A look at the 2025 cornerback draft class

Before diving into the 2025 cornerbacks, I wanted to start with what we know about drafting corners. It’s hard. Really hard.

Here’s how hard:

• CB has the lowest hit rate in the 1st round at just 47% (average for all players is 65%)
• It also has the highest 1st round bust rate (tied with WR) with 26% of 1st rounders being below average pros
• Of all positions, teams are worst at picking CBs, drafting CBs in the wrong order by an average of 4 spots (for example, the 1st CB taken turns out to be the 5th best CB in that class)
• Only 3 times in the past decade was the top CB taken the right one (Quinyon Mitchell appears to be the 4th) – since 2015, we’ve had Devon Witherspoon, Denzel Ward, and Derek Stingley but also Deandre Baker, Jeff Okudah, and Trae Waynes at the top pick while teams passed over guys like Trent McDuffie, Jaire Alexander, Jamel Dean, Byron Murphy, and DaRon Bland
• On average, only 6 “above average” CBs come out of the entire draft each year and it’s one of the heaviest drafted positions with 32 drafted

So, take the big boards with skepticism as teams don’t get CBs right very often – guys at the top will fail and guys lower will surprise.

Now on to the 2025 CBs.

Jump to player: Benjamin Morrison Will Johnson Trey Amos Jahdae Barron Darien Porter Domani Jackson

Maxwell Hairston Shavon Revel Jr. Zy Alexander Azareye’h Thomas Denzel Burke

So much goes into CBs being successful and people care about different things. For me, I look for the following:

• Change of direction: Few CBs succeed in the NFL without it. Period. Guys can succeed without top-end speed but not change of direction.
• Man coverage skills: This is more preference and there are plenty of good zone CBs, but I want to see an ability to be on an island against their best.
• Hands on the ball: Interceptions are notoriously opportunistic and honestly overvalued by many. But a CB getting their hands on a ball (PBUs) does translate to the NFL because it shows they are sticky in coverage, get their head around, and anticipate / break on the ball.
• Film vs. future pros: You don’t always get it but when you do, you value it highly.
• Attitude: If you follow me, you know I joke about wanting the Jalen Mills finger-wagging CBs. But I only half joke. Corners need that attitude of any snap loss is an insult to their entire family. I end up watching as much interviews on CBs as film for this reason.

1st Round: The guys I’d bet on

6’0″ 190 lbs

Junior (21 years old at draft)

Exp Draft Position: 12-27

Yep, I have Morrison as CB1 over Will Johnson (and I’m assuming Travis Hunter will primarily be a receiver and is going to be pick 1.1 anyway). It’s close and I wouldn’t argue if you had Will above him but people are not talking about BMo anywhere near enough right now. And given he had season-ending surgery, he could be an especially intriguing guy that has a much better chance of dropping near Philly’s pick than Will does:

• Patient and fluid, stays connected on breaks and has the speed (supposed 4.39) to carry WRs deep
• Plays a lot of press man and left on an island so often, also very capable in zone (56 QB rating in man, 53 in zone in 2023)
• 16% PBU and 4% run stop rate with 30 tackles and 4 TFLs put him near the top of this class(2023 full season)
• Probably the best film vs. Marvin Harrison Jr. of any CB, holding him to his 2nd worst game (3/7/30 with 2 PBUs)
• Also covered Jordan Addison, Puka Nacua, Zay Flowers, Josh Downs only allowing an average 35 YPG
• Tough to find many bad games, if there is one it is the Louisville game where he missed a couple of tackles and gave up some receptions (although the one big one was where he slipped)

I mentioned above wanting an attitude with corners and and if you listen to Morrison, you love his confidence and approach to the game.

Teammate and now Charger Cam Hart said about Morrison to NDInsider:

“Since Day One, he’s finding ways to get better, finding ways to get extra work on the field. He’s texting me at all times of the night, trying to watch film and learn certain things about the defense” and “he’s a little gnat, that dude was in my back pocket since Day One. He had traits that I didn’t have as a freshman.”

Sam Hartman, Notre Dame’s QB in 2023, said:

“At practice he was always the guy asking for more reps, the guy wanting to compete, pushing guys and pushing our offense.”

He gets described so similarly to Quinyon and would be great opposite him for years to come. He produced over and over against future NFL talent and has the character, work ethic, and leadership the Eagles value. He’s my CB1.

6’2″ 202 lbs

Junior (22 years old at draft)

Exp Draft Position: Top 10

Johnson is expected – and I expect also – to be drafted much higher than where the Eagles will be, solidly in the top 10. And he should be:

• Fluid hips, quick with really good short-area change of direction
• Very good zone corner (may be the best in this class)
• His really low 7.7% PBU rate looks concerning but isn’t as Michigan has him play off the majority of snaps, leading to a lot of easy completions – while there aren’t a ton of press reps, he looks good when in press
• Top in this class allowing only 3 YAC per reception in 2024
• I do wonder a little about his long speed – will be interesting to see him test but I would not be surprised if he was upper 4.4s

On the field, I have Morrison (CB1a) and Johnson (CB1b) close but two things have me putting Morrison ahead of him: first, Morrison is better in press and more disruptive at the catch point, and second, there could be durability concerns with Will. He had knee surgery before the 2023 season, then missed 4 games due to a shoulder in 2023, and missed another 6 games this season due to a toe. Yes, Morrison has the hip, but he doesn’t have a string of injuries.

Borderline R1-2: Guys that will surprise

End of R1 or early R2, the “average” corner you can expect in the draft based on historical value measures is a Greg Newsome II or Joey Porter Jr. – both are right around expected draft value

6’1″ 188 lbs

5th year Sr (23 years old at draft)

Exp Draft Position: 48-52

I like Trey more than his consensus draft position and bet he will be a back-end-of-the-1st guy on draft day. A transfer from Alabama, he’s put up a really good last two seasons:

• More press and man reps than anybody else in this class and where I love to see him play where he held QBs to a 43.0 passer rating
• Long-armed and gets his hands on the ball a ton – his 19% PBU rate in 2024 and 15% in 2023 put hims in the company of Quinyon, Joey Porter Jr, and Devon Witherspoon from the past couple drafts
• Stays attached to receivers and gives up nothing after the catch (2.8 YAC over 40 receptions the past two seasons)
• Very good coverage reps against Brock Bowers and Kyren Lacy, two bigger targets
• Willing tackler, especially out wide – his 38 tackles and 3 TFLs are some of the better in this class
• While an older prospect, he’s inexperienced as he only had 20 targets at Alabama last year before transferring and starting at Ole Miss this year but was one of the SEC’s top corners

CBs are always drafted heavily averaging over four in the 1st round and in a CB class that doesn’t have a ton of top-end guys, Trey is going to go higher than his current EDP. He’s my CB3.

5’11” 200 lbs

5th year Sr (23 years old at draft)

Exp Draft Position: 39-44

While he’s played a lot of outside CB this year and had his best college season doing so, he’s probably better as a nickel in the NFL.

• Physical corner with very good short area quickness and ability to break on routes
• 5 interceptions and 6 PBUs on only 53 targets this year, holding QBs to a 27 QB rating, best in this class
• Solid run defender and always around the ball, 38 tackles and 8% missed tackle rate are both near the top of this class
• Plays a lot of zone coverage and one of the best in this class in zone given his ability to close quickly
• Probably doesn’t have the size or long speed to play outside

He’s my CB4 but on the Eagles, he would likely fill the spot Cooper DeJean is playing. While that could work and Jahdae could play some outside, I’d prefer to target a pure outside guy.

Day 2: Guys with projection but upside

Mid to late day 2 where the Eagles will be picking, the “average” corner you can expect in the draft is a Kristian Fulton or Benjamin St. Juste.

6’4″ 200 lbs

Senior (will be 24 at draft)

Exp Draft Position: 67-78

I generally don’t love tall corners – reach is great but honestly overrated when you look at pro success and it almost always comes at the price of short-area quickness. But I liked Porter more than I expected:

• One of the older prospects but raw – he converted from WR and only has 41 career targets at corner, further development can be expected
• Has the speed to carry deep routes but it also makes up for lost space in routes, he can allow separation on quick breaks
• Interceptions are notoriously opportunistic and mistakes are made valuing college CBs based on interception totals, but Porter’s receiver background shows with 3 INTs on 17 targets this year and he gets his hands on the ball consistently
• May be one of the best special teams player in this draft class with 4 blocked punts – backup CB and plus special-teamer is his absolute floor in the NFL

I keep waiting for the Nick Sirianni / Matt Campbell connection to work out and have the Eagles draft one of the Iowa State guys… could Porter he an upside mid-round pick this year?

6’1″ 197 lbs

Junior (will be 21 at draft)

Exp Draft Position: 130-140

Domani is a guy I re-watched (thanks to @WannabGM highlighting him) as I did not like his 2023 at all but he probably has the biggest jump of this group from 2023 to 2024.

• Went from a 129 passer rating allowed and 6% PBU rate in 2023 at USC to a 57 passer rating and 13% PBU rate in 2024 at Alabama and the change is noticeable on film
• Stays connected with WRs especially downfield and is disruptive at the catch point
• In a class with a lot of willing but not great tacklers, Domani is up there with Denzel Burke, Jahdae Barron, and Zy Alexander as the plus run defenders
• Think he is faster than he is quick – I don’t buy the supposed 4.28 speed and you will see delays in transition from backpedal to break – doesn’t give up a lot but when he does, it’s usually on stop routes

I originally thought he should return for another year to raise his draft stock as he has the potential to be a 1st rounder, but if he can go early/mid day 2 this year, he should come out. His current EDP is too low and will change come April. If he’s there day 2, he’s a great upside pick especially if he can develop behind some guys.

6’1″ 186 lbs

Junior (age TBD)

Exp Draft Position: 53-58

One of the last corners I watched, Maxwell Hairston is a guy I liked more than I expected. A different body type than Rasul Douglas, but he reminds me of him:

• You want him in zone with the play in front of him where his aggressiveness and playmaking shines
• One of the top playmakers with 6 interceptions, 8 PBUs, and 3 forced fumbles across 88 targets the past 2 seasons – aggressive when the ball arrives
• Doesn’t get his head turned around, especially when stressed downfield – unsure if this is confidence in technique but probably some long-speed issues
• Missed half of 2024 with a shoulder injury – his 2023 film was better than his 2024

More than most guys in this class, I think system and usage of Hairston is going to be so important.

And the rest of the CBs…

Remember above when I gave the stats on risk with drafting corners? Following are all guys with intriguing traits but bigger draft risks – development, movement, speed, or injury.

And some of these guys will go high still. But when I think about where I’d draft them, I ask “if a young, athletic, successful Kelee Ringo with over 1,600 SEC snaps and 136 college targets went in the 4th due to knee health and change of direction concerns, where do these less experienced and less accomplished guys fall with similar risks?”

Given good CBs come from later in the draft, chances are one or more of these guys will turn out to be a very good pro. But the range of outcomes is wider here than the guys above.

6’3″ 193 lbs

Senior (will be 23 at draft)

Exp Draft Position: 20-30

Shavon deserves a longer write-up and one where most will disagree with me.

One of the jewels of this class, he’s solidly locked into the 1st round on any list you see. And there’s a ton to love about him but his age and ACL tear make this a riskier pick than others:

• 44% completion rate allowed, 23% PBU rate, and 61.2 QB rating allowed in his full 2023 season, all near the top of this class
• Level of competition will obviously be a question – Quinyon is the obvious small school success story, but there are plenty of athletic, good small school CBs that didn’t make the leap
• Great size and speed and a very good run defender with a 6% run stop rate and few missed tackles
• There’s more up and down to his film than I see people talking about – App State is a good watch, some great coverage and then not keeping up on a vertical route and giving up too much separation on underneath routes allowing 4/9/109 with an INT, Michigan had a couple of reps where he did the same going 3/4/34 with a bad throw that could have been a completion
• In last 15 games and 28 receptions allowed, he’s given up longs of 49, 47, 44, 39, and 29

Even though ACL surgeries have gotten better, they’re typically close to a year recovery and another year of degraded performance. Is he going to be like Trevon Diggs, back this year but nowhere near his old level and Marcus Peters, older when he tore his but had down years in 2022-23 on return?

Or will he be like Garrett Williams who tore his ACL at about the same time as Shavon, dropped from a projected late 1st / early 2nd round pick to pick 72, missed half his rookie season and now back and playing very well in his sophomore NFL season?

Before the injury, he’s a day 2 guy for me, but the ACL and his age adds risk that needs to be considered. To me, you cannot take him in the 1st and if you have to take him at our 2nd pick (around 62) and deciding between him and a 2nd round EDGE or some of the lighter drafted positions with top guys now coming off the board like TEs Harold Fannin or Mason Taylor, SAF Xavier Watts, or OG Tate Ratledge, what makes more sense?

I mentioned Kelee above and I was lower on Kelee coming out, but he was absolutely a better and more complete prospect than Shavon. It will be interesting to see where Shavon goes and somebody may be enthralled with his true athletic skills and take him high. Regardless, a team is going to get a high upside, athletic corner, you are just accepting a lot of uncertainty and risk if you use a high pick here. It’s not what I would do.

6’2″ 194 lbs

Senior (age TBD)

Exp Draft Position: 90-100

A guy whose stats tell a much better story than the film and while I hate projecting position changes, I could see him as a better NFL hybrid corner/safety than outside CB.

• His 39.7 QB rating and 42% completion rate allowed are near the top of this class, but you see more ups and downs on film
• Much, much better in zone than man coverage – another guy that is so much better with the play in front of him
• His long speed is not great and you can see it stressed when carrying somebody down field
• Tackles and plays the run very well, has a silly 3.7% missed tackle rate in 2024 and career 7.5% missed tackle rate – he has almost as many interceptions (13) as missed tackles (14)

6’2″ 198 lbs

Junior (will be 20 at draft)

Exp Draft Position: 70-85

Like Zy Alexander, another guy I see as a safety, not a corner.

• Tall with good college production, but lacks the speed and short-area quickness for corner – reminds me a bit of Coby Bryant
• Gets his hands on the ball a lot – 15% PBU rate this year with 11 PBUs in 72 targets the past 2 years
• Solid tackler and run defender

6’1″ 193 lbs

Senior (will be 22 at draft)

Exp Draft Position: 70-85

A guy I want to like, but am just lower on than consensus – I think he’s a good college CB whose traits just don’t cleanly project to a high-level in the NFL.

• Smart, efficient defender who is one of the better run defenders and tacklers in this class – allows 3.7 YAC and has a 7% run stop rate, both near the top of this class
• Much better zone corner than man, where he’s been a liability this year allowing 17/18 receptions, 239 yards, zero PBUs, and a 137 QB rating in man
• Speed and suddenness are issues that I fear are hard limits to his projection in the NFL

Looking at the risk stats on corners, Burke is a guy that is really tough to take high where he is still projected by many, but when you look at him late day 2 or day 3 (where I have him), I would much rather go for the upside of a Darien Porter or Domani Jackson even though their college resumes are nowhere near as good.

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I’m not sure I have ever seen so much consensus around an Eagles draft as this year with EDGE running the table in every mock draft out there:

• NFLMockDraftDatabase has Ohio State’s J.T. Tuimoloau, Arkansas’s Landon Jackson, and Jalon Walker as the top three mocked players
• Tankathon projects Texas A&M’s athletic freak EDGE Shemar Stewart
• PFF’s simulator has 75% of mock drafters taking an EDGE – any and every EDGE – with James Pearce, Shemar Stewart, Mykel Williams, and LT Overton all picked frequently

And I do think EDGE is a likely pick for Howie, given not only his valuation of the position but the expected loss of pass rushers with BG probably retiring, Josh Sweat up for a new deal in 2025, and Bryce Huff only signed through 2026. And as I wrote last year, it is near impossible to get pass rushers on the open market and if you can, they are really expensive.

Are we too locked on EDGE as the top pick?

But I don’t think we should be angry if Howie goes another direction:

EDGE will be a need but Howie fills needs in free agency and trades – EDGE and possibly DT could be the most pressing needs, but Howie will not leave himself HAVING to force a position in the draft. Yes, it’s difficult to find a pass rusher, but there are going to be mid-tier options and Sweat will be re-signed before Howie leaves a hole.

EDGE may NOT be the best value when the Eagles pick – I don’t think this is a bad EDGE class, but also don’t think it’s a great class. Almost every draft, 4-5 EDGEs are already off the board taken by the likely Eagles pick – in the last 15 drafts, half the time pick 30 (where the Eagles are currently slotted) is selecting EDGE6 or later… only twice were you picking EDGE3 and 4 of 15 drafts did you have a choice of EDGE4.

Pick your top five EDGEs – Abdul Carter, James Pearce, Mykel Williams, Nic Scourton and possibly Princely Umanmielen… what if they are all gone when the Eagles are on the clock, do you force the next EDGE? Or is CB, DT, TE, or even SAF the better value, all of which look to be good classes?

Is taking another CB crazy?

Last year I wrote to ignore the history of Howie not drafting CBs in the 1st, so that trope is finally behind us now.

Do I really expect Howie to take another CB high? No. But besides “you can never have enough corners”, another outside corner is a highly probable need in the next 1-2 years for the Eagles.

Could a corner be this year’s value drop to the Eagles? – Jalen Carter two years ago and Quinyon and Cooper DeJean last year had Micah Parsons and the league shaking their head on “how do these guys keep dropping into Howie’s lap?” This is an imperfect CB class, a lot of guys have injury flags and the order they go in is very up in the air. What if Benjamin Morrison, who I think would be an amazing CB2 opposite Quinyon, drops due to his hip injury?

Or, Howie could scoop up another low-cost, upside guy late – The Eagles could still be set in 2025 as Slay will probably be here another year, but he is clearly at the end of his career and been banged up this year. Maybe they extend Isaiah Rodgers, but his price will go up this offseason. And maybe you love Kelee or Ricks, but neither is proven. There are several interesting guys on day 2 or 3 like Trey Amos, Domani Jackson, Darien Porter, Maxwell Hairston, and Shavon Revel.

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I enjoy watching corners more than any other position as it’s one of the most interesting positions in football. And given the difficulty in hitting on corners, I find it incredibly satisfying putting your own stamp on guys and seeing where you were right and wrong down the road. Remember, the big boards are more wrong here than any other position.