NFL Draft Stock Report: Cornerbacks

The NFL Draft is months away, but as college football hits its stride for 2017, we take a look at the top prospects at each position. Today, we continue with the cornerbacks.

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Recruiting: While on his official visit to Louisville in December, Alexander flipped his commitment from South Carolina to the Cardinals.

Stats: Alexander has not played since he suffered a knee injury in the first half of the season opener against Purdue. He is listed as questionable this week against N.C. State.

Farrell’s take: A skinny cornerback out of a newer school in North Carolina, Alexander was a mid-three-star recruit who started to emerge a bit at the end of the rankings cycle. In high school, he never showed the ability to dominate as he has done after two full seasons of college football. Alexander had ball skills and ability in coverage, but the way he physically manhandles players in coverage, off the line and in run support, is as impressive as any cornerback in the country. This kid is going to be a star and the NFL is drooling if he can fight back from injury as quickly as possible.

Recruiting: McFadden had a little showmanship during a ceremony at his high school during his senior season. First, McFadden picked up a Florida State hat, only to put that down and pick up a Georgia hat. He then discarded that one and chose Florida State.

Stats: In three games this season, the former five-star has 10 tackles and three pass breakups.

Farrell’s take: A controversial five-star as many questioned our ranking, McFadden was a tall kid who could have projected at safety as well. While he did get beat deep at times, he had the length, speed and hips to be special. After a slow start to last season, he came on and started to be more consistent in coverage and that has carried over for the most part this year. Nearly everyone had him as a five-star at the end of the 2015 recruiting cycle, but we had him ranked higher at cornerback than anyone else and he’s proving us right. His size will have the NFL infatuated.

Recruiting: On National Signing Day, Marshall picked USC over Florida State, Michigan, LSU and UCLA. The Trojans were long considered the favorite.

Stats: Marshall is fourth on the team with 26 tackles including one for loss along with five pass breakups.

Farrell’s take: As with any position, you can get a feeling about a player and I had that feeling about Marshall. What was that feeling? It's that I was seeing something special and looking at a kid who could be an NFL star someday. With Marshall, he had the size, hips, strength and quickness, but it was more about his instincts and ability to see the field than anything else. Even as the No. 1 corner in the country, he never avoided competition and always wanted to prove his worth. The NFL will like his size and his tackling ability but he needs to work on game-to-game focus.

Recruiting: A former Ohio State commitment, Davis backed off that pledge following a late visit to Auburn and decided to sign with the Tigers.

Stats: Davis has recorded 15 tackles along with an interception and seven pass breakups so far this season. Auburn’s defense allows just 142 passing yards per contest.

Farrell’s take: Davis was tall, angular and covered a lot of space as a cornerback. He had good instincts although his technique was slightly awkward as he was growing into his tall frame. Davis was a guy I could see growing into a free safety or staying at cornerback. He needed to work on his run support, but made up a lot of ground in the passing game by being so long. He dominated the Semper Fi All-American Bowl week and it would have been interesting to see him in one of the two big all-star games. He’s another tall corner scouts like.

Recruiting: Ward was offered by Ohio State at summer camp and he committed to the Buckeyes before he left campus. Kentucky, Rutgers, Washington State, Cincinnati and others were involved.

Stats: Ward has 15 tackles, including two for loss, this season along with an interception and nine pass breakups. The Buckeyes have given up only six touchdown receptions in five games.

Farrell’s take: Ward wasn’t filled out in high school despite having a solid frame and average height to work with. He was better on offense than he was on defense, so you can see where his ball skills come from and despite his lack of size he was a willing tackler. He could push his way toward the top of this group like others before him did from Ohio State.

Recruiting: Rated as a three-star outside linebacker, Alexander committed to Virginia Tech in the summer before his senior season. The Hokies were considered the frontrunner for a while. Wake Forest, East Carolina and others were involved.

Stats: Alexander has totaled 16 tackles including two for loss and a sack so far this season. He also has three pass deflections as Virginia Tech has allowed fewer than 200 passing yards per game.

Farrell’s take: Alexander was not heavily recruited out of high school as a 6-foot-3, 200-pound linebacker, so projecting him as an elite cornerback was pretty much impossible. He was also a physical and sure tackler, and scouts love his play close to the line of scrimmage as well as his press coverage ability. They won’t like his suspension last season, however, so we will see how that plays out. It cost him only a game but will need to explain it to teams.

Recruiting: Dawson committed to Florida in January of his junior year. Alabama made a late push and he even visited Tuscaloosa, but the four-star stuck with the Gators.

Stats: Dawson has 12 tackles (one for loss) and he’s tied for the team lead with two interceptions. He also has four pass breakups.

Farrell’s Take: Dawson was the No. 148 prospect for good reason – a solidly built cornerback who liked to hit and could have played safety as well. His ability to cover slot receivers and use of his long arms off the line of scrimmage were assets in high school, as well as college. His ball skills were always elite.