Auburn cornerback transfer Raion Strader’s pair of PBUs vs. Bowling Green last season. The first one came against Harold Fannin Jr. pic.twitter.com/YtORZbVHY3

— Sam Teets (@Sam_Teets33) August 8, 2025

The Kansas City Chiefs filled out their cornerback room this offseason by signing Kristian Fulton and drafting Nohl Williams in the third round. The additions allow Kansas City to play Trent McDuffie in the slot more frequently, which maximizes his playmaking ability. However, the Chiefs need to plan to replace departing free agent cornerbacks through the 2026 NFL draft.

Auburn Tigers cornerback Raion Strader projects as one of the top Day 3 defensive backs in the 2026 class, but there’s plenty of room for him to move up and down draft boards. Strader stared at Miami (OH) last season, where he intercepted two passes and broke up 18 total. Much of his draft stock rides on his performance in his first year at the SEC level.

Strader is a lean cornerback unofficially listed at 6’0″, 185 lbs. He’s a little high-hipped but appears to meet the league’s thresholds for arm length. Strader needs to develop better placement with his jams, but he delivers some firm one-armed stabs that re-route receivers at the line of scrimmage. He also drives receivers who release outside into the sideline. 

Strader thrives in off-man coverage. Playing off the ball protects him from some of the minor hip stiffness that shows up when he’s in true press. This alignment also makes the most of Strader’s anticipation and closing burst. He drives to undercut short routes or meet wide receivers at the catch point on slants. Strader reads the quarterback’s eyes to get an early jump on plays, but this sometimes leads to him being pulled out of position by eye manipulation. 

Strader gets in phase quickly at the line in press-man or at the top of the stem in off-man. He rarely loses over the top and flashes the recovery speed to get back in plays when he allows initial vertical separation. His hand-eye coordination and ball tracking help him consistently make plays on the ball, even when he’s facing much larger pass catchers. 

Strader’s anticipation and vision also make him a weapon in zone coverage. His awareness and recognition skills when facing high-low concepts or plays flooding his zone stand out. He quickly processes the play and triggers to take away the quarterback’s preferred target. 

Strader suffers from some physical limitations. His hip stiffness causes him to allow separation on comebacks and curls, and he lacks the play strength to contend with stalk blocks consistently. Despite these concerns, Strader is a quality prospect who could develop into a contributor midway through his rookie contract.Â