2020 Draft Preview: Corners

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March 18, 2020

by Steve Thomas

This column is the next part of our continuing weekly draft preview series, which is scheduled to finish right before the April 24 NFL Draft.  husfar, we’ve covered the following position groups:

Prior to free agency, the Redskins had a big need at cornerback, although the position group isn’t in quite as bad shape as some other parts of the roster.  Lead corner Quinton Dunbar is unhappy, or least is pretending to be for the purpose of getting a contract extension.  With Josh Norman gone, Fabian Moreau presumably will step up into the #2 outside corner role, with Danny Johnson, Greg Stroman, and Jimmy Moreland fighting over the slot corner position.  However, this week’s return of Kendall Fuller alleviates the burden somewhat, but the team could still use an injection of talent into this group, particularly with Dunbar’s future being uncertain.  Fortunately, this year’s corner group has significant talent to choose from.  Here are the leading candidates:

1. Jeff Okudah, 6’1” / 205, 21, Ohio St.: Okudah spent 3 seasons at Ohio St., playing a total of 35 games, and made 83 tackles, including 64 solo, 18 pass defenses, and 3 interceptions. In 2019, he made 34 tackles, including 28 solo, 9 pass defenses, and all 3 of his career interceptions, and was a unanimous First Team All-American.  He performed the athletic testing and some of the drills at the NFL Combine, running the 40 yard dash in 4.48 seconds, doing 11 bench press reps, and jumping 41 inches in the vertical leap and 11’3” in the standing broad jump.  Okudah is the unanimous #1 corner in the draft and top 10 selection.  Most analysts view him as a top 5 pick.  Okudah is everything a defense would want in a corner – he’s fast and athletic, is outstanding at pattern matching in man coverage, and a hard hitter.  He’s probably better in man coverage than in zone, but overall, Okudah is as complete of a corner as you’ll ever find in the draft, and if the cards line up right, the Redskins would be wise to draft him.

2. CJ Henderson, 6’1” / 204, 21, Florida: Henderson played 3 seasons for the Gators, making 93 tackles, with 66 solo tackles, 20 pass defenses, and 6 interceptions, including 2 returned for touchdowns. In 2019, he made 33 tackles, including 26 solo, and 11 pass defenses.  He earned First Team All-SEC honors in 2019 and Second Team All-SEC honors in 2018.  Henderson helped himself pretty dramatically at the Combine by running the 40 yard dash in 4.39 seconds, doing 20 bench press reps, and jumping 37.5 inches in the vertical leap and 10’7” in the standing broad jump.   Henderson is the clear-cut #2 corner in the draft behind Okudah.  He has the size, athleticism, and man coverage skills to be a #1 corner in the NFL.  His biggest downside is his tackling ability, which also affects his run defense and is what has depressed his value somewhat in spite of his Combine numbers.  Henderson is most likely a first round pick.

3. Kristian Fulton, 6’0” / 1997, 21, LSU: Fulton spent four years at LSU, but was suspended for the entire 2017 season after he was found to have tampered with a test for performance enhancing drugs. Fulton appealed the suspension twice, arguing in the first appeal that he thought the test was for recreational drugs, and then in the second appeal that the drug testing protocol wasn’t followed.  Fulton lost the first appeal, but then eventually won the second appeal, and then returned to play the 2018 season, but then suffered a season-ending ankle injury in week 10.  In total, Fulton played 24 games at LSU, with 56 tackles, including 42 solo, 20 passes defensed, and 2 interceptions.  In 2019, he played all 15 games, making 38 tackles, including 28 solo, 14 pass defenses, and 1 interception, and earned Second Team All-SEC honors.  At the NFL Combine, Fulton ran the 40 yard dash in 4.46 seconds, jumped 35.5 inches in the vertical leap, 10’3” in the standing broad jump, and ran the 20 yard short shuttle in 4.36 seconds.  Fulton is another quality press-man corner and is recognized by most analysts as the #3 ranked corner in the draft.  He could stand to improve on his tackling ability and success against the run.

4. Trevon Diggs, 6’1” / 205, 21, Alabama: Trevon is the younger brother of Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver Stefon Diggs. He played in 44 games over 4 seasons with the Crimson Tide, making a total of 68 tackles, including 43 solo, 17 pass defenses, and 4 interceptions, with one returned for a touchdown.  In 2019, Diggs played 12 games, making 37 tackles, with 20 solo tackles, 8 pass defenses, and 3 interceptions, including 1 returned for a touchdown, and was selected for First Team All-SEC honors.  At the NFL Combine, he ran the 40 yard dash in 4.46 seconds, jumped 35 inches in the vertical leap and 9’7” in the standing broad jump, and ran the 20 yard short shuttle in 4.32 seconds.  Diggs is known as a player with outstanding zone coverage and ball skills.  He has the size, speed, and athleticism of a starting outside corner in the NFL.  Diggs is thought of by most as a high day 2 selection.

5. A.J. Terrell, 6’1” / 195, 21, Clemson: Terrell stayed with the Tigers for three seasons, starting 2, with 38 games played, 101 tackles, including 74 solo, 13 passes defended, and 6 interceptions, with one returned for a touchdown. In 2019, he played 14 games, with 34 tackles, including 24 solo tackles, 3 passes defended, and 2 interceptions, earning First Team All-ACC honors.  At the NFL Combine, he ran the 40 yard dash in 4.42 seconds, did 15 bench press reps, jumped 34.5 inches in the vertical leap, and 10’9” in the standing broad jump.  Terrell is known for his man coverage skills, and has the length and speed to work on the boundary as a starter in the NFL.  Despite his 15 bench press numbers, he isn’t thought of as overly strong by corner standards and has a reputation as a bit of a reputation as an arm tackler.

6. Jeff Gladney, 5’10” / 191, TCU: Gladney redshirted his freshman year at TCU, then started his next four years, playing a total of 44 games, making 146 tackles, with 107 solo tackles, 37 passes defended, and 5 interceptions. In 2019, he made 31 tackles, including 24 solo, 14 passes defended, and 1 interception.  He earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors in 2018 and First Team All-Big Ten honors in 2019.  At the Combine, Gladney ran the 40 yard dash in 4.48 seconds, did 17 bench press reps, and jumped 37.5 inches in the vertical leap and 10’4” in the standing broad jump.  Gladney has demonstrated good press-man coverage skills, but he’s fairly slight of build, and had has problems with his hands, so he may be someone who ultimately will be better suited to a slot role despite his big-time athletic measurables.  Gladney is probably a second round pick.

7. Noah Igbinoghene, 5’10” / 198, Auburn: Igbinoghene stayed at Auburn for three seasons; however, he began his collegiate career in 2017 as a backup wide receiver, then transitioned to corner for the 2018 season. In total, he played 39 games, which included 14 in 2017 as a receiver and 25 in 2018 and 2019 as a corner.  As a corner, he made 92 tackles, including 67 solo tackles, with 18 passes defended, and 1 interception.  In 2019, Igbinoghene made 42 tackles, with 28 solo, and 7 passes defended.  At the Combine, he ran the 40 yard dash in 4.48 seconds, 15 bench press reps, and jumped 37 inches in the vertical leap and 10’8” in the standing broad jump.  Igbinwghene’s inexperience at corner is a negative, but he has significant strength, athleticism, and natural aggression, so he has the tools but is a player who will need some time and coaching to get up to speed.

8. Damon Arnette, 6’0” / 195, Ohio St.: Arnette is “the other” Ohio St. corner. He reshirted his true freshman year in 2015, then played 47 collegiate games over the next 4 seasons, making a total of 140 tackles, including 104 solo tackles, 22 passes defended, and 5 interceptions.  In 2019, he made 35 tackles, with 27 solo, 8 passes defended, and 1 interception, which was returned for a touchdown, and earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors, despite playing the bulk of the season with a broken wrist.  He ran the 40 yard dash in 4.56 at the NFL Combine.  Arnette known primary as a zone corner and isn’t overly athletic by NFL standards.  He’s highly physical but not great in run defense.  He’s probably a high day 2 prospect.

9. Jaylon Johnson, 6’0” / 193, Utah: Johnson spent three years at Utah, playing in 37 games, with 102 tackles, including 88 solo, 21 passes defended, and 7 interceptions, including 2 returned for touchdowns.  In 2019, he played all 13 games, making 36 tackles, including 34 solo, 11 pass defenses, and 2 interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.  He was named to the First Team All Pac 12 team in both 2018 and 2019.  At the Combine, Johnson ran the 40 yard dash in 4.50 seconds, did 15 bench press reps, jumped 36.5 inches in the vertical leap and 10’4” in the standing broad jump, and ran the 20 yard short shuttle in 4.13 seconds.  Johnson is another zone corner who will be best suited on the outside, not in the slot.  He’s known to have quality ball skills and plays physical, but will need some work to improve his technique.  Johnson is expected to go in the second or third round.

10. Cameron Dantzler, 6’2” / 188, 21, Mississippi St.: Dantzler redshirted his 2016 freshman year, then played 31 games over the next 3 seasons at Mississippi St., making a total of 108 tackles, including 78 solo tackles, 20 pass defenses, and 5 interceptions.  In 2019, he was limited to just 9 games due to injury, but made 40 tackles, including 31 solo, defended 8 passes defended, and 2 made 2 interceptions.  He earned Second Team All-SEC honors in 2018, but not 2019.  He ran the 40 yard dash in 4.64 seconds and jumped 34.5 inches in the vertical leap at the NFL Combine.  Dantzler is a guy who has all of the necessary tools – size, physicality, skill to play press coverage – but his 40 time at the Combine greatly hurts his stock, because a 4.6 time just isn’t acceptable for a starting corner, at least for anyone not named Josh Norman, and it’s going to depress his draft position.  Dantzler needs a pro day to try and improve his 40 time, but because of the Coronavirus outbreak, he may not get it.  He was probably a second round pick prior to the Combine, but now will see his stock fall.