KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Amon-Ra St. Brown has memorized the 16 wide receivers selected before him in the 2021 NFL draft. Detroit All-Pro wideout handwrites each name in a notebook prior to each game.

Chiefs rookie cornerback Nohl Williams has his own list of wide receivers, and St. Brown might be on it after the Chiefs (2-3) host the Lions (4-1) on Sunday Night Football (7:20 p.m. CT, NBC/KSHB-TV, Channel 41, 96.5 The Fan).

Steve Spagnuolo threw Williams into the fire against DeVonta Smith when the Eagles came to Kansas City in Week 2. The defensive coordinator liked what he saw so much that he left Williams alone the next week against Malik Nabers. A week later, it was three-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins.

Just got to win my matchup

“Yeah, it’s a pretty good confidence-booster,” said Williams, the Chiefs’ third-round selection in April’s draft out of Cal. “When I’m on the field, you’ve just got them as a regular player. You know they’re good players, and I got respect for them, but I just got to win my matchup, do my assignment.”

And just because Williams wasn’t heavy in the gameplan last week at Jacksonville doesn’t mean he’s lost any of Spagnuolo’s trust. And the Chiefs still love playing Trent McDuffie inside on nickel downs.

“It was really just what we put out there package-wise,” Spagnuolo explained Thursday. “Like, if you guys notice, when Nohl goes in, it’s when Trent goes in at nickel. And for various reasons, we went the other way with the pieces, and he didn’t end up with as many snaps.

“That could change this week. I think he’s doing a really good job for us. It doesn’t seem like it’s been too big for him. I was really encouraged by that when he played a bunch of snaps the games before, and depending on which way the game goes, in terms of down and distance, we’ll see how many plays he gets in this one.”

And how many plays he gets on Sunday he can attribute to the physical nature of his play. Spagnuolo first noticed Williams’ hits during preseason games on special teams. Williams explained his style in terms of survivor mentality.

“Just be able to do the hit and not get hit. That’s why you play defense.

“I felt like throughout my career, I had good coaches — all the way up through little league, high school, college — that emphasized tackling and just being physical, and I naturally just kept adapting to each level.”

At the highest level in the NFL, he has a home in the Chiefs’ defense. St. Brown and the Lions this week might be his toughest test.