1-Devon Witherspoon
Devon is fluid, aggressive, rangy, energetic, and plays with an attitude, what more could you want?
Devon is listed as 6’1 180 lbs, and while he may need to add a few pounds, it should not come to the detriment of his ability to cover vertical routes.
He plays the ball and the QB with his eyes and is always reading and diagnosing the play.
His off-coverage play is elite and looks to be the best in this class.
Witherspoon is also a big tackler, and at times too aggressive. Regardless, he is one of the best corners vs the run. He hits like a safety.
Subtle is not a word I would use to describe him, he chooses violence in every play.
It was basically a toss-up between Devon and my #2 ranked CB, Christian Gonzalez.
Devon has swagger, confidence, and the attitude I love to see from the position, so I chose Witherspoon.
When you put on the tape, his play will jump out the screen, and if you look up the numbers from 2022, 92.6 coverage (ranked first in FBS) while not allowing a TD. 3 picks, 14 pass breakups, and a QB rating of 24.6 when targeted.
For me, he is CB 1!
2- Christian Gonzalez
Gonzalez is tall, patient, and instinctive, while also possessing above-average ball skills.
But, he is from Oregon, so as an Eagles fan, NEXT!
Just kidding.
Christian is a cool customer who never appears to panic on the field when he misses an assignment, but he rarely does.
While playing zone defense he has the self-awareness to abandon post once he realizes nobody is entering his portion of the field.
He is also extremely effective in press coverage and uses his size and strength to eliminate separation. He had 4 interceptions in 2022.
Watching the tape from the first few games to the second half of the season, it is apparent how much he improved over the course of the season.
His 6’2 200 lb frame will be in demand.
He should be a top 15 draft selection and will make a franchise very happy.
Notes watching the film:
Fast, great size, strength, athletic, sticky, he doesn’t give up separation, great footwork, elite straight-line speed, INSTINCTS!
3- Emmanuel Forbes:
Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes is someone the Eagles may like. He has great hands(former wide receiver), and excels in both man and off-coverage.
Forbes is also battle-tested, as he played against very good talent most every week.
Some scouts have mentioned his thin frame and weight as a negative, but it has not hindered him from being a playmaker. He returned 3 of his 6 interceptions for a touchdown this past season, which is an FBS record.
He mirrors his opponent while in man and possesses the speed to not get beat on vertical routes.
Emmanuel displayed his outstanding ball skills as evidenced by his 14 picks in 3 seasons (35 games), with 6 returned for a TD.
He will be scrutinized at the combine due to his size, but the only thing he needs to improve upon via the tape is tackling, but he is not shy about getting in on them.
4- Cam Smith
Cam has outstanding range and uses his lanky frame to the best of his ability.
He picked off three passes, broke up 11 more, and finished with an 89.7 PFF coverage grade.
While playing zone, it is almost impossible to get the ball by him.
A solid if not above-average tackler, he is always willing to mix it up.
Looks back at the ball while competing with the receiver, which should negate a few PI flags in the pros, and translate really well.
You can line him up vs the X, and set it and forget it.
Philly would also appreciate his honesty, he tells it like it is.
Film Notes:
Great balance and physical.
5- Deonte Banks
Banks is another prototypical cornerback prospect, with good size, height, and strength. He is also very competitive, which I love to see in a DB.
He is adequately smooth and fluid while having to change direction, but his game is making the receivers change their direction. While in press coverage you can routinely see him jamming and pushing opposing receivers off their routes.
He is physical, tough, and a reliable tackler.
Much like JPJ a couple of spots higher, the lack of turnovers is a concern, but he does have playmaking ability.
Banks had two interceptions in four seasons and showed improvement year over a year earning an 81.4 coverage grade in 2022 while allowing 258 passing yards allowed on 360 coverage snaps.
More than some of the other corners on this list, how Deonte performs at the combine will go a long way toward how high or low he goes in the draft.
6- Tyrique Stevenson (Miami)
Big outside corner who plays with good speed and a whole lot of violence and aggression.
He is a fighter, which in certain instances has worked against him.
As you watch the tape you see his explosive personality immediately. You can also see the skills including his jumping ability, which was not surprising considering he had a 37.7″ vertical jump in High School
Tyrique is a guy who plays 100% trusting his instincts, and those instincts create a lot of big plays, but it also comes with some risks. His speed allows him to make up for a lot of those decisions that could lead to big plays, but not all.
An example of when his speed does recover.
He is extremely physical at the line and at times a little grabby but that can easily be cleaned up and will need to be for him to be successful in the nfl.
He is also a very good blitzer when his number is called.
The upside is clear. He could be a bit of a risky pick because if he doesn’t clean up some of his risk taking, the floor could be low. But if he gets the coaching to play to his full potential, his ceiling is as high as anyone else in this class.
I can see from watching a few games that he likes to talk to his opponent, a lot! Stevenson would be the first player in a decade to give BG a run for his money for who talks the most on the defense.
If everything went well, Tyrique could be a fan favorite in Philly.
I know I am on an island by myself with Tyrique at 5, but I was on one last year with Tariq Woolen as well.
Who knows, maybe in a couple of seasons it will be referred to as Tyrique Island.
I know I have to do a little more convincing with this choice, so he gets 4 clips.
He comes up big, in BIG moments.
7- Joey Porter Jr
If Tyrique is the player I am most bullish on that most aren’t, then Porter or Ringo are the players I am most concerned about that a lot of people have as one of their top corners.
At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, JPJ has the size, speed, and length you love to see in a corner. He doesn’t play with the same aggression as Tyrique or, even like his father did, but that isn’t necessarily and bad thing. His cool smooth strides are an asset, especially when in off-coverage where he uses those cool long strides to close fast! In addition, he has long arms that work well in that set too. He uses them to force difficult catches for the receiver and to create a lot of drops by poking and swatting at the ball.
He is a decent tackler and a willing one against the run too, but it is not his primary instinct to engage.
The biggest concern for me is that despite all of these attributes, Joey has one career interception and no forced fumbles.
8- Kelee Ringo
Strong and long.
Kelee knocks receivers at the line and has a good burst and closing speed.
Ringo has also shown a flair for the big moment when he came up with a game-sealing interception in the College National Championship game vs Alabama.
He utilizes his size and strength well and is also a very good tackler.
Kelee has displayed the ability to cover tight ends.
He showed some difficulty last year with ball skills and gave up a few shot plays down the field. Ringo will be watched closely at the combine regarding that.
The tape shows that he has some issues covering slant routes as well.
Kelee had 4 picks during his 29 games for the Bulldogs.
He may go in the first round, but he looks more like a day 2 guy to me.
9- Julius Brents (Kansas State)
At 6-foot-3, 202 pounds, Julius is long and physically reminds me a little of former Eagles CB Bobby Taylor.
He is part of the new-wave DBs that are interchangeable between CB and S.
At 23, he is a tad older than most on the list, but with the age comes experience.
He reeled in 4 picks last year, so he does have the play-making ability.
Brents will not be for everyone, but he should find a home sometime later on day 2.
Film Notes:
Looks to be susceptible to the deep ball and large chunk plays, some due to trouble in press corner situations. Great in the zone, and in the running game. Fluid, Big, strong, and loose. I like him a lot, but his success may rely on what scheme he is playing in more than some others listed here.
10- Clark Phillips III (Utah)
A little undersized at 5’10 183, he may find his role in the NFL as a slot corner.
Despite a smaller stature, don’t let it fool you, he had 6 picks and 7 forced incompletions this past season.
He does a great job reading the QBs eyes and inviting them to throw at his receiver so he can jump the route.
Clark had an 83.7 coverage grade in addition to those turnovers.
The picks and forced incompletions are hard to overlook as he has a knack for displaying his playmaking ability.
I love a CB who causes game-changing turnovers.
Just missed the list– Kyu Blu Kelly
Kyu, which rhymes with bayou, is a physical, press corner who uses the sidelines well to his advantage.
He has good size at 6’1, but some teams may shy away from him for being slightly underweight at 188 lbs, despite being very strong and muscular.
Much like Tyrique, Kyu does a great job mirroring his opponent and utilizing his quick feet. He plays with confidence while in man which is a trait that is needed for his position, but does not exude that same swagger in off-coverage schemes.
Kyu does not look to have elite catch-up speed when he takes a bad first step, but when he sticks with the wideout he gets his head around and forces a lot of PBU with a strong, physical play on the ball.
He will need to improve both his recognition and willingness to tackle runners, especially on screens, to have a long career in the NFL.
He finished college with 3 interceptions and one touchdown.
Kelly is just outside my top 10, but with his bloodlines, you never know if someone takes a chance earlier.
Kyu’s father is former NFL CB Brian Kelly, who played 11 seasons in the NFL from 1998–2007. Most with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Bonus- Storm Duck- North Carolina
He wins my “Great name” to watch award.
Someone should take a chance with him for his name alone when he enters the draft.