2022 NFL draft: The top 11 cornerbacks

The 2022 NFL draft is less than two weeks away, and as speculation continues about how the first round of the draft might unfold, consensus is building that one of the deeper positions in this class lies at cornerback.

The rise of Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner towards the top of the group, joining Andrew Booth Jr. and Derek Stingley Jr., who was viewed as a potential first-overall selection just a year ago, means we could see as many as four or even five cornerbacks come off the board in the first round.

But the talent does not end there. As you will see, there are prospects at this position who might not hear their name called until the third round, but will be impact players as rookies in the NFL.

Let’s dive into the top 11 cornerbacks in the 2022 NFL draft.

For reports on other positions groups, you can check them out below.

2022 NFL draft: The top 12 edge defenders

2022 NFL draft: The top 11 interior defensive linemen

2022 NFL draft: The top 11 interior offensive linemen

2022 NFL draft: The top 11 offensive tackles

2022 NFL draft: The top 11 tight ends

2022 NFL draft: The top 16 receivers

2022 NFL draft: The top 11 running backs

2022 NFL draft: The top 11 quarterbacks

Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, Cincinnati

(Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’3″ (98th) Weight: 190 (42nd)
40-Yard Dash: 4.41 seconds (77th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner was a wide receiver and cornerback for Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, Michigan. 247Sports graded him as a three-star recruit, and he was named one of the top-30 players in the state of Michigan in the 2019 recruiting class. He entertained offers from a number of Power 5 programs, including Kentucky and Indiana, but signed to play for the Cincinnati Bearcats.

He played right away for Cincinnati, appearing in all 11 games as a true freshman and snaring three interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. Over his career with the Bearcats, Gardner grabbed three interceptions in each of his three seasons on campus, and never allowed a touchdown pass.

His nickname Sauce was given to him by a youth football coach, reportedly due to Gardner’s love of dipping sauces.

Stat to Know: If you want a cornerback in this class with press coverage experience, Gardner is your player. Pro Football Focus charted him with 397 press coverage snaps this past season, tops among cornerbacks.

Strengths: We can begin there. Gardner is, as PFF noted in their draft guide, a cornerback who was built in a laboratory to play press man coverage. His size, length and footwork make him ideal to play on an island, isolated against a team’s top receiver in press alignment.

But size is not his best trait as a cornerback, although his frame puts him in a position to step into an NFL defense and play in such a press-heavy scheme. What really stands out to me watching Gardner is his feel and technique for the position. Gardner uses his length extremely well, always keeping a hand on the receiver and maintaining ideal positioning.

In press, Gardner is patient and rarely panics. He can play physical off the line as well, as he does here on this snap against Notre Dame where he is aligned on the left side of the defense:

On this play you see how Gardner’s technique — keeping a hand on the receiver — puts him in position to immediately flip his hips and stay on the receiver as the offensive player makes the sudden turn upfield. It is one thing for a cornerback to mirror a conventional route, or even a double move, with change-of-direction skills. But when a receiver makes a more unexpected move, such as a vertical break in a scramble-drill situation, and you can mirror it the way Gardner does here? That truly stands out.

While the bulk of his experience is playing man from a press alignment, there are moments where Gardner showed schematic versatility, and the ability to play in zone coverage or from off alignments. On this play against East Carolina, that ability was on display as he sinks under the corner route from the tight end in a Cover 2 scheme:

Still, his strength is what he offers in man coverage, as well as how he plays in press alignment. Gardner offers “island cornerback” potential, something that many teams are probably hoping they have on the defensive side of the football.

Weaknesses: There are not a ton of weaknesses to his game, as you might expect when discussing some of the top players in the draft class. He has more experience in press-man than zone, which might have zone-heavy teams a bit wary. There were some snaps against Alabama where his aggression got to him, as receivers were able to get past him on double-moves. He does not have elite, track-level speed, so burners at the receiver position might be able to get open deep downfield, but the 4.41 40-yard dash at the Combine “checked the box” for him.

Conclusion: What Gardner does in press alignment and/or man coverage checks a lot of NFL boxes. Gardner believes he is the best player in the entire draft class, and you need that confidence as a cornerback in the NFL. Plus, when Richard Sherman names you CB1, you have every right to be confident.

Comparison: For me, Sherman is the comparison. The length, movement skills and ability to align in press and stick on a receiver are the reasons why.

Derek Stingley Jr., LSU

(Scott Clause/The Advertiser via USA TODAY NETWORK)

Height: 6’0″ (70th) Weight: 190 (42nd)
40-Yard Dash: 4.37 seconds*
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 38.5 inches*
Broad Jump: 10’2″*
3-Cone Drill: 6.98 seconds*
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.19 seconds*

*Denotes Pro Day testing numbers (unofficial)

Bio: Derek Stingley Jr. comes from a family of athletes. His grandfather Darryl Stingley was a wide receiver in the NFL whose career was cut short after a hit from Jack Tatum in a preseason game caused a spinal cord injury. Stingley’s father, Derek, played both baseball and football professionally. He played nine seasons in the Arena League, and also played in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, before becoming a football coach.

Stingley himself was a highly-recruited cornerback coming out of The Dunham School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was graded as a consensus five-star recruit, and the top player in the entire 2019 recruiting class by Rivals. He chose to stay close to home and play for the LSU Tigers, and walked right onto the field as as starter for a team that would go on to win the national championship. As a true freshman, Stingley was named a Consensus All-American and a First-Team All-SEC selection. He led the SEC with six interceptions that year, again as a true freshman.

Stat to Know: I mentioned the six interceptions in the SEC as a true freshman, right? Just wanted to make sure…

Strengths: If you turn on that 2019 film, you see a player that looks every bit the part of CB1. Stingley was a true lock-down cornerback that season, and showed the press coverage chops, change-of-direction skills, and all-around game you want to see from a player many believed would be the first-overall selection at some point in his career.

Take this interception against Georgia in the SEC Championship game:

The corner sees and mirrors the inside release, but gets himself to the lower hip off of the break, and is in perfect position to prevent the completion.

While not to the level of Gardner — perhaps due to the injuries the past two seasons — Stingley also offers a wealth of experience in press alignment. Pro Football Focus charted him with nearly 50% of his career snaps in press-man.

Weaknesses: We start with the injuries. After that first season, where he was a consensus All-American, Stingley played in just ten games over the next two seasons. He missed the season-opener in 2020 with an illness, and then the final two games of the season with a leg injury. Then his 2021 campaign was cut short due to a Lisfranc injury.

Now, Stingley recovered from that Lisfranc injury and put up an impressive performance at the LSU Pro Day, but that injury history might have some wary.

Then there is what we saw on film from Stingley in 2020 when he was healthy. It was not the same level of play, or at least as consistent, as we saw from him in 2019. Now, LSU did take a step back after winning that national championship, as players like Joe Burrow and Justin Jefferson were in the NFL and Ja’Marr Chase sat out due to COVID, but Stingley did not match what he did as a true freshman. His game against Alabama that season was not his finest hour, and my notes from that game are filled with remarks like “seems to lack urgency.” As PFF noted in their draft guide, however, that was not unique to Stingley on LSU’s roster that season…

Conclusion: Is the injury history and sub-par play the past two seasons enough to overshadow what we saw in 2019? Probably not. If a team believes they can get that kind of performance from Stingley on a consistent level as he transitions to the league, they might have him as CB1 on their board. If, however, a team is uncertain whether they are getting the 2019 version or the 2020-2021 version, they might be more skeptical.

Comparison: The Draft Network went with Stephon Gilmore, and the 2019 version of Stingley makes that comparison apt.

Andrew Booth Jr., Clemson

Height: 6’0″ (70th) Weight: 194 (60th)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Andrew Booth Jr. was another highly-regarded recruit in the 2019 class, graded as a five-star player out of Archer High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia. 247Sports ranked him as the second-best cornerback in the class, behind Derek Stingley Jr.

Booth had offers from a ton of schools, including LSU, but opted for Clemson. He played in 13 games for the Tigers as a true freshman, and made four starts during the 2020 campaign for the Tigers, notching a pair of interceptions. Head coach Dabo Swinney thought playing him as a true freshman, rather than redshirting him, was the best way to prepare him mentally.

This past season was his most productive in college, as Booth recorded 37 tackles and three interceptions, both career-high marks.

Stat to Know: Teams looking for a scheme-diverse corner are going to love what they saw from Booth, as he played a lot of zone coverage last season. Pro Football Focus charted him with 266 zone snaps, in contrast to the players already profiled.

Strengths: While we started with man coverage, or press coverage, with both Sauce Gardner and Derek Stingley Jr., with Booth the strengths begin with versatility. He has the movement skills, change-of-direction ability and footwork to handle man coverage in the NFL, but his time at Clemson saw him play a lot of zone or off coverage. That had Booth dropping and using his eyes to read and react to the play as it unfolded, and then driving downhill if necessary to make tackles.

One of my favorite snaps of Booth’s from this past season was this play against Boston College:

Booth’s versatility might have some looking at him as the top option in the draft.

Weaknesses: Booth’s experience in zone coverage, reading concepts and rallying downhill to the catch point, comes with a caveat.

Missed tackles.

If you are going to be playing off coverage or in zone, you need to be able to limit the damage. Five yard throws cannot become 15-yard gains because of a missed tackle. PFF charted him with a missed tackle percentage of 23.9% last season, ranking him 326th among college cornerbacks.

Plays like this are what he needs to fix:

It is not a lack of effort issue, in fact it might be the opposite. At times it looks like Booth wants to end the player with the football, and just whiffs at the strike point. Breaking down and just making a sure tackle, rather than swinging for the home-run type of hit, might be the answer.

Booth also suffered a core muscle injury prior to his Pro Day, and did not work out at the Combine because of a hamstring injury. The core muscle injury is going to require surgery, and is worth monitoring.

Conclusion: I keep coming back to the idea of Booth as a Philadelphia Eagle. The scheme fit seems almost perfect, with what we saw from the Eagles defense a year ago. Booth will need to clean up the tackling to thrive in such a zone-based system, but if he does that, watch out.

Comparison: I know I roll out the Patriots comparisons far too often, but I see shades of J.C. Jackson in Booth’s game.

Trent McDuffie, Washington

(Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 5’11” (52nd) Weight: 193 (57th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.44 seconds (66th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Trent McDuffie earned three varsity letters for St. John Bosco High School in California, helping his team earn a spot in the championship game of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. He was graded as a four-star recruit by 247Sports, and the 12-best cornerback in the 2019 recruiting class.

McDuffie chose to play his college football at Washington, turning down offers from schools such as Oregon State, UCLA and Alabama. He stepped right into the lineup as a true freshman for the Huskies, playing in all 13 games and making 11 starts during the 2019 season. He started all four of Washington’s game in 2020, recording 14 tackles and an interception.

This past season saw McDuffie earn Third-Team All-American honors, as he recorded 35 tackles — including four for a loss — and his only collegiate sack.

Stat to Know: According to data from Pro Football Focus, McDuffie has been a shutdown corner since setting foot on campus. He allowed just 339 yards on 439 coverage snaps as a true freshman, and followed that up with just 111 yards on 296 coverage snaps this past season.

Strengths: If you like Andrew Booth Jr., you might love McDuffie. The Washington cornerback played a similar number of zone snaps, but with perhaps better execution, particularly at the strike point. Over his career. PFF charted McDuffie with a missed tackle rate of just 6.9%, which is an impressive number. Plays like this are the reason why:

Even better was this snap against Arizona, where McDuffie actually makes a tackle for a loss on this play:

Whether McDuffie can build upon this foundation in the NFL is perhaps the bigger question.

Weaknesses: The main weakness with McDuffie might be his size. He comes in under six-feet tall, and the lack of length adds to concerns about his frame. McDuffie’s arms measured in at 29.75 inches, putting him in the seventh percentile of cornerbacks. That lack of size might have contributed to the lack of production during his college career, as McDuffie posted just two interceptions while in college. Pro Football Focus also charted him with just nine pass breakups on 100 targets during his time at Washington.

Will his size make him a pure slot cornerback at the next level? Washington used him almost exclusively on the outside, as he played 593 snaps on the boundary last season, in contrast with just 12 on the inside, but if he if viewed as a slot cornerback by teams, that might hurt his draft stock.

Then there is the technique in man coverage, and particularly in press-man coverage. His experience in zone has provided him with solid technique in those coverage, but press technique is still a work in progress. If you watch that game against Washington State, he seemed to struggle against bigger receivers when asked to use press technique. On this play, he is late to the punch, and lets the receiver get inside leverage on the slant route:

If he is going to play in a press-heavy scheme, he’ll need to refine the technique on the boundary.

Conclusion: McDuffie can slide into zone-heavy systems and play on Day One, even on the boundary despite his lack of size and length. He can also play in a few different roles at the next level, as Washington did use him in the slot and even as a deep safety at times. Teams that rely more on man coverage, however, might want more experience and refined technique from a player in the first round.

Comparison: Drae Harris went with Byron Murphy as his comparison in his profile of McDuffie for The Draft Network, and that fits for a number of reasons.

Roger McCreary, Auburn

(John Reed-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 5’11” (52nd) Weight: 190 (42nd)
40-Yard Dash: 4.50 seconds (40th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Coming out of Williamson High School in Mobile, Alabama, Roger McCreary graded as a three-star recruit and was the 87th-ranked cornerback in the 2018 class according to 247Sports. He originally committed to South Alabama and looked to stay close to home, but ultimately he chose Auburn.

He stepped onto the field as a true freshman and played in seven games, primarily as a reserve. He played in all 13 games as a sophomore in 2019, grabbing his first collegiate interception in a game against LSU. He took over as a starter in 2020, snaring three interceptions in ten games. This past season, he recorded 14 pass breakups, the top mark in the SEC. He was named a First-Team All-American at the end of the year.

Stat to Know: This is more “interesting fact” than “stat to know,” but the night before every game McCreary eats a meal of baked beans with sugar piled on top.

Strengths: Derek Stingley Jr. is not the only cornerback in this class who played early in his career, and held his own, in the SEC. While Stingley’s production as a true freshman does stand out, McCreary also took on a big role early in his career for the Tigers.

In fact, his first interception came against Stingley’s LSU Tigers, in a 2019 meeting between Auburn and LSU:

He also displays solid technique at the catch point. On this play from the Iron Bowl, Metchie tries to test him deep on a double move. McCreary does not panic, and plays up through the catch point to prevent the completion:

McCreary is experienced, changes directions well and has played against some of the best receivers in the SEC, putting up impressive production (his 20 forced incompletions last season were tops among college cornerbacks). That alone is a resume worthy of an early selection.

Weaknesses: On the negative side of the ledger, McCreary might not hit some size thresholds for teams, at least with respect to playing on the outside. Similar to Trent McDuffie, McCreary lacks ideal length for the position, as his 28.88-inch arms placed him in the 1st percentile for the position, and would be the smallest of a boundary cornerback in the NFL. That likely foreshadows a move to the inside, which could see him slide down boards a bit.

One area where he could improve is when playing in off technique. Particularly early in his career, the big plays he gave up seemed to come when he was playing off the receiver and trying to read cues and react downhill. If he can add consistency there, to what he already can do at the catch point, that would make for an ideal combination.

Conclusion: What McCreary did over his career in the SEC should count for something. Yes, the measurables might make him somewhat of an outlier, but he makes up for that lack of length with great closing skills, good fluidity and great awareness for the position. I think he can still play on the outside, but his versatility makes him a solid option as a slot corner out of the box.

Comparison: McCreary gives of some Casey Hayward vibes when studying him.

Kaiir Elam, Florida

(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’2″ (90th) Weight: 191 (46th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.39 seconds (84th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Kaiir Elam was a four-star prospect coming out of The Benjamin School in North Palm Beach, Florida. While in high school he played both defensive back and wide receiver, and for his career he notched nine interceptions on defense, while adding another 97 catches for 1,490 yards and 15 touchdowns as a receiver. He also played basketball in the winter — averaging almost 12 points per game over his career — and was a sprinter in the spring season.

Elam chose Florida over a number of schools, including Clemson, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame and Ohio State. He stepped right into the rotation for the Gators as a true freshman in 2019, recording three interceptions while making five starts that year. During the 2020 campaign, Elam started all 12 games and finished the year with a pair of interceptions, and 11 pass breakups.

This past season, Elam started nine games, as he missed three with an injury suffered against Alabama. He finished the year with an interception, and allowed only 18 catches (on 35 targets) for 185 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His father Abram Elam played college football at both Notre Dame and Kent State before spending six years in the NFL as a safety. Elam’s uncle Matt Elam was a first-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2012 draft as a safety, and is currently playing for the Edmonton Elks with the CFL.

Stat to Know: As we will discuss in a moment, press coverage is a strength of Elam’s. He saw 184 press coverage snaps last season, 39th-most among college football cornerbacks according to Pro Football Focus.

Strengths: Teams looking for a press coverage cornerback that can play some bully ball are going to love Elam. He is not afraid to take the fight to receivers and jam them off the line, but can also use his feet and change-of-direction skills to play press-bail technique with confidence.

His patience also stands out when in press alignment. On this snap against Jameson Williams, watch as Elam fights to keep his hips as parallel as possible, waiting for Williams to declare, and then he matches his speed on the vertical route:

Elam is a press coverage corner with experience against upper-level competition throughout his college career. That should have teams giving him serious consideration in the first round.

Weaknesses: Discipline, both with his hands and his eyes, is where Elam needs to improve. He was flagged for seven penalties in his ten games a year ago, and will need to learn how to balance his physical style of play with how the game is called at the next level.

Take this play against Alabama, where he draws a flag for defensive pass interference:

At first blush, this looks like good coverage. But with both Elam and John Metchie III hand fighting along the route, Elam is the one that gets flagged. You just know this kind of play will be called against him on Sundays.

Eye discipline is another area where Elam can improve. There are moments where he gets caught peeking in the backfield, hoping to jump a route or throw, and then loses track of his receiver or the nearest threat when he is in zone coverage.

Conclusion: His ability in press, coupled with his experience against some of the best receivers that you could see on Saturdays, makes Elam a solid option at the position early in the draft. If he gets a little more disciplined with his eyes and his hands, he can become a solid CB1 for an NFL team.

Comparison: Joe Marino of The Draft Network compared Elam to Carlton Davis, and that is the most apt comparison I have come across.

Kyler Gordon, Washington

(Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’0″ (55th) Weight: 194 (60th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.52 seconds (30th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Kyler Gordon was a standout on both sides of the football for Archbishop Murphy High School in Everett, Washington. During his senior year, for example, he ran for 517 yards on 40 rushing attempts, caught 32 passes for 841 yards, and tallied 44 tackles and five interceptions as a defensive back. He was named the Offensive MVP of the Cascade Conference, and a First-Team All-League defensive back.

Rated as a four-star defensive back by 247Sports, Gordon turned down Notre Dame, Nebraska and UCLA to stay close to home and play for Washington. He played in four games in the 2018 season, preserving his redshirt status. During the 2019 season, he played in all 13 games for the Huskies with four starts, recording 32 total tackles.

Gordon played in four games during Washington’s shortened 2020 campaign, making one start for the Huskies. He finished the year with 18 tackles, and was named the team’s Special Teams MVP.

This past season he slid into a starting role on the defensive side of the football, and finished the year with 45 tackles and a pair of interceptions.

Stat to Know: Gordon brings some versatility to the table as a prospect. He played all over the field for the Huskies, including in the slot, on the boundary, in the box and on the line of scrimmage. He saw 144 snaps in the slot a year ago, but also played 160 press coverage snaps, 60th-most among college cornerbacks.

Strengths: Gordon is an explosive defender who plays with impressive burst, whether coming downhill against the run or clicking and closing on a receiver after his break. That makes him one of the better run defenders in this cornerback class, whether aligning in the slot or along the boundary.

That closing speed also plays well in coverage. Similar to his teammate Trent McDuffie, some of Gordon’s best plays came when closing down on a receiver after the catch and either limiting the additional yardage or preventing the completion. Take this crossing route from Colorado:

Weaknesses: Eye discipline is perhaps the biggest area where Gordon can improve, although that might come with more snaps. There are times where Gordon can bite on double-moves, or take the bait when the offense is setting up a shot play downfield. On this play against Stanford, Gordon takes the bait on the swing screen behind the line of scrimmage while in zone coverage, giving the offense the deeper wheel route:

More discipline in situations is an area where he can show some improvement. Another area where he can improve is with his press technique, and working to stay parallel to the line of scrimmage longer rather than immediately turning his hips as the receiver releases.

Conclusion: Gordon’s versatility, closing speed and ability to help against the run will endear him to secondary coaches and defensive coordinators at the next level. He just needs to dial back the aggression just a bit, being more patient and disciplined, and he can carve out a nice role for an NFL defense.

Comparison: Comparing players to former teammates is often low-hanging fruit, but you can see parallels between his game and Elijah Molden, a former Washington defensive back now in Tennessee with the Titans.

Tariq Woolen, UTSA

(Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports)

Height: 6’4″ (99th) Weight: 205 (92nd)
40-Yard Dash: 4.26 seconds (100th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 42 inches (98th)
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Tariq Woolen attended Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth, Texas, and was a three-star recruit coming out of high school as a wide receiver. During his senior season, Woolen caught 31 passes for 536 yards and 10 touchdowns, and was named a First-Team All-District selection. He also ran track in addition to his time on the football field. T

Woolen chose to play his college football at UTSA, and redshirted during the 2017 season. He played in 12 games as a redshirt freshman in 2018, starting three games for the Roadrunners. That season he caught 15 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown.

Woolen began his sophomore season as a wide receiver, and after catching nine passes for 105 yards, he made the switch to cornerback for the final few weeks of the season. During the 2020 campaign, he started seven games at cornerback, registering 35 tackles and an interception.

This past season Woolen started nine games, notching 25 tackles, five pass breakups and an interception. He earned an invitation to the Senior Bowl, and was an honorable mention All-Conference USA selection.

Stat to Know: Part of the reason Woolen made the switch to cornerback? His hands. According to Pro Football Focus he dropped 7 of 31 catchable targets as a wide receiver prior to making the switch to cornerback.

Strengths: Similar to Troy Andersen, the linebacker prospect, Woolen is catching the attention of many in the draft community for a few reasons. First, the intrigue of a player switching positions. Second, the fact that Woolen — like Andersen — shows potential in the new role.

Third, there is this:

Posting those testing numbers at his size has NFL defensive coordinators salivating at what he could do for them next season.

Studying Woolen on film, you see a scheme-diverse cornerback with room to grow. Woolen moves extremely well, both in terms of straight-line speed and his change-of-direction skills. He has already shown good feel for zone coverage, and his background as a receiver puts him in position to react to routes and at times beat the receiver to the catch point. On this play against Illinois, that feel shows up as he takes away the deeper throw on the two-man concept, then breaks on the shallow route for the quick tackle:

Weaknesses: Woolen can be a bit of a gambler, and will rely on his length and speed in those situations. Sometimes it works for him, as he can wait to break on a route and rely on his speed to recover, or he will undercut a route and hope that his length puts him in position to make the play. Again, there are moments where it works. But on this play against Western Kentucky, you see Woolen try and pick Bailey Zappe’s pocket, but the QB gets the better of him:

This play also illustrates a portion of his game that he will need to refine, and that is his press technique. Woolen often opens his hips early in the down, and gives the receiver the advantage. More patience with his turn will help him as he transitions to the NFL.

Conclusion: As Mike Renner put it in the PFF draft guide: “Size, length, burst, speed – there’s not a corner in NFL history with a better combination of those things.” That is reflected in his Relative Athletic Score, which puts Woolen atop cornerbacks for the past 35 years. He is raw and needs to refine his technique, but you can imagine every single secondary coach and defensive coordinator in the league is imagining what they could do with him next season.

Comparison: Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus put in “good luck finding someone” for Woolen’s comparison in the PFF Draft Guide, and I’m stealing that response.

Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska

(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

Height: 5’11” (36th) Weight: 196 (68th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.38 seconds (88th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Cam Taylor-Britt put up huge numbers as a prep athlete in Alabama.

At quarterback.

During his senior year in 2017, Taylor-Britt threw for 1,466 yards and 16 touchdowns, and added another 1,030 yards on the ground with 14 more scores. He helped Park Crossing High School in Montgomery to the Class 6A playoffs, and the team finished with a 10-2 record.

He wanted to attend Auburn and was recruited by the Tigers, but when they did not offer him a scholarship he looked elsewhere, and that brought him to Lincoln.

As a true freshman for the Huskers, Taylor-Britt played in 11 games during the 2018 season, mostly on special teams and at safety. He started ten games the following season, seven at safety and three at cornerback. Taylor-Britt finished the 2019 season with three interceptions on the year.

He moved to cornerback full-time for the Huskers for the 2020 season, which was shortened due to COVID-19. Despite playing in just seven games, Taylor-Britt managed 28 tackles, six passes defended and a pair of interceptions. He was named a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection.

This past season, he started all 12 games for Nebraska, notching 51 tackles, 11 pass breakups and an interception. He was again named a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection.

Stat to Know: Pro Football Focus charted him with ten forced incompletions this past season, ranking him 23rd among college cornerbacks.

Strengths: Taylor-Britt is a versatile defender, in terms of alignment, technique and position. Having started his career at safety before switching to cornerback, he has the ability to contribute in a few different ways at the next level. He is probably most experienced in zone coverage schemes — often being tasked with spot-dropping — but he also played 170 press coverage snaps in 2021, 37th among college cornerbacks.

Taylor-Britt has great awareness when dropping into zone coverage and diagnosing plays, a trait he showed on this play against Ohio State that results in him breaking up a throw on a seam route:

On this play against Iowa, Taylor-Britt again shows that patience, waiting for the receiver to commit before matching his route and breaking up the throw:

Get him to a zone-heavy team in the NFL and watch him thrive.

Weaknesses: Taylor-Britt also has the ability to recover and work back to the catch point, but as you might imagine, what happens before that moment could be a problem for him at the next level. He is an aggressive coverage player, sometimes to a fault, and that leads to him sometimes getting caught peeking in the backfield or biting on double-move routes.

This play is an interception against Minnesota, but you can only imagine what happens on this play during a Sunday afternoon:

The Golden Gophers run a go/out combination to Taylor-Britt’s side of the field, and he bites when the quarterback pumps on the out route. Taylor-Britt has the recovery speed to get back and make the play — perhaps due to the ball hanging a bit — but if this is Josh Allen on the other side of the field, we might be looking at a touchdown.

Conclusion: If Taylor-Britt can learn the art of patience, and avoid biting on plays like the one above, he might be a great addition for a team early on the second day of the draft. His versatile skill-set — from technique to position — will give his NFL teams a lot of options.

Comparison: This is one of those moments where you struggle with a comparison. I see shades of Devin McCourty to his game, a player who began his college career at cornerback and plays primarily at safety in the NFL, but also sees cornerback reps depending on the opponent. One could imagine his NFL team using Taylor-Britt in a similar fashion.

Alontae Taylor, Tennessee

Height: 6’0″ Weight: 199
40-Yard Dash: 4.36 seconds
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 34.5 inches
Broad Jump: 10’8″
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Alontae Taylor was a standout football player at Coffee County Central High School in Manchester, Tennessee.

As a quarterback.

During his high school career, Taylor generated over 8,000 yards of offense and scored 75 touchdowns. He was rated as a four-star recruit, and stayed in-state to play for the Volunteers, enrolling early. He began his career at Tennessee at wide receiver in the spring of 2018, but by the time the fall season rolled around, he was a starter in the secondary as a true freshman. He became the school’s first true freshman to start in the secondary since Cameron Sutton in 2013, and recorded 40 tackles and two forced fumbles that season.

In 2019 Taylor played in all 13 games and made six starts at cornerback, notching 33 tackles and an interception. The following year, Taylor dealt with a lingering hamstring injury but still played in eight games, recording 29 tackles and snaring an interception.

During the 2021 campaign, Taylor started all 12 of Tennessee’s regular-season games, tallying a career-best 60 tackles and a pair of interceptions. He earned an invitation to the Senior Bowl, and snared another interception in the game at the end of the week.

Stat to Know: Taylor recorded a career-high ten tackles in a loss to Georgia this season.

Strengths: Taylor has grown into a solid cornerback who projects best in a zone-heavy system, that allows him to read out concepts and break downhill on throws in front of him. On this play against Vanderbilt, you can see that trait in action, as he remains patient in his zone and then rallies downhill to make the sure tackle:

Taylor reads this play perfectly, jumping the route once the quarterback declares where he is going with the throw, and he finished the play with the touchdown for the Volunteers.

He also uses good technique in zone coverage, as he does here on this snap against South Florida. Watch as Taylor gets a jam on the boundary receiver and executes a man-coverage turn, showing his back to the quarterback. But Taylor gets his head inside to pick up the slot receiver, and once he breaks to the flat, Taylor peels off to pick up that threat and makes a solid tackle after the catch:

Zone-heavy teams will love his discipline and feel for zone coverages.

Weaknesses: Taylor can handle man coverage responsibilities against bigger-bodied receivers who are straight-line threats. However, the receivers that give him problems are those who can quickly change directions on him, and that might force his defensive coordinator to be creative in using him. He can also be slow to pick up the football in flight, and could improve on his ball skills at the catch point.

Conclusion: Zone-heavy systems are going to love what he showed on film. His ability to re-route receivers off the line towards help, constrict throwing lanes, and remain patient in his zone is critical to his success at the next level. He can handle some man coverage responsibilities, particularly on the outside against more straight-line threats, but the idea of kicking him inside to the slot against shifty change-of-direction wideouts might be a big ask.

Comparison: From an athletic standpoint, Taylor compares favorably to Dee Milliner, a first-round pick by the New York Jets in the 2013 NFL draft.

Coby Bryant, Cincinnati

Height: 6’1″ (86th) Weight: 193 (57th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.54 seconds (22nd)
Bench Press: 17 reps (80th)
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Coby Bryant played both cornerback and safety at Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio, and was rated as a three-star recruit coming out of Glenville. He chose Cincinnati, and played in all 12 games as a true freshman during the 2017 season, primarily on special teams.

He stepped into the starting lineup for the 2018 campaign, making 12 starts. He played nine of those games with a cast on his hand, due to a fracture suffered early in the year. Despite that, Bryant still managed 33 tackles and a pair of interceptions, as well as leading the Bearcats with 11 passes defended.

Bryant started 24 games over the 2019 and 2020 season, and was a big part of Cincinnati becoming one of college football’s best defenses. During the 2020 campaign, Bryant led the team with four interceptions. He returned for a final season this past year, and was named the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award winner, given to the top defensive back in the nation. Bryant became just the second non-Power 5 player to win the award. He added another three interceptions to his resume, and broke up 11 passes.

Stat to Know: Bryant is a boundary corner with a ton of man coverage experience. According to charting data from Pro Football Focus, Bryant played 912 snaps on the boundary last year, and his 209 man snaps were fourth-most among college cornerbacks.

Strengths: One of the benefits of playing across from Sauce Gardner? You are going to get tested. While Gardner saw 80 targets the past two seasons combined, Bryant saw 75 in 2021 alone. Still, Bryant more than held his own, allowing just 33 receptions on those targets for 460 yards, and snaring those three interceptions.

While Bryant played a lot of man coverage, that comes with a caveat. In Cincinnati’s offense, Gardner would often be aligned in press, while Bryant was used in more of an off-man role. While Gardner’s 397 press snaps were the most among college corners last season, Bryant saw just 171, ranking him 48th. His strength comes at rallying to the catch point. Take this play against SMU, where Bryant defends an in-breaking route while playing off the receiver:

Also, there must be something in the water in Cincinnati. As we discussed with Gardner, his ability to quickly change directions in unscripted moments such as a scramble drill is a strength.

Well, here is Bryant doing the same against Indiana, on the left side of the offense:

Weaknesses: There is also a flip side to playing alongside Gardner, and that speaks to the transition Bryant might face coming into the NFL. In Cincinnati’s defense — and as you might have noticed in the above clips — Bryant was used mostly as the field-side cornerback, while Gardner aligned to the boundary. That meant that Bryant often had more time to react to throws and break on the football, as the quarterback who tried to test him would be throwing to the wide side of the field. As you saw on that Pick-Six against UCF, sometimes those throws will hang from college passers.

In the NFL, that is a different story. So whether Bryant can match the quicker game he’ll see on Sundays is a big question, and the 4.54 40-yard dash he posted at the Combine — along with the level of competition he played against — does not make this an easy projection.

Conclusion: Scheme fit might be the biggest piece of the puzzle with Bryant. Teams that rely heavily on zone or off-man coverages, and have a true CB1 in place, might be a good home for him. But teams that are heavy press-man defenses might look elsewhere.

Comparison: Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus compared Bryant to Jalen Mills, and that makes sense to me.

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