This year's cornerback class is high risk and reward. Trae Waynes will likely be gone before we pick, and the three best corners left all have major areas of concern: an ACL injury (Ifo Ekpre-Olomu), limited experience (Jalen Collins), and physical limitations (PJ Williams). You can add a team dismissal (Marcus Peters), and a basketball player (Quentin Rollins) in there too. The value will be in the second round as one of those players probably fall. There's not much worthwhile in the mid rounds, but there are a few late round keepers under-the-radar. Here are are the cornerbacks I would draft in each round... 1st Round - Ifo Ekpre-Olomu#14, ORE Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is a gunslinger. And the best corner in the draft. If it weren't for the ACL, he would be considered a blue chip prospect. He can cover and tackle, has good size (5'10 195) and excellent technique, is versatile and NFL-ready (when healthy); he's basically the "Amari Cooper" of DBs. Powerful legs, good in pursuit/run support, and an excellent open field tackler. Extremely disruptive at the moment of the catch due to immaculate timing. He is truly elite in the redzone, positioning himself perfectly in tight situtations. If he had/develops more quickness, he would project a HOF career. [video]http://www.draftbreakdown.com/video-embed/?clip=247506 [/video] Others to watch ORE: Arik Armstead DL, Derrick Malone OLB, Oregon State: Sean Mannion QB, Brandin Cooks WR 2nd Round - PJ Williams #25, FSU Attack! Attack! Attack! PJ Williams is the toughest CB in the draft. Good size (6'0 195), tenacious, and has a killer instinct. His tackling stands out; if he grabs you, you're not gaining another inch. Excels in run support, can shed blocks, and muscle through traffic. Blitz machine. Excellent timing and recognition. Will go in the first, but I give him a second round grade because will need time to develop on the perimeter, and will never become an "island". Ultimately, he is the ideal nickel, which is a starting position these days. [video=youtube_share;mJHeu-Q4gBE]http://youtu.be/mJHeu-Q4gBE[/video] Others to watch LOU: Devante Parker, FSU: Ronald Darby CB, Eddie Goldman DT, Mario Edwards Jr DE. 3rd Round - Kevin White #25, TCU One of the stars of the Senior bowl, he propelled himself into the mid rounds. Smart and disciplined, he will be an excellent cover corner for 75% of the WRs he'll line up against. (He may struggle with exceptionally speedy or shifty WRs. He's good against big receivers.) Has an excellent swivel, losing no speed when making adjustments. Only 5'10 175, he's weak in run support. Depending on his Combine vertical, he may be this draft's Brent Grimes. (Watch him hold WVU's Kevin White to 3/28 in the video.) [video=youtube_share;T6Rk82OIT-g]http://youtu.be/T6Rk82OIT-g[/video] Others to watch WVU: Kevin White WR, TCU: Paul Dawson LB, Chucky Hunter DT. 4th Round - Charles Gaines #3, Louisville Originally a WR, he uses those skills when he plays CB. One of the best coverage corners in the draft, he's fast, with long limbs. Very fluid athlete. WR's ball skills and awareness, constantly making plays on the ball. A playmaker, has scored a touchdown via reception, kickoff return, blocked punt and INT. Excellent as a gunner on special teams. Also has a WR's drawbacks; he's slight at 5'11 175, and has very little muscle. He has the toughness to make the tackle, but lacks the strength. When he bulks up, he will be a quality starter. He is basically an awesome version of Will Davis. [video=youtube_share;r7f15PRMDeM]http://youtu.be/r7f15PRMDeM[/video] 5th Round - Eric Rowe Utah Nice size (6'1 204), toughness, and command for the position. Powerful hitter and tackler. Can jam and disrupt WRs on the LOS and on slot/crossing routes. When he is in position to make the play, he does. May have trouble being in position, not super fast and not the best in man coverage. A three year starter at free safety, he may convert back. However, for the right team, he'll be a baller. [video]http://www.draftbreakdown.com/video-embed/?clip=247506 [/video] Others to watch Michigan: Devin Funchess WR, Utah: Nate Orchard DE 6th Round - Damien Swann #5, Georgia At first his tape looks like it's in fast forward. He plays quick and tall (6'0 180). Uses his arms extremely well, a wrap up tackler who sheds blocks better than most. His hands (ball skills) are pretty good too. Athletic, naturally understands how to use his body. Biggest weakness is perhaps reflexes. Looks like an NFL player, with potential to be a starting-quality cover corner. The hidden gem of group, he will be one of the draft's biggest steals on the third day. [video=youtube_share;alreaQlU3U8]http://youtu.be/alreaQlU3U8[/video] Others to watch Nebraska :Ameer Abdullah RB, Georgia: Ramik Wilson, Amarlo Herrera ILBs. 7th Round - Donald Celiscar #34, Western Michigan Aggressive, fiery, and always finding a way to get his nose involved in the play, Donald Celiscar will play on Sundays. Very productive, influences everything on the field. He's a lunch pail player who displays good technique in his tackling and angles. He's 5'11 197, runs in the 4.5s, and I'm curious what his arms measure because he also uses them really well. Better at run support than covering the slot. Potential to be outmuscled and outrun. Perhaps another safety convert. [video=youtube_share;KNcXR7HgbEY]http://youtu.be/KNcXR7HgbEY[/video] Others to watchMichigan State: Connor Cook QB, Jeremy Langford RB, Tony Lippett WR.
Ladarius Gunter needs to be on that list Keith. you've got steven nelson..kevin johnson as well.. not sure I'm following your list?
Kevin Johnson will go in the first or second round. Ladarius Gunter and his size will be drafted in the third or better. He might be better than Kevin White, I'll give you that. I haven't watched much of him. I like Charles Gaines better than Steven Nelson in the fourth. Mostly I try to see what round I gauge everybody in, and then pick my favorite from each.
If I was to guess I'd say that Waynes will still be on the board at 14, though anything's possible given how unusual the crop of CBs is this year, like you pointed out. Gotta say I'll be shocked if PJ Williams is there in the 2nd. Your Gaines eval is interesting, cause yeah basically I see Will Davis part 2 - slick cover skills, but a slight frame and very little physicality (though I could buy that he's more willing than WD). Swann and Celiscar are good calls - I think they're both going to be on 53 man rosters come September, may have to pick them a little higher which I have zero problem with. If you're taking suggestions: the other wiry whip-quick kid I've had an eye on is Senquez Golson from Ole Miss...problem is he's small with short arms. Smart slot guy who competes despite his size, but the potential for him being bullied by big slot players is certainly a possibility, and he might fall due to that. I just love how he competes as a football player. While we're on the subject, Craig Mager from little Texas St is also super competitive and an interesting prospect. Not sure where I stand on him yet...his 40 time will be important. -------- If Marcus Peters makes it to 14 he will be the best player available (aside from maybe DGB, who I think he's on par with). Peters is an elite talent. Without the dismissal he's a top-10 pick. And now some of this troubled backstory is being denied by all parties involved. He was not the only player to butt heads with the Wash coaching staff either - the culture there was just off. He has a TON of talent, though like most corners he needs some polish. Long (6'0), fluid, quick, speed to stick to guys downfield, and he plays the QB almost like Richard Sherman does. He can do it all. He'll run in the 4.4s this weekend and his vert will probably be 40+. And what I love about him is this edginess he has, which borders on being out of control from a competitive/attitude standpoint. This kid is an alpha, and he'll let you know it. Total stud on the field, and he has this wild streak that our defense badly needs. He's the guy I want at 14. OrSt threw at him a lot, and you see some nice battles with Brandin Cooks. Though the game was over well before halftime. [video=youtube;LkNuyqWHDq8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkNuyqWHDq8[/video]
I know that coverage skills are coveted but I can't ignore bad tackling skills or worse yet, a lack of want to..those kind of players I have to take off my board..
I think Ekpre-Olomu is gonna draw a lot of flags his first year or two in the NFL. He has some Darqueze Dennard-like highlights. But you'll take the physical play in a corner so small. Marcus Peters is talented, but it goes without saying that he has got some attitude issues. Despite the dismissal, in one of his games against EWU he cost his team 15 yards on a third down in a game his team was struggling and gave them an automatic first down. He was jawing too much after the play and then continued to make a fool of himself afterwards. I believe the coaching staff removed him from the rest of the game. He was talking smack to Jaelen Strong. Then Jaelen Strong scored a touchdown. I think he had too many selfish instances on tape that might rib this specific coaching staff. It seemed like his surrounding teammates at DB kind of left him hanging a couple times, not recognizing their own assignments. These are kind of just general observations.
