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7 rankings down, 4 to go. Today, we'll review some elite ball hawks and coverage defenders. Whether they're shutting down the top weapon on the opposing offense, breaking up and picking off passes, or flying downhill to stop plays dead in their tracks, this loaded corner class has it all.
As a side note, some CBs that I believe will move to nickelback will not be in this ranking. Those players include Ennis Rakestraw Jr, Mike Sainristil, and Andru Phillips, among countless others. Those players above are in my Safeties & Nickelback ranking here. Check in on that to see where I have them ranked among the best "rover" players in this class.
Let's take a look at the 12 best corners for this year's draft!
Photo: Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports
12. Dwight McGlothern - Arkansas
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
High level zone coverage, reads through receiver to QBs eyes, flows well | Stiff hips in man coverage, got beat in press within a few yards of the snap |
Has a knack for finding the football, good amount of picks and breakups | Not a great tackler, seems like he doesn't want to hit anyone |
Good athleticism and length, helps stick with faster receivers | Overall footwork can get sloppy at times, struggles changing direction |
Blanketed some of the top receivers in this class |
Dwight seems to find the ball when it comes his way. He had a pick or breakup on almost a third of the targets he saw this year. He plays really well in zone too. He needs to get better at staying in phase and having more fluid hips, but is a great underrated prospect who could thrive in the league.
Pro Comp: Isaac Yiadom
11. Elijah Jones - Boston College
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Good physicality, stuck his nose in piles and made sound tackles | Gets beat by guys with better straight-line speed, tries to predict route breaks |
Closes space quickly, bites down on short routes to stop ball-carriers in their tracks | Didn't get a ton of press looks, played off coverage most of the time |
Decent man defender, better in zone | On the older side, will be 24 his rookie season |
I really like Elijah's play style; he gets downhill quick and isn't afraid to be physical, does well enough in both man and zone coverage, and has some decent ball skills as well. He does tend to get antsy and try to predict routes rather than reading hips, and he didn't play in press a ton, but was serviceable when he did.
Pro Comp: Sean Murphy-Bunting
10. Khyree Jackson - Oregon
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Played a ton of press coverage, did relatively well with it | Doesn't have good top end speed to keep up with faster receivers |
Fluid hips, gets them open to run with receivers with ease | Mainly used as a man defender, didn't get to see too many zone drops |
Has nice ball skills, made some good pass breakups | Horrible tackler, throws his body at ball-carriers |
Massive 6'3 frame and nearly 33" arms | Will turn 25 before his rookie year starts |
Khyree is not a bad corner by any means, I just think he wasn't utilized correctly. I wish I got to see more zone from him so I could give him a better eval, but between lack of top athleticism and physicality, I would like to see him in a zone scheme far more than a man one. Other than that, he's got solid athleticism and a great frame to go with it.
Pro Comp: Jaylen Watson
9. DJ James - Auburn
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Triggers downhill with urgency, great acceleration to support run and pass | Effort is questionable at times, looked like he pulled up on some plays |
Does well in man coverage, has good closing speed if he allows separation | Gets lost in zone a good bit, missed routes that he should've picked up |
Solid ball skills, made some tough pass breakups and had a few nice picks | Could be better as a run defender, decent overall, but should be better given his skillset |
Stays in phase throughout the entire route, rarely gets off track |
DJ does a lot of little things well that you want to see from a pro-level corner. He needs to improve his zone coverage and get better at playing with effort every snap, but he's a savvy zone player with decent run defense ability, like him as a CB2 or slot corner at his floor.
Pro Comp: Dee Alford
Photo: Todd Van Emst/Auburn Athletics
8. Kamari Lassiter - Georgia
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Great downhill tackler, flies in and lays the wood on screens and slants | Takes bad angles when tracking ball-carriers, gives up extra yards |
Flows well in zone, latches right onto receivers once they enter his area | Drops too deep into his zones at times, doesn't break well against cleaner routes |
Good ball skills in man coverage, plays through the hands of receivers | Gets beat in man often, footwork is subpar and he doesn't open his hips |
Young and raw, should develop nicely with pro level coaching |
Kamari plays best when cranking downhill to make a play on the ball-carrier or receiver. He will do better in a zone system as of right now. He needs to improve his footwork before being able to lockdown NFL receivers. He's a decent prospect overall, and has some viciousness to him that any coach would love to have in a corner.
Pro Comp: Deommodore Lenoir
7. Cam Hart - Notre Dame
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Can play any coverage, exceled in both man and zone schemes | Is a little handsy throughout routes, will get called for more flags in the NFL |
Big physical corner who can play inside or outside, and in press and off alignments | Could be better at taking on blockers and being a bigger impact in the run game |
Fluid in coverage, does a great job opening his hips | If he isn't on point with his hips, he loses reps in man coverage |
Nice reaction at the top of routes, broke on nearly perfect passes to break them up |
Cam is a really solid corner. He wasn't targeted a ton, but that's more a good thing than a bad. He has great size, technique, and is a pretty good athlete, but needs to get better in run support. That should be easier than others considering his frame - he's one of the more underrated prospects in this class.
Pro Comp: Jamel Dean
6. Renardo Green - Florida State
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Physical corner, excels in man coverage, locked down some top names in this class | Not the best open field tackler, shoots for ankles at times and misses |
Rarely allows separation, does a good job staying in phase and flipping his hips | Gets off balance here and there, not overly concerned but worth noting |
Solid in zone coverage, knows when to bail deep and play more shallow | A little undersized, may get moved inside more often than not |
Relatively good athlete, can stay locked up with most receivers |
Green's a dawg, plain and simple. He excels in man coverage and plays well in zone. He needs to improve his tackling and fix some balance issues, but overall is very solid and a sleeper in a loaded CB class. Green should be talked about as a potential top-5 corner from this group.
Pro Comp: Greg Newsome II
Photo: Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports
5. Nate Wiggins - Clemson
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Elite in man coverage, hip fluidity and ability to stay in phase is top notch | Small for a CB1, doesn't have the weight to compete with bigger receivers |
Closes space quickly, doesn't always get the ball out, but stops receivers at catch point | Zone coverage could be better, passes routes off well, but overcommits at times |
Good ball skills, came down with INTs and jarred passes free | Will get beat over the top here and there, more of a physicality issue rather than speed |
Great athlete, awesome speed and change of direction |
I was initially not that high on Wiggins, but felt much better about him the second time around. He has fluid hips that help him be a menace in man coverage. He also triggers really quickly to react to short routes and playing the ball. He is on the smaller side, and his zone could use some improvement, but he has a tenacious play style to make up for it.
Pro Comp: Donte Jackson
4. Cooper DeJean - Iowa
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Exceptional zone cover corner, passes off routes well and takes great drops | Seemed to get lost in the sauce at times, didn't expand when he needed to |
Run fits and tackles at a pro level, isn't afraid to take on blocks either | Ball skills could improve, but still tracks well with receivers and passes |
Stays in phase really well and reacts to cuts quickly | Broke his leg in his senior year, seems to have healed well regardless |
Great athlete, can play inside or outside, and could play safety if needed |
Overall, Cooper is a top-level prospect. He does a lot of things really well that some corners don't do until they get to the pros. He's great athlete with incredible range and tracking ability, and will be a day 1 starter on most teams due to his playing ability and versatility.
Pro Comp: Jaylon Johnson
3. Kool-Aid McKinstry - Alabama
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Great in both man and zone, picks up crossing and switch routes well | Struggles getting his hips around on outside breaking routes |
Surprisingly good in run support, comes downhill once run is committed | Susceptible to RPO game, especially in zone, not his fault entirely |
Great sense of when to play through the ball vs through the man | Footwork can get sloppy, usually solid overall |
Aggressive on short routes, patient on deep balls, great combo |
Kool-Aid is yet another victim of prospect fatigue, but he's still a top 3 corner in this class. He can play zone or man at a high level and he's a good tackler, can come in and be a CB1 within a year or two. He needs to get better at defending outside breaking routes and getting his hips around faster. Other than that, he's NFL ready.
Pro Comp: Charvarius Ward
Photo: Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel
2. Terrion Arnold - Alabama
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Plays violent and fast downhill, fantastic in run support and eating up shallow routes | Zone coverage could use some work, picked up routes that weren't his and left holes open in the defense |
High level man corner, loves to get physical at the top of routes as well | Hip movement is concerning at times, seems to get stuck on stutter steps |
Has lighting twitch, diagnoses plays quickly and reacts on time | Struggles on jump balls, mainly due to poor positioning |
Good tackler, doesn't back down from bigger players either |
Terrion is a top 3 corner according to the consensus, and rightfully so. He excels in man coverage and has experience in the slot, giving him great versatility. He will thrive as an outside corner in a heavy man scheme, and if he can get better in zone, there's no reason why he can't be the best corner in this class.
Pro Comp: Slower Denzel Ward
1. Quinyon Mitchell - Toledo
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Despite playing a ton of off coverage, he closes space quickly and eliminates passing windows | Wasn't targeted much in 2023, but that was mainly due to his dominance in 2022, QBs knew to avoid him |
One of the best "in phase" corners in this class, hips are always on time | Undercut zone coverages at times, left room behind him for deeper routes |
Great ball skills, knows when to play the ball and when to play the receiver | Needs to improve open field tackling, took some rough angles as well |
High level athlete, posted a 9.71 RAS |
Quinyon played in a basic defense and still looked incredible. He possesses great closing speed from off coverage and made plays on the football. He needs to get more physical and be more sound in zone coverages, but has a ton of range, speed, and ball skills to be a true shut down corner.
Pro Comp: L'Jarius Sneed
Rebecca Benson/The Blade
Final Notes:
Some prospects who missed the cut were Kamal Hadden, Ryan Watts, Kris Abrams-Draine, and Myles Harden. I think all of them could end up becoming high level CB2 or slot defenders, but it'll take the right system and coaching to do so.
Join me on Friday as we round out the week with the best offensive tackles in this draft!
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