Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach has this nickname for five rookies in the secondary

Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt says, in his 26 years of teaching football, he’s never had a bunch quite like this year’s rookies in Kansas City’s secondary.

Those players drafted in April include Trent McDuffie (first round), Bryan Cook (second), Joshua Williams (fourth), Jaylen Watson (seventh) and Nazeeh Johnson (seventh).

“I call them the Fab Five. And most of them weren’t even born then,” Merritt said Tuesday, referencing Michigan men’s basketball’s Fab Five recruiting class from 1991. “We drafted five guys, and I said (to them), ‘You guys need to understand that this group is very special.’ So to be able to have the guys to come in and have the camaraderie that they’ve had, and be able to have the love for one another has been great.”

Part of the fun, Merritt says, has been getting early buy-in from the young players. They range in age from McDuffie at 21 to Johnson, 24.

“It’s like Christmas. You’re working with the guys and trying to teach them new techniques,” Merritt said. “They’re all sponges, so it’s been wonderful.”

Merritt says he’s been especially pleased with McDuffie, who has competed with the first-team defense throughout training camp.

“He’s very comfortable out there at the corner spot, as well as the nickel,” Merritt said. “And so the thing is that now we have a guy who can actually do dual role for us, just like LJ (cornerback L’Jarius Sneed). But he’s very patient at the line of scrimmage and has done a great job.”

Cook, meanwhile, has already started showing some qualities that Merritt hoped he would develop over time.

“He’s the Energizer Bunny. You see him on the sideline, he’s the one over there dancing to the music and everything,” Merritt said. “And so he has taken a leadership role, which is what we thought that he was going to become, and he’s already doing for us.”

Thus far, Merritt says much of his work has been trying to keep things simple for the young players. For example, he likes them to only focus each play on the defensive call and specific technique for that snap; follow through on both of those, he tells them, and the rest should turn out just fine.

Important days loom ahead. That starts with Saturday’s preseason game at Chicago, when Merritt and the Chiefs coaches can better gauge how their rookie secondary players perform under pressure.

“They’re all nervous right now,” Merritt said. “I told them yesterday, ‘Hydrate and understand that you’re going to be playing on defense as well as special teams. So don’t look for any breaks.’”