NFL Draft: Top five cornerbacks as NFL Draft nears
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The NFL Draft is next week. With the NFL Combine and pro days in the rear-view mirror, here is our ranked list of top cornerbacks heading into the draft.
Recruiting: Williams committed to LSU in May of his junior year. He picked the in-state Tigers over Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss and others.
Buzz: NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly said Williams has the best size-speed ratio of any cornerback in this draft but that he is not as productive as he should be and he sometimes loses his man later in routes. The mock drafts are all over the place on Williams, from being the No. 1 corner off the board to not being a first-round pick. In 24 games at LSU, the former three-star had 71 tackles and eight picks.
Farrell’s take: A high three-star out of high school, Williams was tall and long enough but needed to fill out and become more physical. However, he always had excellent ball skills and instincts. Williams was a willing tackler and always aggressive, so we knew he’d have a chance at success with some time, but were still worried about the overall balance of his game as a defender and tackler. He’s the best defensive back when it comes to ball skills in the draft and should be the first cornerback taken.
Recruiting: In the summer before his senior season, Baker committed to Georgia as his recruitment was really ramping up with recent offers from Clemson, Tennessee, Kentucky and others.
Buzz: Baker was on our Stock Down list after the combine because Williams and Byron Murphy had a better performance in Indianapolis, but the former three-star prospect is still considered by many to be a mid- to late-first round selection. He finished with 40 or more tackles in each of his last two seasons at Georgia and had seven picks the last three seasons. As Baker meets with more teams in the pre-draft process, it seems like his stock is going up.
Farrell’s take: Baker was a skinny cornerback with solid skills coming out of high school, but was a three-star prospect because of questions about his strength. He could run with anyone but he wasn’t very strong in run support and could get pushed around a bit. He had a good showing at the U.S. Army All-America Bowl and raised his stock a bit, but we still saw him as a project and mid three-star. However, he has developed into one of the best defensive back prospects for the 2019 NFL Draft so far and has lived up to the hype this past season.
Recruiting: A few days before National Signing Day, Murphy committed to Washington over Arizona State, Texas A&M, USC and others. The Huskies also told Murphy he could walk-on to the basketball team if he wanted.
Buzz: Murphy was phenomenal during on-field drills at the NFL Scouting Combine and might have been the best cornerback during that portion of the event. His testing numbers were not bad at all but his 4.55-second 40-yard dash was a touch slow. Still considered a mid-first round pick in most mock drafts, Murphy had six interceptions and 20 pass deflections but only played in 20 games at Washington so his sample size is small.
Farrell’s take: Murphy wasn’t the biggest cornerback coming out of high school, but he had good length and played bigger wide receivers very well. He was also an aggressive tackler and very instinctual, which is why we had him rated so high. He was a natural and the only thing that kept him from his fifth star was his lack of overall strength.
Recruiting: In March of his junior year, right after Notre Dame offered, Love committed to the Irish and said he knew if Notre Dame offered he’d be ready to commit. Northwestern, Boston College and others were also considered.
Buzz: Called one of the best man-to-man cornerbacks in this draft by the NFL Network, Love totaled 176 tackles and five interceptions in 38 games over three seasons with the Irish. He also turned in a strong performance at the NFL Combine and while he’s probably not going to be a first-round selection, it would be surprising to see him get out of the second round.
Farrell’s take: Love was a four-star prospect outside of our Rivals100 with average size but excellent instincts and ball skills. He was a smothering corner who struggled a bit with bigger receivers but was still able to make the play on the ball for the most part. He was on my freshman All-American watch list and has developed since then and could be a high draft pick. Many think he was the key to the Notre Dame defense and it’s a good argument.
Recruiting: Days before National Signing Day, Oruwariye committed to Penn State. He had previously been committed to Vanderbilt and then-coach James Franklin, who had since taken the Nittany Lions job. Penn State won out over the Commodores and Rutgers.
Buzz: There is an outside chance Oruwariye gets selected in the first round and if that happens he would be the first-ever Penn State CB drafted that early, according to reports. Oruwariye is more likely to be a second day selection, though, even after a strong showing at the combine and his pro day. In 38 games with the Nittany Lions, Oruwariye had 106 tackles and eight interceptions.
Farrell’s take: A mid-level three star, Oruwariye had very good size for a cornerback coming out but was a bit of a project. He lacked explosion and flat out speed but always had excellent ball skills. Now he’s a big defensive back who is good in run support and can body up bigger receivers.
