Cornell Powell is proving he still belongs on a pro field with a breakout UFL season that mirrors his late rise at Clemson.

Arlington Renegades v DC Defenders | Mitchell Layton/UFL/GettyImages

Some wide receivers arrive at the professional level ready for the task at hand. Others need time to get things figured out—whether it’s the scheme, the coaching staff, the personnel fit, or the adjustment in competition.

Cornell Powell was definitely not one of the former, but for those rooting for the former Kansas City Chiefs’ receiver, there was hope in the idea he might be the latter. As it turns out, he just needed a little bit longer than anyone expected.

If you’ve not been tuned in to the UFL this spring, you might have missed the ascension of Powell into a legitimate target. While it didn’t happen for him in the NFL (yet), we’re glad to see him having a moment all the same.

Cornell Powell is proving he still belongs on a pro field with a breakout UFL season that mirrors his late rise at Clemson.

Through nine games with the D.C. Defenders, Powell ranks second in the UFL in receiving touchdowns with 5 (behind Deon Cain’s total of 6) among his 29 catches for 418 yards on 57 targets, which is fourth-most in the league. For the first time as a professional, he’s been offered the chance to be a featured target in an offense, and he’s seized the opportunity.

That timeline should sound familiar to anyone who followed his collegiate path as welll.

Powell was a late bloomer at Clemson. Despite arriving in 2016 with a four-star pedigree, he was buried on the depth chart for years. Tee Higgins, Hunter Renfrow, Justyn Ross, and others all passed through before Powell truly emerged. When he did, he turned heads as a fifth-year senior in 2020 with 882 yards and 7 touchdowns on 53 catches

Those numbers helped make him a fifth-round selection of the Chiefs in the 2021 NFL Draft, yet he was never able to find a foothold with the team once on the roster. Powell bounced between the active roster and the practice squad for three seasons, and he never logged a regular-season reception despite being with the team from 2021-24.

Kansas City’s willingness to keep him around for that long—a rare tenure for a Day 3 pick without a single NFL stat line—spoke to the organization’s belief in his potential. But after enough time, the team decided the experiment was finally over with his release in November 2024.

Powell’s UFL success is not only a positive turn for a player written off by most, but it should gain some notice as well. Plenty of spring standouts have turned their momentum in developmental leagues into NFL invites. Perhaps Powell will look like an intriguing option for teams looking to add some WR competition before training camp.

For all that Cornell Powell is not, he’s also a player who has never stopped trying. Sometimes it’s all about timing, and perhaps the former Chiefs pick is just a late arrival.