KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Marcus Peters has played only one NFL season but to the Kansas City Chiefs rookie cornerbacks he looks like a 10-year veteran.

Peters accomplished that much in one year with eight interceptions and another in the playoffs, two touchdowns and the NFL's defensive rookie of the year award.

It's no wonder the three corners the Chiefs drafted have come to Peters to pick his brain and ask how they can have similar first-season success. Peters' advice is simple: Play your own game and don't pattern yours after mine.

"Be yourself, man, and go have fun," Peters said he's told KeiVarae Russell (third round), Eric Murray (fourth) and D.J. White (sixth). "My rookie season is going to be a whole lot different than yours."

Peters, the Chiefs' first-round pick last year, looked to be a risky choice because he was thrown off his collegiate team at Washington his final season because of confrontations with coaches. None of this year's drafted cornerbacks come in with that kind of baggage.

"I came in with trouble behind my name," Peters said. "We've got some guys in our group with clean names. They've just got to go out there and play ball. That's the main thing I told them. I just wanted to go play football. I didn't care what (anyone) was thinking. I wanted to go make the plays and make my name heard."

Russell, who played in college at Notre Dame, was familiar with Peters before joining the Chiefs. He is from Seattle, where Peters played in college.

Indeed, Peters was larger than life to Russell before they met.

"Just being able to play opposite someone who is considered a big corner, great with his hands, great when the ball is in the air ... I think it is going to be a great time for me and him and the rest of the guys in the secondary," Russell said.

Playing time is available for Russell and the other rookies because Peters is the Chiefs' only established cornerback. The group competing for playing time also includes Phillip Gaines, a starter early last season before tearing his ACL, and Steven Nelson, a third-round pick last season.

No matter who plays at cornerback, he figures to see the ball come his way a lot. Peters played so well last season he probably chased a lot of this year's passes to the other side of the field.

"It gives the other guys on the other side (a chance) to make a name to be heard in this league," Peters said. "If the balls don't come my way, it gives another guy (the opportunity) to go out there and hopefully be the defensive rookie of the year. We've got a whole lot of rookies that we just added in."

Assuming the ball does frequently head another direction, Peters' stats will be down from last year, when he tied for the league lead in interceptions. Asked how he would adjust to seeing fewer passes come his way, Peters said, "Just come at me and we're going to see. It's year to year, man. Every year is going to be different. No year is going to be the same. I'm going into it with the same mentality as I did last year and that's to make my plays and have fun."