Cole’s Corner: 2022 Cornerback Prospect Rankings

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20. Josh Williams – Fayetteville State

Williams is the top Division II prospect in this draft class at any position. He has a great combination of length, speed and ball skills. He can be physical in coverage at times but is overall instinctual. Williams is a sticky corner making it hard for wide receivers to free themselves. For me the biggest question with Williams will be the massive step up in wide receiver talent he will face. Can he handle the major jump?

Player Comparison: Corey Ballentine

Projection: 4^th – 5^th Round

Best Fits: Indianapolis, Washington, San Francisco (Wild Card – Cincinnati)

19. Jack Jones – Arizona State

Jones is an undersized corner that can play inside or outside. He has some big flashes but not totally consistent. He is quick to turn and has very quick feet. Jones does well with both zone and man coverage schemes. He lacks length which can limit him, but the major concern is his off the field issues in the past. Hopefully Jones can get in the right organization for him and continue to grow as a person.

Player Comparison: Jourdan Lewis

Projection: 4^th – 5^th Round

Best Fits: Seattle, Minnesota, New England (Wild Card – Buffalo)

18. Derion Kendrick – Georgia

Kendrick is a lean corner that began his college career at Clemson prior to his time at Georgia. The Bulldogs defense was so loaded with talent that Kendrick was masked there. He has good ball skills and does well in off-ball coverage. He is best in zone rather than man to man. Kendrick has a lot to work on as a developmental prospect. He is an average tackler with pretty raw technique in coverage as well. At times he can be quite undisciplined on the field. There is potential if his game can be cleaned up.

Player Comparison: A.J. Green

Projection: 4^th – 5^th Round

Best Fits: Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants, Green Bay (Wild Card – Denver) 

17. Montaric Brown – Arkansas

Brown has a lot of playing experience from his time with the Razorbacks. He is a playmaker that regularly get to the football and manages to bat it down. His instincts and athleticism make it possible to get to the football so much. Despite not being overly long, Brown fits best as an outside corner.

Player Comparison: Cameron Dantzler

Projection: 4^th – 5^th Round

Best Fits: New York Jets, Tampa Bay, Las Vegas (Wild Card – Tennessee)

16. Josh Jobe – Alabama   

Jobe is a very physical and aggressive corner who excels in press man coverage. Not only does he jam receivers at the line of scrimmage, but he also is a strong run defender. Jobe’s aggression can come back to bite him though. At times he will put his head down and miss tackles and in coverage get overly grabby resulting in penalties. He did not have a ton of ball production in college. If a team is lacking physicality on defense, then Jobe could assist with bringing something special to the mix.

Player Comparison: Eli Apple

Projection: 4^th – 5^th Round

Best Fits: Arizona, Chicago, Kansas City (Wild Card – Houston) 

15. Mykael Wright – Oregon

Wright is one of the smallest corners in this class yet possesses some elite quickness. He is quite controlled in the way he moves and manages to limit wide receivers from gaining extra yardage after a catch. The lack of size makes it difficult for Wright to wrap up larger ball carriers and he also lacks versatility. Wright is a true nickel corner.

Player Comparison: Levi Wallace

Projection: 3^rd – 5^th Round

Best Fits: Indianapolis, Detroit, Washington (Wild Card – Philadelphia)

14. Alontae Taylor – Tennessee

Taylor is a former wide receiver turned corner. Due to this switch, he still possesses fantastic ball skills with instincts on how to get to the ball. Taylor is better in zone coverage than man to man because he can make a break on the ball. In man he is physical. He is still working on tackling form and becoming a better tackler due to the newness of the position.

Player Comparison: Shaquil Griffin

Projection: 3^rd – 4^th Round

Best Fits: San Francisco, Arizona, Buffalo (Wild Card – Tampa Bay)

13. Mario Goodrich – Clemson

Goodrich is one of the best tacklers in this corner class. He is aggressive against the run and also reacts quickly. In coverage, Goodrich does best in press man coverage. He does not have the most speed or athleticism in the group and only was a starter for one season at Clemson. Most of his interceptions come from reacting to tipped balls.

Player Comparison: T.J. Carrie

Projection: 3^rd – 4^th Round

Best Fits: Buffalo, Baltimore, Los Angeles Rams (Wild Card – Las Vegas)

12. Coby Bryant – Cincinnati

Bryant is an incredible playmaker with exceptional ball skills. Bryant is such a turnover forcing machine with fluid movements and quick turns. The issues for Bryant arise with his tackling and launching rather than wrapping up, plus he bails too much against faster receivers and gives up a lot of catches underneath. Bryant can play inside or outside and if a team lacks ball production then they should look this direction.

Player Comparison: Byron Murphy

Projection: 3^rd – 5^th Round

Best Fits: San Francisco, New York Jets, Indianapolis (Wild Card – Cincinnati) 

11. Cam Taylor-Britt – Nebraska

Taylor-Britt will likely be an early impact player in the NFL. He is excellent at bating throws, jumping routes and reading quarterback’s eyes. He is an attacking cornerback against the run and tackles like a safety. Where he may struggle more is in man-to-man coverage. Taylor-Britt can play inside or outside.

Player Comparison: Jalen Ramsey

Projection: 2^nd – 4^th Round

Best Fits: Washington, Baltimore, Houston (Wild Card – Minnesota) 

10. Marcus Jones – Houston

Jones is the shortest corner in this class but does not play small. He is a versatile and electric player that even serves as a game breaking kick/punt returner. Jones has clinical quickness and speed which greatly aids the big play ability. He is a strong tackler for his size. The lack of length and weight is the concern in coverage, but he should be fine as a slot corner sticking tight to possession receivers like Hunter Renfrow and Cole Beasley.

Player Comparison: Chris Harris Jr.

Projection: 2^nd – 4^th Round

Best Fits: New England, Denver, Las Vegas (Wild Card – Los Angeles Chargers) 

9. Martin Emerson Jr. – Mississippi State

Emerson Jr. is a long corner who is not afraid to tussle with physical receivers. He also has some pop in his tackles. Emerson Jr. mostly played zone coverage in college so man would be a learning experience in the league. He only has one interception in his college career but does manage to get his hands on the football. The arm length and true outside corner ability makes him such a promising player.

Player Comparison: Amani Oruwariye

Projection: 2^nd – 4^th Round

Best Fits: Los Angeles Rams, New England, New York Jets (Wild Card – Detroit) 

8. Trent McDuffie – Washington

McDuffie is looked at as a first-round prospect by most, but I am not as sold. He is a fairly aggressive tackler with a high motor. There is no questioning McDuffie’s speed and his ability to limit extra yardage after a receiver does make a catch. He bails a ton in man coverage and can get overpowered by big outside receivers. McDuffie might struggle on the outside and fit best at nickel.

Player Comparison: Shaun Wade

Projection: 1^st – 2^nd Round

Best Fits: Arizona, Cincinnati, Las Vegas (Wild Card – Denver)

7. Tariq Woolen – UTSA 

Woolen is a very large cornerback that had converted from wide receiver. He has a rare combination of extraordinary length, lots of straight away speed, and excellent ball skills. Woolen has an extremely high ceiling. He is still raw as a prospect and needs to develop his fundamentals as a tackler and in coverage. Due to his length, he is sometimes slow to turn his hips but his speed covers the ground he lost.

Player Comparison: Rasul Douglas/Ifeatu Melifonwu

Projection: 2^nd – 3^rd Round

Best Fits: Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago (Wild Card – Indianapolis)

6. Kaair Elam – Florida     

Elam possesses some ideal size and plenty of length as and outside corner. He is physical and already displays some NFL level technique. Elam is sometimes inconsistent as a tackler and versus the run. Elam will likely find himself starting right away.

Player Comparison: J.C. Jackson

Projection: 2^nd Round

Best Fits: New England, Philadelphia, Houston (Wild Card – San Francisco) 

5. Kyler Gordon – Washington

Gordon is a hard-nosed, sturdy cornerback who is a willing tackler. He does well at finding ways to get his hand on the football when tight in man coverage. Gordon performs best in zone coverage because he has a knack for reading the quarterback’s eyes. Due to this, he can sometimes get himself caught watching the quarterback too much. Gordon can play inside or outside but I would expect him to become CB2 for the team that drafts him.

Player Comparison: Greg Newsome

Projection: 2^nd Round

Best Fits: Baltimore, New England, Denver (Wild Card – Indianapolis)

4. Andrew Booth Jr. – Clemson

Booth Jr. has all the physical tools that a corner needy team would like. He is aggressive, one of the best in tight man coverage and makes lots of big plays. He can sometimes whiff on open field tackles and he needs to develop in zone coverage. As a stout outside corner, he will be an instant impact player.

Player Comparison: Jaire Alexander

Projection: 1^st Round

Best Fits: Kansas City, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay (Wild Card – Minnesota)

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