Washington State CB Chau Smith-Wade looks to follow the example set by Chiefs CB Jaylen Watson

If the Kansas City Chiefs seek to reinforce their cornerback depth in the 2024 NFL draft following L'Jarius Sneed's trade to the Tennessee Titans, they might have the perfect prospect to turn their focus to. 

After a standout four-year college football career and an exceptional pre-draft process, Washington State CB Chau Smith-Wade is firmly on the radar of the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Chiefs. 

During his time with the Cougars, Smith-Wade recorded 103 tackles, six tackles for a loss, 17 passes defended, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. He caught the attention of evaluators at the Senior Bowl in February after an impressive week of practice, and an even more impressive performance during the game. Smith-Wade was named Defensive MVP after recording two interceptions in the contest, including one returned 83 yards and just inches shy of a pick-six. 

"I've been playing this game for a long time," Smith-Wade told A to Z Sports. "I've been playing ball since I was four. So, just being able to see the ball in the air and reacting to it. I think I've naturally had that will to go out and make a great play. I guess that just kicked in. It was just — see ball, get ball. It's a little bit of the instincts, a little bit of just knowing my game and being able to calculate that." 

As he seeks to take the next steps in his football-playing career, Smith-Wade is taking cues from a former teammate at Washington State that Chiefs Kingdom is quite familiar with.

'Big brother' Jaylen Watson continues to inspire Smith-Wade

When I asked Smith-Wade about Chiefs CB Jaylen Watson, a Cougars alum, his eyes lit up. 

"Yeah, that's like my big brother," he said.

A seventh-round draft pick out of Washington State by the Chiefs in 2022, Watson spent two seasons playing with Smith-Wade in Pullman, Washington. Watson had just transferred to play for the Cougars when Smith-Wade first joined the team as a freshman. 

"Yes, we keep in touch," Smith-Wade told A to Z Sports. "You know, I talk to him when I can. Yeah, he's given me some advice, you know, just as far as staying down and just keep persevering through. You know, little things like that are what keeps me going, just being able to stay in contact with some of the guys that are in the league."

Watson ended up starting six games as a rookie for Kansas City after Trent McDuffie suffered an injury in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season. Smith-Wade's former teammate now has two NFL seasons under his belt and has contributed in a big way to back-to-back Super Bowl wins with the Chiefs.

Following along as Watson's NFL career took off has provided a lot of validation and inspiration for Smith-Wade. Not only does he feel a sense of pride for his brother, but he knows that everything they worked on together at practice is now being applied successfully in the NFL. 

"My boy, J-Wat, he is two for two when it comes to Super Bowls, so hearing it from him — I mean, he's doing it, he's doing amazing at the highest level," Smith-Wade said. "It's just amazing talking to him and still knowing that he's still on my side. And, you know, he hasn't gone 'Hollywood.' 

"That's my guy." 

Smith-Wade details experience with the Chiefs at the Senior Bowl and 2024 NFL Scouting Combine

Smith-Wade first met with the Chiefs twice at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. 

"A lot of a lot of great stuff," Smith-Wade said of his meetings with Kansas City. "You know, obviously, when you talk to a team, that can be a sign that they're interested in you."

That's where they also first spoke with his former teammate Watson. They've often looked to the All-Star game to help identify stars, but the rest of the pre-draft process also can have an impact.

The team checked in with Smith-Wade again at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, where he posted a solid workout. He weighed in at over 5-foot-10 and 184 pounds, posting a 4.54s 40-yard dash time, a 34.5-inch vertical jump, a 125-inch broad jump, a 7.05s three-cone, a 4.23s short shuttle time, and 18 repetitions of 225 on the bench press.

"I was talking to the DB coach [Dave Merritt]," Smith-Wade said. "And, you know, he had me up in the middle of the lounging area where we had a lot of our non-formal interviews, and he was doing some technique stuff. So, you know, for him to be able to get me up out of my chair and talk me through some technique. He asked me, 'How would I play this? How would I play that? How would I play the back shoulder.' [He asked me] things of that nature."

Merritt, of course, has a knack for developing cornerback prospects in short order. Each Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, and Joshua Williams made contributions as rookies in 2022, before stepping things up a notch the following season.

Having an opportunity to chop it up with Merritt was important to Smith-Wade. Knowing that the Super Bowl champion Chiefs might be interested in him gives him even greater confidence that he remains on the right track as he enters the NFL. 

"That's big for me, definitely," Smith-Wade said. "Showing that interest that they have me is something big, too."