Midseason NFL Draft outlook: Cornerback

The college football season continues to churn on, so there’s no better time to take an early look at the top five players position-by-position who are eligible for the NFL Draft as well as two other players to watch.

Today, we move on to the cornerback spot.

NFL Draft outlook: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receiver | Tight End | Offensive line | Defensive end | Defensive tackle | Linebackers

Recruiting: The five-star defensive back committed to Arizona over Alabama and others at the Under Armour All-America Game. That lasted about a week. Tabor flipped his commitment to Florida and the Gators landed the third-best cornerback in the 2014 class.

Stats: In only five games this season, Tabor has a team-high four interceptions. He has also recorded 10 tackles and a pass breakup.

Farrell’s take: Tabor was one of the first eighth-grade prospects I scouted, but it wasn’t by choice. The kid just played at a higher level than he should have and made a name for himself on the 7-on-7 circuit by making huge play after huge play. His instincts are off the charts, similar to those of Tyrann Mathieu when it comes to being around the play. He corrected some tackling issues by his senior year and, while he can bite on moves and be overly aggressive, his ball skills and length make up for most mistakes.

Recruiting: Humphrey ended up following his father’s footsteps and playing at Alabama over Florida State, his other finalist. UCLA and Mississippi State were also seriously considered. Bobby Humphrey was an All-American running back for the Crimson Tide in the 1980s.

Stats: Humphrey has recorded 17 tackles and an interception so far this season. The former five-star also has three pass deflections and a forced fumble.

Farrell’s take: Humphrey had good size, was long and was a confident kid coming out of high school. He was a sure tackler, very smooth in his back pedal and had natural football instincts. I remember he had a poor week of practice at the Under Armour All-America Game but shook it off and had a very good game. He’s better under the lights like that. Humphrey doesn’t get targeted a ton at Alabama, but when he does he’s always around the ball.

Recruiting: The son of former Miami cornerback Chad Wilson, the four-star picked Florida over almost the entire SEC except Alabama, which did not offer, and numerous national offers in the summer before his senior season. Wilson committed to Florida on the same day as Ermon Lane and Chris Lammons. Lane ended up at Florida State and Lammons signed with South Carolina.

Stats: Wilson only has eight tackles (two for loss) with one sack so far this season because defenses rarely test him. The former four-star also has three interceptions and three pass deflections.

Farrell’s take: Wilson was a tall, athletic cornerback who was ranked in our top 175 but didn’t make the cut at top 10 at his position in a loaded 2014 class. Why? Because we projected him as a guy who was recruited as a corner, wanted to play corner but might have to make the move to safety because he could struggle with smaller, faster guys in space. He’s certainly shown that’s not a problem as he is rising as fast as anyone on this list and his offensive ability in high school has certainly shown as well with his ball skills and the way he’s a threat to score after any pick.

Recruiting: King was committed to Central Michigan and Ball State before finally flipping to Iowa about a week before National Signing Day. Neither Michigan nor Michigan State offered the three-star standout from Detroit Crockett.

Stats: King has registered 29 tackles (1.5 for loss) with an interception, six pass deflections and a forced fumble so far this season.

Farrell’s take: King was not heavily recruited out of high school and essentially ignored by in-state powers Michigan and Michigan State, much to their dismay now. He was always a guy who was around the ball with double-digit interceptions consistently in high school, but it was his speed that we questioned, which is why he was a mid three-star prospect. But his instincts continue to be off the charts and make up for that lack of blazing quickness. He breaks on the ball like a sub-4.4 guy even though that's not his straight-ahead speed.

Recruiting: Lewis committed to Michigan at the same time as Detroit Cass Tech teammate David Dawson in the spring of his junior year. The only other offer Lewis had at the time was from Toledo.

Stats: In only three games this season, Lewis has recorded eight tackles (one for loss), a highlight-reel interception against Wisconsin and three pass breakups.

Farrell’s Take: It's hard to find a cornerback who played the ball better than Lewis last year and despite missing some time early, the same can be said for this year. His instincts and ability to make a play on the ball have been up near the top of the cornerback list for a long time. We liked him quite a bit as a top-150 player, but of course his size was a concern in regards to handling bigger receivers. That hasn't been a problem mainly because of his hops, his knack for getting his head around just in time, and he's been an effective tackler as well. He made some huge plays in high school and on the camp circuit, but he's taken his game to the next level in Ann Arbor.

Recruiting: Jackson picked USC on National Signing Day with UCLA, Florida and LSU being his other finalists. Tennessee was also a major player late in his recruitment and Oklahoma and others were considered, since Jackson is originally from the Midwest.

Stats: Jackson is fourth on the Trojans with 34 tackles (one for loss) with two interceptions and six pass deflections. He’s also recovered two fumbles.

Farrell’s Take: Jackson was a dynamic athlete in high school who could play either side of the ball and impact special teams. His ability as a punt and kick returner at the NFL level will intrigue many, but he needs to overcome the knock on his size and the questions surrounding his ability to cover bigger receivers. He’s one of the most dynamic players in college football, but is that enough? We obviously loved him as our No. 1 athlete, a five-star and the No. 6 player overall in 2014.

Recruiting: White committed to LSU at its junior day and Mississippi State was his only other offer at the time. UCLA, Georgia Tech, Kentucky and others showed interest.

Stats: White has registered 19 tackles and two interceptions so far this season. The former five-star also has six pass deflections and he’s recovered a fumble.

Farrell’s Take: It never hurts to play defensive back at LSU and we saw White as an athletic lockdown corner who could also impact on special teams as well. The five-star corner in that 2013 class that gets mentioned the least, he has played his way into the discussion as one of the top corners in 2017 by staying for an additional year. He played quarterback in high school, which has helped him read offenses and he’s also a special teams threat.