Jaquan Brisker or Lewis Cine: which safety is a better fit for the Chiefs’ defense?

On the latest episode of the Arrowhead Pride “Draft Room” podcast, we discussed the Kansas City Chiefs’ upcoming offseason decisions — along with other topics related to the 2022 season.

(Listen to the podcast above or by clicking here. It is also available on Spotify.)

As we’ll make sure to get in on every weekly episode of the podcast, we discussed individual draft prospects. One position that will be strongly considered with the Chiefs’ first pick is safety.

Veterans Tyrann Mathieu and Dan Sorensen are unrestricted free agents — meaning Juan Thornhill is the only safety with legitimate experience on the 2022 roster.

After the unicorn that is former Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton, the rest of the position is projected to be drafted late in the first round or into the second round. Our Talon Graff has already highlighted Daxton Hill as a potential option — but there are two other names that we wanted to talk about:

Lewis Cine - Georgia

Cine mainly worked as a deep safety for Georgia, playing both split-field and one-high alignments primarily. His most impressive asset seems to be his read-and-react skills, meaning there’s very little lag time between him seeing something and him moving toward it. He is very willing to fly to the ball and throw his body to make a tackle, but it doesn’t always end in a fundamentally-sound tackle.

Jaquan Brisker - Penn State

With a slightly larger, more filled-out frame than Cine, Brisker was used closer to the line of scrimmage more than he was as a deep safety. However, the fluidity he displays in coverage — in terms of changing direction and smoothly flipping his hips — impresses for his size. That skill set makes it easier to imagine Brisker adding more coverage ability to his skills as a box safety.

The bottom line

Both options should be available at the bottom of the first round — but might not make it to the Chiefs’ second-round pick. If Kansas City wanted to take their shot at one, Brisker would seemingly be the better fit; he appears to be ready for a box-safety role, even if he would have to develop as a deep safety. Cine might take a little more time to blossom in both aspects.

When you consider that Thornhill has been utilized as a deep safety more than a box safety, it would make sense that the Chiefs pursue a versatile player that can be an asset closer to the line of scrimmage.

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