose State, Boston College, and Northwestern.
Johnson saw limited opportunities as a true freshman, but by the time his sophomore season rolled around, he had carved out a spot in San Diego’s defense as a rotational player. But starting in 2024, he took over manning the perimeter in the secondary and stayed there through the remainder of his college career.
My analysis
At 6 feet tall and 193 pounds, the 21-year-old Johnson has pretty good size for the position and makes his living playing on the outside. He is a twitchy defender with quick feet. His hips are loose and fluid. He changes direction with ease and has an effortless backpedal.
He ran a 4.4 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and after watching his tape, I can definitely say that the time he posted at the Underwear Olympics definitely translates to his playspeed on the field.
While his athleticism pops on tape, if you don’t watch enough of his snaps, you may come away with what I believe is an incomplete view of him as a prospect. I say this because, despite his size and athletic profile, Johnson seems more comfortable playing off coverage, where he can keep the receiver in front of him and read and react to make a play on the ball once the ball is in the air (which he is very good at).
He is a smart player who rarely misses an assignment and knows when to drop his assignment and shift coverages on a blown play. So if you did not watch enough of his tape, you might miss the plays where he plays press man at the line of scrimmage. Because when he does, his quick reaction time allows him to mirror receivers and lock them up, and quickly eliminate them from the play.
In 2025, Johnson held opposing receivers to 185 yards total on the season, while recording four interceptions and holding opposing quarterbacks to a measly 16.1 quarterback rating when targeting him.
His read and react ability is on full display in the video above, where he shifts his feet to give himself inside leverage to protect the seam in zone coverage, while keeping his eyes on the quarterback the entire time. When he sees the QB’s eye shift to the boundary receiver, he quickly flips his hips and breaks downfield on the ball for the pick six.
Johnson isn’t going to go out of his way to throw his body into a pile in run defense, and can often be seen lingering on the periphery of the pile, as if he’s trying to decide if his help is needed to bring down the running back.
But, much like his coverage abilities, when his number is called, and he needs to make a tackle, he gets the job done. This is evident in the fact that he had only eight missed tackles in his entire college career.
His ability to mirror defenders was on full display during workouts at the Senior Bowl, especially on this rep, where he locks up Senior Bowl darling, wide receiver Tyren Montgomery from John Carroll University.
Fit with the Chiefs
Fit: Very High
Round grade: Second round
With Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson now with the Los Angeles Rams, the Chiefs need a guy who can play on the outside, and Johnson fits this bill. He has all the upside and athletic profile that you want to see in a cornerback, and the only two things keeping this from being a perfect match made in heaven are the limited amount of reps where he played on the line of scrimmage and the level of competition he played against at San Diego State.
Still, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see how he could fit in this defense if he is willing to adjust his play style to fit with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s system. But there is enough on tape that I would be confident that once defensive backs coach Dave Merritt got his hands on Johnson, he could transform him into a quality starter for this defense, with the upside to be great.
