The NFL Draft will begin in mere hours, and while there’s tons of attention being paid to the quarterbacks and wide receivers in this draft, there’s ample opportunity to get some big time players that can try and shut them down.
We’re talking about cornerbacks, where there’s one absolutely elite talent at the top before a number of guys that could hear their names called on Thursday or early on Friday night. Let’s take a look at this year’s crop of corners.
Tier 1
Jeffrey Okudah: He could stand to be a tick better as a tackler. This is the extent of the knocks against Jeff Okudah, perhaps the best cornerback prospect to come through the draft since Jalen Ramsey. He does everything, swallowing up receivers in man or zone. The football IQ and instincts here are insane, while he just looks like a CB1 — 6’1, 205 with a pair of combine-bests among corners, a 41-inch vertical and a 135-inch broad jump. The team that gets Okudah is telling opposing teams that they’re not going to throw to one side of the field for a while — and you can read our interview with him here.
Tier 2
Kristian Fulton: Not Okudah, but he’s very, very good. Fulton was a beast at LSU, with only two interceptions in his college tenure because teams knew not to throw at him. While not the best tackler, Fulton is comfortable in man or zone, never seems to panic, and has the ability to stick with receivers. Impressive physically, too, coming in at 6’0 and 197 with a 4.46 40.
C.J. Henderson: The Florida corner didn’t have a pick last season after having six in his first two seasons in Gainesville, but he is one of the top corners in this class thanks to great size and length — 6’1, 204 — and exceptional athleticism — 4.39 in the 40, 37.5 inch vert. He’s excellent in 1-on-1 situations and had 11 pass breakups a year ago for the Gators, and could very well end up as the second corner taken in this draft.
Jeff Gladney: Gladney is a touch smaller than Fulton and Henderson and doesn’t have elite speed (4.48 is nothing to sneeze at), but he is likely to hear his name called at the back end of the first round or early on Friday. He had 14 pass breakups as a senior and comes from a program in TCU that has a pretty complex and diverse scheme, which may benefit him at the NFL level in that he was asked to do a lot of different things with the Horned Frogs.
Tier 3
A.J. Terrell: Clemson defensive players just get coached up, and Terrell is no exception. The dude is quite good at manning up opponents, resulting in five interceptions over the last two years. A quick and instinctive cornerback, Terrell is the kind of guy who is good at not getting burned. Frame needs to fill out a touch, coming in at 6’1 and 195. Not the most physical dude in this class as a result, which limits his tackling.
Trevon Diggs: I’m forever scarred by the LSU tape for Diggs, who was regularly run over by Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the edge, but removing that film (and LSU made lots of DBs look a little rough), you can see how he could be special at the next level. He’s a big, physical corner with excellent press-man skills and has the technique and understanding of scheme we expect from Alabama DBs. He can get a bit handsy and gamble at times, but for a DC that wants to upgrade his secondary to play more press, Diggs will be high on the list.
Noah Igbinoghene: The former receiver turned corner uses that knowledge of the offensive side to his advantage. He’s not the tallest at 5’10, but he plays big, with a physical mentality and likes to jar receivers off the line of scrimmage. What’s maybe most exciting is that he’s only been playing corner full-time for two years and is already at this level, which means he can continue getting better and if he goes to a team that invests in that development he has a chance to be special.
Jaylon Johnson: I love Utah guys and Johnson is a player I wouldn’t mind arguing as a potential first round talent. He’s got good size and uses it to his advantage, taking on the physical mentality that just about all kids from Utah have. He’s got scheme versatility, but thrives in press coverage where he jams and disrupts. He likes to make plays and can at times gamble, but you take that for what he can do as your top corner.
Damon Arnette: Oftentimes wonder how we’d view Arnette if he wasn’t on the other side of a dude as good as Okudah. Adores press coverage and got better as a football player as his career in Columbus progressed. Question his speed — a 4.56 40 at the combine — but he’s a scrappy corner who isn’t afraid of anything, even if he could stand to improve as a tackler. Interested in his production, which is modest, but also, he was on a defense that always had a freakishly good front seven, so he didn’t always have a ton to do.
Tier 4
Bryce Hall: His senior season was cut short due to an ankle injury, but Hall was a four year starter at Virginia and that experience shows in his film. He’s not the quickest and, as such, has some questions to answer there, but he’s a big, physical kid that if put into a press-man scheme could be a sneaky steal in the mid rounds of this year’s draft.
Cameron Dantzler: The Mississippi State product was productive in just nine games this season, and he’s got great size and length at 6’2 with room to add some strength. He’s a good athlete but is not the fastest guy (4.64 at the Combine), and he’s got to cut back on the pass interference penalties to be really impactful at the next level. Still, he’s very talented and is a good mid-round option for teams seeking DB help.
Troy Pride Jr.: Physically, Pride is a guy who seems like he should be a bit higher on this list, standing 5’11, 193 pounds with 4.4 speed and solid 3-cone (6.94 seconds) and shuttle (4.26 seconds) times. He’s reliable in manning dudes up, but his ball skills are lacking. He’s a willing tackler, but he’s not always the best at this. Would like to see him get more aggressive, but he’s smooth, quick, and scrappy. Not an All-Pro, but a nice football player.