Cornell Powell Will Do Whatever It Takes To Win

The Kansas City Chiefs were able to address their problem at wide receiver with the selection of Clemson wide receiver Cornell Powell at pick No. 181.

After the Kansas City Chiefs' pre-draft blockbuster trade for Orlando Brown Jr., arguably one of the team's biggest questions was at the wide receiver position. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has found an answer with the selection of Clemson wide receiver Cornell Powell.

Kansas City drafted Powell 181st overall following a trade up in the draft for Duke tight end Noah Gray. Powell had a breakout season last year for the Tigers putting up career numbers. The 6-foot, 210-pound wideout recorded career highs in receptions (53), receiving yards (882), receiving touchdowns (seven), snaps (630) and starts (12).

Powell spoke to the media after his selection on Saturday and talked about the opportunity to contribute to the Chiefs offense from the jump. He said he's going to give it his all and go into camp ready to compete.

"I love the game of football for one," Powell said. "I love to compete, going into a great wide receiving corps, and Andy Reid and everybody is going to expect the best from me Day 1. I have to go in there and give them my all. The NFL is a business, so you have to be able to go in there and earn everything you get."

Veach talked about the rationale behind drafting Powell where they did on Monday. He said his playstyle matched the team's and said Powell was also the best player available on their board.

“It kind of worked out in both regards," Veach said. "He was again, going back to the mindset that works all weekend, he was the best player available, but he, ironically enough, did fill that kind of post-up position. He's a 6-foot, 210-212 pound receiver, he's big, strong, physical. Production-wise, he had a monster year this year, but leading up to that, the production wasn't always there. He had some injuries that he dealt with, and obviously, Clemson has a lot of talent. This year he really kind of tapped into that potential, and if you look at the second half of his season last year, that was as good as any wideout in the country." 

Veach went on to say pairing his skillset with the receivers the Chiefs already have like Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman will "be a great compliment as the next receiver."

Now the draft has ended and players are starting to report to teams' facilities, Powell said he's going to do whatever he can to help get Kansas City back to the Super Bowl.

"I’m ready to go in there and work," Powell said. "I’m ready to go in there and grind. I’m very smart, intelligent, student of the game. I’ll be in my playbook immediately just learning every position, just trying to find ways to help the team whether it's wide receiver, special teams, whatever coach needs me to do. I’m just excited to be on a team. It’s going to be amazing. It’s going to be amazing."

Read More: Instant-Reaction: Chiefs Select Wide Receiver Cornell Powell At No. 181 Overall in the 2021 NFL Draft