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The Kansas City Chiefs have one of the best slot defenders in the NFL on their team according to our friends at Touchdown Wire.
In his annual list of the NFL’s top slot defenders, which features 11 players this year, Doug Farrar listed Chiefs’ fourth-year CB L’Jarius Sneed as the sixth-best slot defender in the league. Only Dolphins DB Kader Kohou, Chargers S Derwin James, Texans S Jimmie Ward, Cowboys S Jayron Kearse and Texans DB Tavierre Thomas ranked higher.
Sneed has been splitting time between the slot and the outside cornerback position since his rookie campaign. The 26-year-old has been particularly dominant in rushing the passer from the slot. He first showcased his penchant for pressuring the quarterback as a rookie, back when he managed four sacks in less than 275 snaps from the slot.
Here’s a look at what Farrar had to say about Sneed:
A fourth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech in 2020, Sneed was one of the Chiefs’ surprise standouts in his rookie season. Now, the three-year veteran is an elder statesman in a Steve Spagnuolo secondary packed with young stars on the rise. Sneed has always been a prominent presence in the slot for the Chiefs, and in 2022, he gave up 51 catches on 64 slot targets for 417 yards, 273 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 97.7.
With Sneed, you have to start with his slot blitzing ability, because that’s always been a big plus in his palette. Last season, he amassed two sacks, four quarterback hits, and 13 quarterback hurries when pressing quarterbacks from the slot, and that doesn’t count this denial of a Russell Wilson pass in Week 14.
Farrar zeroed in on plays against the Broncos, 49ers and Bengals in 2022 to showcase Sneed’s blitzing from the slot, the first of which didn’t count in the box score. You can check out those clips over at Touchdown Wire.
Sneed actually played his second-lowest percentage of snaps from the slot in his career in 2022. That’s because rookie CB Trent McDuffie also emerged as a valuable slot defender (check out this recent breakdown from Brian Baldinger) and the team opted to allow Sneed to travel with the opposing team’s top receiver with greater frequency.
Speaking of McDuffie’s play in the slot, he didn’t make this year’s list, nor did he land on the honorable mentions. Perhaps if he can put together a full season in 2023, McDuffie will have the chance to prove himself just as worthy of a spot as Sneed.
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