3D Beast = Rashad Fenton!
There is nothing that will get a young football player closer to the field that having the versatility to do a number of jobs and to do those jobs well. Rashad Fenton – wearing the epic white and gold version of the 3D Chrome Beast – is a player that fits that description – and for the AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs no less.
Fenton’s football career began at Miami Carol City in Miami Gardens, Florida. He was a valued recruit – given a higher end 3-star ranking by all the major scouting services – and he was chased by many of the Power 5 schools, especially those in the ACC and SEC. Fenton chose to attend South Carolina – and Steve Spurrier -over notable offers from Louisville and Florida.
Fenton developed his game with the Gamecocks and became a dependable cover corner for the school. Fenton was thought highly enough of to play as a true freshman, though most of his work came on special teams. This is again and example of how versatile he is as a player and his 24.8 yard kick return average is the second highest in the history of the school.
Spurrier resigned halfway through Fenton’s freshman season and he was replaced in the hot seat by Will Muschamp. As a sophomore Fenton saw his playing time increase, appearing in 12 games with seven starts and contributing 38 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss and one pick. It was as a senior where Fenton made his biggest strides as a player. He was seen as the top cover guy at the school, also working in time at the slot and at safety depending on the biggest threat on the other team. Fenton started 12 of 13 games that season, registering 34 tackles, six pass breakups, and three interceptions. His total career stats for the Gamecocks include 122 tackles, 24 passes defended, and five interceptions.
His combination of college performance, NFL Combine numbers, and his personal workouts, were enough for the Chiefs to commit to taking the Florida native with the 201st overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. Cornerbacks tend to bust more than most positions when taken in the draft, but the 5-foot-11, 193 pounder has already proved to be a valuable contributor for the Chiefs as he achieved the dream of every football player by winning the Super Bowl in his first ever year in the league.
Highlights from the Super Bowl winning year for Fenton included his first career interception – off of long time Chiefs’ nemesis Philip Rivers – in a 24-17 Week 11 win against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night football. Fenton also made a big play in the 51-31 come from behind win against the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round, sacking wide receiver Kenny Stills as the Texas tried a trick play.
Fenton continued to make plays for the Chiefs last season. Forced into a bigger role early in the year through suspensions and injury, Fenton picked off a pass in Week 4 against the New England Patriots for his first such play of the year. He recorded a much bigger interception later in the year, claiming a pass from Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen in the end zone to help preserve a 16-point fourth quarter lead that sent the Chiefs to Super Bowl LV.
Fenton is ready to embrace a bigger role with the Chiefs. He has played the boundary, the slot, and even as a slot/safety and he has done well in all those positions as the Chiefs see little drop-off from their starter. In 2021, expect to see Fenton nail down a starting spot and really grow into the player that the Chiefs know he can be.