There is a tonne of talent in this year’s cornerback class. The position makes up 14 of the top 100 players on my Big Board. Only wide receiver (16) accounts for a larger number. The top tier of players provide a variety of skillsets to suit a number of different defensive schemes and it will be interesting to see how and when they come of the board. Here are my top ten cornerbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft.
2021 Position Rankings
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | IOL | IDL | EDGE | LB | S
1. Patrick Surtain II – Alabama
Pros: Surtain was a three-year starter at Alabama and he is easily the most polished technician in this year’s class. He has plenty of experience, with his 1,536 career coverage snaps since 2018 ranking as the most in the country. His ability to be consistently effective in coverage is a huge plus point and he allowed a passer rating of just 68.7 during his time with the Crimson Tide. He played a tonne of press coverage and has the length and physicality to disrupt receivers’ releases off the line. His ball production is another big strength and he has 25 forced incompletions on his 156 career targets. Surtain is a reliable open field tackler too, with just 11 misses on 135 attempts.
Cons: There isn’t much to criticise when it comes to Surtain’s technique. The biggest weakness to his game is his athleticism. He is not sudden or twitchy and can struggle when asked to change direction. This was part of the reason he elected not to perform the short shuttle and three-cone at his pro day. Whilst his long speed is sufficient, he can struggle to make up ground if he loses early in the rep. There were times in the game against Tennessee this season where he was stacked by Josh Palmer, who ran a 4.51 40-yard dash at his pro day.
Projection: 1st round
2. Caleb Farley – Virginia Tech
Pros: Farley has the perfect combination of size and speed you look for in a cornerback. He should have no issue dealing with the physicality of NFL receivers and his make-up speed is the best in this years class, reportedly running in the 4.2s. His short area quickness is also elite and he has real burst out of his breaks, making him one of the most scheme-versatile players in the draft. Farley only switched to the position in 2018, having previously played as a wide receiver. It shows downfield, and he is excellent at mirroring opponents and disrupting at the catch point. His 2019 tape was exceptional and he allowed a passer rating of just 26.8. He also allowed a completion rate of 36 per cent and had 13 forced incompletions on his 50 targets.
Cons: The biggest issue for Farley will be injury history. He missed two games in 2019 due to a back injury. This has since resulted in multiple surgeries and the long-term impact of that will be a major concern. He also tore his ACL in 2017, which forced him to miss the entire season. This is the only thing keeping Farley from being my CB1 in this year’s class. Another concern will be sample size. Farley had two seasons as a starter, but 2019 was the only time we saw him produce to a high level. Although he has all the traits to be an excellent press corner, he didn’t play it very often in college.
Projection: 1st round
3. Asante Samuel Jr. – Florida State
Pros: Samuel is a really smooth mover at corner, with some of the best change of direction ability you will see. His short area quickness is noteworthy and he is quick out of his breaks. Samuel is one of the best ball hawks in this year’s class and his instincts are rare, logging a 19.7 per cent forced incompletion rate during his time at Florida State. His 2020 tape was particularly impressive, and Samuel allowed just 179 yards on his 32 targets, giving up a passer rating of 46.2. Despite lacking prototypical size, Samuel gives his all as a run defender and does a nice job of coming downhill and engaging with the ball carrier.
Cons: At just 5’10” and 180 lbs, Samuel is seriously undersized for the position. He played primarily as a boundary corner in college, but teams may look to switch him to the slot at the next level. Unsurprisingly he lacks ideal physicality and can struggle when tasked with covering bigger receivers. His lack of size and length lead him to struggle in press coverage and he will likely only have success in an off coverage-heavy scheme. Samuel isn’t always the most reliable tackler either and his lack of length and functional strength make this more difficult. He had a 13.8 per cent miss rate throughout his college career.
Projection: 1st round
4. Jaycee Horn – South Carolina
Pros: Horn is the best press man corner in this year’s draft class. He is incredibly physical at the line and will bully receivers off their routes. Horn has the ideal combination of height and length, with his 33″ arms ranking in the 93rd percentile at the position. He also has excellent long speed, running a 4.39 40-yard dash. He held up really well against top competition in the SEC, limiting the likes of Devonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy, and Kyle Pitts to less than 25 yards. His form in 2020 was particularly impressive, allowing just eight catches on his 24 targets for 116 yards. He is incredibly disruptive at the catch point, with 23 career forced incompletions.
Cons: Horn’s physicality is his selling point, but he needs to tone it down in the NFL. He is a flag magnet at the moment and conceded five penalties in just seven games this season. This will only get worse in the NFL due to the illegal contact penalty. Whilst he is fantastic as a press man corner, he looked nowhere near as impressive when playing off coverage and his change of direction ability isn’t ideal. His tackling is a liability at this point too, with a 21.1 per cent miss rate across his career. His 2020 numbers were heavily reliant on the Auburn game, which accounted for almost half of his targets and all of his forced incompletions.
Projection: 1st round
5. Greg Newsome II – Northwestern
Pros: Newsome is a really polished player, with the quick feet and smooth hips you want at the position. His change of direction ability is fantastic and he has great short area quickness. He does a good job of tracking the ball downfield and his instincts are excellent. He possesses ideal height and length to be disruptive at the catch point, resulting in eight forced incompletions on just 34 targets in 2020. Newsome is adept at covering the vertical tree and didn’t allow a single completion over 20 yards this season. His passer rating allowed of 31.7 was the best of any draft-eligible corner in 2020. Newsome played a zone-heavy role in college but has a scheme-versatile skillset.
Cons: Newsome impressed this season, but he doesn’t have a lot of quality tape. His production in 2020 was a huge leap from previous years and it came across just 223 coverage snaps. In that time he didn’t face any real NFL-level competition. The only time he did was against Ohio State, and he left midway through with an injury. Injuries have been an issue throughout his career and have impacted each of his seasons at Northwestern. Teams will have concerns about his durability at the next level. He is also a little lean and can struggle against more physical receivers.
Projection: 1st round
6. Elijah Molden – Washington
Pros: Molden is the best pure slot corner in the class. He proved himself to be a playmaker in coverage during his time in Washington and his instincts are elite. He had some really impressive breaks on the ball and accounted for 17 forced incompletions through his final 17 collegiate games. Molden is also an excellent tackler, with good form and the ability to wrap up consistently. His run defense is another major strong point and he is eager to get downhill and make plays. Some teams will see him as a safety in the NFL, and he showed he has the tools to play there comfortably in 2020.
Cons: Molden lacks ideal size, standing at just 5’9″ and 192 lbs. He has barely any experience on the boundary, playing just 46 snaps there over the past three seasons, and will be a slot-only corner in the NFL. Unlike a lot of undersized players, Molden doesn’t make up for it with elite speed and athleticism. He ran a 4.62 40-yard dash at his pro day and whilst he does play faster than this on the field, he isn’t quick by any stretch of the imagination. Molden also lacks length, with his 29.5″ arms ranking in the 4th percentile at the position. This can sometimes see him getting stuck on blocks in the run game.
Projection: 2nd round
7. Kelvin Joseph – Kentucky
Pros: Joseph is an excellent athlete, with great short area quickness and long speed. He pairs this with the fluid hips and quick feet that you want in a corner. Despite a lack of experience he already shows promising ball skills and is disruptive at the catch point. Joseph had four picks and a pass breakup on 34 targets in 2020. He held up really well against top competition in the SEC this season and didn’t allow a single yard against Devonta Smith. Joseph is willing in run defense and plays with real physicality. He is a noticeably hard-hitting tackler who wraps up well. He had just three misses on 37 attempts in 2020.
Cons: The biggest concern with Joseph is his immaturity. He was a personal foul magnet on the field and has off-field issues too. He was suspended at LSU for an undisclosed violation of team rules. There are suggestions that this was the result of a failed drug test. These issues continued at Kentucky when he was instructed to opt-out midway through the 2020 season after telling the coaching staff he wanted to sit out for a game. Joseph is a one-year starter and he is still raw. He has a tendency to bite on double moves and needs to be more disciplined in coverage. This cost Kentucky on a number of occasions and Joseph allowed four touchdowns on his 34 targets in 2020.
Projection: 2nd round
8. Tay Gowan – UCF
Pros: Gowan’s numbers in 2019 were elite across the board. He allowed just 274 yards on his 50 targets, with just 13 first downs. He gave up just 0.69 yards per coverage snap, which is comparable to the top corners in this year’s class. Ball production is another big strength to Gowan’s game and he logged an 18 per cent forced incompletion rate during his time at UCF. He possesses the ideal combination of length and athleticism and has the speed and change of direction you want at the position. He had plenty of experience in press coverage at UCF, which will translate well to the NFL. Gowan looked equally comfortable in off coverage and can play man or zone to a high level.
Cons: Gowan has just one year of quality production to his name. He was a JUCO transfer back in 2019 and had just made the decision to opt out of the 2020 season due to contracting COVID-19 and transmitting it to his family. Whilst his 2019 form was incredibly impressive, he did not face a tonne of top competition at wide receiver. Gowan is also an older prospect and will turn 23 as a rookie. At 6’1″ and 186 lbs, Gowan is still a little lean for an NFL corner and will need to add more functional strength to translate to the NFL.
Projection: 2nd round
9. Ifeatu Melifonwu – Syracuse
Pros: Melifonwu has every physical trait you could want. At 6’2″ and 205 lbs he is one of the biggest corners in this year’s class and possesses a 78.5″ wingspan. What makes him such an interesting prospect is that he pairs this with genuine athleticism. Melifonwu posted a Relative Athletic Score of 9.69 and ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at his pro day. He is incredibly explosive and has excellent short area quickness. He showcases great timing and disruption at the catch point and his length allows him to make a tonne of plays on the ball. Melifonwu also took a big step forward as a tackler in 2020, missing just nine of 69 attempts.
Cons: Whilst Melifonwu has the size to dominate opposing receivers off the line, he rarely uses it. He plays far smaller than his listed weight would suggest and doesn’t have the physicality you expect from a player of his size. He doesn’t have much experience in press coverage either and looked at his best when being used as a zone corner in off coverage. His instincts are still very much in the developmental phase and his route anticipation could definitely do with some work. At this point, Melifonwu is more of a read and react player than he is an instinctual one.
Projection: 2nd round
10. Eric Stokes – Georgia
Pros: Stokes was a three-year starter for the Bulldogs and played to a consistently high level. He allowed a passer rating of 62.6 throughout his career, which is better than the likes of Surtain, Farley, and Horn. Stokes is excellent at the catch point and allowed a completion rate of just 53.4 per cent throughout his college career. He had an excellent year in 2020, giving up just 145 yards on 28 targets against SEC-only opponents. Stokes has plenty of experience in press coverage, with over 400 such snaps over the past two seasons. His long speed is elite and he rarely gets beaten deep, not giving up a single 20+ completion in 2020. Stokes may also be the best tackling corner in the class, with just five misses on 89 career attempts.
Cons: Stokes is a physical player but has a tendency to be incredibly grabby downfield. He benefits from the lack of illegal contact penalties in college football and could struggle to adjust to the NFL. Whilst his straight line speed is excellent, Stokes isn’t as effective when changing direction. This showed at his pro day, and his short shuttle time of 4.36 seconds ranked in the 17th percentile at the position. He can also struggle to play in off coverage and benefits when he can get his hands on receivers early in their routes. Stokes will be a great fit in a Cover 3-heavy scheme but won’t be nearly as effective in a split-field defense.
Projection: 3rd round
