The Kansas City Chiefs continued their heavy defensive draft approach early on Day 3 in the 2026 NFL Draft by double-dipping in the secondary and selecting Oregon’s Jadon Canady to pair with first-round pick Mansoor Delane. Going into Day 3, many Chiefs’ fans expected an offensive run — which did happen to finish the draft — but the Chiefs immediately went back to the defensive well and took a player with a very familiar skill set.
Canady started his collegiate career at Tulane, where he got on the field as a true freshman for the Green Wave. After two seasons, he transferred up to the Power 5 level and attended Ole Miss as a junior and senior, where he ultimately started 11 of 12 games as a senior.
Canady transferred to Oregon for his final year, where he started 13 games and earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors while playing mostly nickel back but also moonlighting as a safety.
His best fit and most direct path to the field is going to be in that nickel role, but Canady has shown the versatility to play safety as well. That skill set is something Steve Spagnuolo has often coveted in his defensive backs in Kansas City, going all the way back to Tyrann Mathieu and Kendall Fuller. Canady is another player in a similar mold.
We got the Five Play Film Room up at the top to get an idea of who Canady is as a player, then we can dive into how he fits with the Chiefs currently and long term.
