The Big Board
| Ranking | Name | College | Height | Weight | Movement Skills | Ball Skills and Tackling | Biggest Concern | Scheme and Position Limitations | Summary | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greedy Williams | LSU | 6'2 | 185 | Moves feet well to stay in position while in press, mirrors effectively in man and has the deep speed to run with almost all receivers, but can be a bit clunky when breaking back to the ball in zone which in turn creates some issues against double moves. | Good ball skills both in terms of contesting catches and generating interceptions. Generally good tackles but tendency to go low creates some misses. | Can he be effective in a scheme that asks him to work over the top of underneath routes? | Best suited to outside man coverage, but potential to improve in zone. | Long, fast outside corner with good movement skills and the ability to generate turnovers, zone coverage is the only concern. | High 2nd Round. |
| 2 | Julian Love | Notre Dame | 5'11 | 193 | Can get caught flat-footed at the line at times, but mirrors well in man and comes back to the ball with a purpose. Deep speed is decent but not elite. | Contests well at catch point and decent interception production and decent tackler. | Is he going to improve his footwork against press or is it best to restrict his usage in this area? | Can play inside and out in both zone and man, but might struggle for size against bigger receivers. | Extremely well rounded corner with scheme and position versatility, but likely doesn't have the speed to play man-to-man full time. | High 3rd Round |
| 3 | JoeJuan Williams | Vanderbilt | 6'2 | 208 | Uses feet well to stay in position against press, decent ability to mirror in man coverage, comes out of breaks well. Deep speed is decent but not great. | Contests very well at the catch point with good ball skills and is a decent tackler. | Can he offer enough in man coverage to play in schemes that will need him to play in this way? | Outside zone corner, but with some ability to play man against match-up receivers. | Long zone corner with ball skills best suited to a Cover 3 scheme. | Mid 3rd Round |
| 4 | Byron Murphy | Washington | 5'11 | 182 | Decent footwork off the line, mirrors well in man and comes back to the ball effectively. Decent deep speed but isn't going to run with speed receivers. | Good ball skills but struggles as a run defender both in terms of technique and enthusiasm. | Can he improve as a run defender? | Can play inside and out with some scheme versatility, but best suited to a zone scheme. | Highly versatile corner but combination of deep speed and run defense raise some concerns. | Mid 3rd Round |
| 5 | Sean Bunting | Central Michigan | 6'0 | 181 | Uses feet well at the line and mirrors well in man coverage with good deep speed. Wasn't asked to play zone much and did have some struggles coming back to the ball at times. | Good ball skills both in terms of contesting catches and generating interceptions. Decent tackler but doesn't look for contact. | Can he play in underneath zone coverage? | Best suited to playing outside man coverage, but could move inside and has the potential to play zone. | Good outside man corner for whom zone will be a work in progress. | Late 3rd Round |
| 6 | Amani Oruwariye | Penn State | 6'2 | 204 | Feet are a bit choppy at the line but mirrors well in space with decent vertical speed. Can be a bit slow breaking back to the ball. | Decent ball skills and contests wall at catch point. Decent tackler but struggles to get off blocks at times. | Can he continue to develop to make the most of his athletic potential? | Outside corner with potential to be scheme versatile but best suited to off-man at this point. | Development is needed but there is the talent to be a versatile outside corner. | High 4th Round |
| 7 | Saivion Smith | Alabama | 6'1 | 200 | Good footwork at the line, mirrors well in man and has decent deep speed but wasn't asked to play in zone much at Alabama and ability to work facing the quarterback is hard to be confident about. | Some ball skills but opportunities limited by scheme and decent tackler in space but did get caught thinking at times. | Can he be effective in a more variable coverage scheme? | Likely outside limited and man coverage is far ahead of zone at this point. | Outside man corner with some potential to be more. | High 4th Round |
| 8 | David Long | Michigan | 5'11 | 198 | Moves feet well at the line, decent ability to mirror in man and good deep speed but wasn't asked to play facing the quarterback much and did over-commit at times in press. | Good tackler with some ball skills but scheme limited opportunities. | Can he be effective in a more varied coverage scheme? | Can play inside and out but is mostly a man corner at this stage. | Slightly undersized man cover corner with potential to develop further. | Mid 4th Round |
| 9 | Jordan Brown | South Dakota State | 6'1 | 199 | Gets quite flat-footed at the line and can be slow to break back to the ball but mirrors well with good deep speed. | Good ball skill and ok tackler. | Can he hold up against NFL caliber receivers? | Outside man corner. | Small school background makes it even harder to judge his man coverage skills but was certainly better than the receivers he went up against. | Mid 4th Round |
| 10 | Rock Ya'Sin | Temple | 6'0 | 189 | Decent footwork at the line, good ability to mirror in man with good vertical speed, but struggles breaking back to the ball. | Decent tackler with good ball skills. | Can he work on his backpedal to make him more effective in zone? | Best suited to playing outside and probably best suited to playing mostly man. | Solid man cover corner who does some nice things but in need of refinement. | Late 4th Round |
| 11 | Kendall Sheffield | Ohio State | 5'11 | 193 | Good deep speed and breaks down to the ball effectively, but struggles to mirror and footwork at the line is a mess. | Contests well at the catch point with some ball skills but tackling is inconsistent and gets caught on blocks. | Can he work on his technique to make the most of his athleticism? | Can play inside or outside but currently limited to zone schemes for the most part. | Has a ton of athleticism but struggles turning that into consistent production outside of run-and-hit schemes. | Late 4th Round |
| 12 | DeAndre Baker | Georgia | 5'11 | 185 | Decent footwork at the line and decent deep speed but struggles to mirror at times and backpedal limits his ability to break back to the ball. | Good ball skills and decent tackler if a bit contact shy. | Can he develop as a zone defender to make up for concerns about his movement skills. | Can play inside or out and while he spent much of his career in man is likely a zone corner in the NFL. | Great college player who's athleticism might limit him in the NFL, but with traits to work with. | High 5th Round |
| 13 | Michael Jackson | Miami | 6'1 | 207 | Good deep speed, but struggles with footwork and the line and his backpedal is in need of serious work. | Decent tackler with good ball skills but gets caught on blocks. | Is his backpedal fixable? | Outside zone corner. | Is fast and can catch but coverage is far from a finished product. | Mid 5th Round |
| 14 | Jamel Dean | Auburn | 6'1 | 208 | Good deep speed with the ability to break back to the ball but struggles in man and footwork at the line needs significant work and is very grabby through routes. | Decent tackler with some ball skills. | Does he offer enough value in zone coverage to get playing time? | Outside zone corner. | Speed of a man corner but likely a development project. | Mid 5th Round |
| 15 | Isaiah Johnson | Houston | 6'2 | 207 | Good speed with nice ability to break on the ball but struggles at the line and doesn't mirror well. | Decent ball skills but needs work as a tackler. | Can he offer value in a cover 3 scheme? | Outside zone corner. | Has the potential to play outside in a cover 3, but there is work to be done. | Late 5th Round |
| 16 | Trayvon Mullen | Clemson | 6'1 | 195 | Decent footwork at the line with good vertical speed but backpedal needs significant work leading to issues mirroring and breaking on routes. | Contests well but doesn't have great hands. Tackling is ok but not amazing. | Can he fix his backpedal? | Outside corner who has potential to play man and zone. | Good athlete but needs development. | Late 5th Round |
| 17 | Hamp Cheevers | Boston College | 5'10 | 180 | Struggles with footwork at the line and to mirror in space, but flashes the ability to break on routes and has decent deep speed. | Good ball skills but tackling needs improvement. | Can he show more consistency in off-zone? | Zone Nickel. | Has value as a nickel in a zone scheme, but needs some refinement. | Early 6th Round |
| 18 | Ken Webster | Ole Miss | 5'11 | 201 | Very flat-footed at the line and struggles to mirror but quickness to break on routes is impressive, as is deep speed, but processing can be off at times. | Good tackler with some ball skills. | Can he process in zone fast enough to be a specialist in that regard. | Can play inside or outside but likely zone limited. | Has a lot of raw athletic tools as a zone defender, but needs to get better at the mental side of the game. | Early 6th Round |
| 19 | Jordan Miller | Washington | 6'1 | 181 | Footwork at the line isn't great and tends to drift wide when mirroring but decent at breaking on routes with decent deep speed. | Decent ball skills but poor tackler. | Does he offer enough as a zone corner to be more than depth? | Outside zone corner. | Can offer immediate depth as a zone corner but upside likely isn't there. | Mid 6th Round |
| 20 | Lonnie Johnson | Kentucky | 6'2 | 210 | Footwork at the line is poor, really struggles to mirror but speed is decent and flashes some ability to break on routes. | Inconsistent tackler with limited ball skills. | Can he play corner or does he need to move to safety? | Outside zone corner. | Has length and speed but is a long way from seeing the field. | Late 6th Round |
| 21 | Justin Layne | Michigan State | 6'2 | 185 | Footwork at the line is a mess, struggles to mirror and is inconsistent breaking on routes, but deep speed is decent. | Contests well with some ball skills and is a decent tackler. | Is his backpedal going to improve? | Outside zone corner. | Does some nice things, but it a long way from being a player with much value. | High 7th Round |
| 22 | Nate Brooks | North Texas | 6'0 | 186 | Wasn't asked to play at the line and struggles to mirror while ability to break on the ball is inconsistent and deep speed is mediocre. | Good ball skills and decent tackler. | Can he develop with NFL coaching? | Zone corner who can play inside or out. | There are core traits but a lot of development is needed. | Mid 7th Round |
| 23 | Montre Hartage | Northwestern | 5'11 | 187 | Struggles with footwork at the line, struggles to mirror or to break on routes but deep speed is decent. | Good ball skills and decent tackler. | Can he find a role as a specialized zone nickel. | Zone nickel. | Speed and ball skills alone have a value, but not much of one. | Mid 7th Round |
| 24 | Iman Marshall | USC | 6'1 | 203 | Very flat-footed at the line and really struggles to mirror but deep speed in decent and breaks on routes quite well. | Some ball skills but inconsistent as a tackler. | Can he offer enough value in zone to find a role. | Outside zone corner. | Has the ability to make an impact in zone but upside is hard to see. | Late 7th Round |
| 25 | Clifton Duck | Appalachian State | 5'10 | 175 | Decent deep speed but clunky footwork at the line, struggles to mirror and doesn't stand out in terms of his ability to break on the ball. | Good ball skills and ok tackler. | Can he find a scheme that is able to cover his weaknesses? | Inside zone corner. | There might be a scheme where he can get on the field, but given he's going to be limited to playing inside in zone the value likely isn't worth the risk. | Undrafted |
| 26 | Kris Boyd | Texas | 5'11 | 195 | Decent deep speed but struggles at the line, to mirror and to break on routes. | Some ball skills but tackling is inconsistent. | Can he offer special teams value? | Can play inside or outside but mostly in zone. | Speed offers some value but lacks other skills. | Undrafted |
| 27 | Alijah Holder | Stanford | 6'1 | 188 | Struggles with footwork at the line, struggles to mirror and break on routes and deep speed is a concern. | Good tackler with some ball skills. | Can he find value if he transfer to safety? | Outside zone corner. | Good run defender but lacks the athleticism to hold-up in coverage. | Undrafted |
| 28 | Blace Brown | Troy | 6'0 | 192 | Choppy feet at the line, clunky backpedal creates issues mirroring and breaking on balls. Limited deep speed. | Good ball skills but struggles as a tackler. | Would a conversion to safety have any value? | Outside zone corner. | Potential safety convert. | Undrafted |
| 29 | Anthoula Kelly | Fresno State | 5'9 | 183 | Wasn't asked to play at the line, clunky backpedal created issues breaking on routes and mirroring in man. Deep speed is ok but nothing more. | Decent ball skills and ok tackler. | Can he find a role on special teams? | Zone nickel. | Undersized special teams hopeful. | Undrafted |
| 30 | Derrick Baity | Kentucky | 6'2 | 198 | Choppy footwork at the line, struggles mirroring leading to grabby coverage in man, struggles to break back to the ball and deep speed isn't amazing. | Some ball skills but needs to be better as a tackler. | Does he have special teams value? | Outside zone corner. | Special teams hopeful. | Undrafted |
For me, Greedy Williams is the top corner in this class, and by some margin. He shows the speed, movement and ball skills to be an immediate impact player in a man scheme on the outside. He should be able to develop as a zone corner with time, with the biggest concern at this point being his ability to break back to the ball in a controlled way.
Julian Love and JoeJuan Williams are the next two players in my book, with Love being a more well-rounded player while Williams is likely best suited to playing in a cover-3 scheme. Both of these players are likely to be drafted on the second day of the draft, and while there is some chance the Panthers draft a corner that early, that is probably the very upper limit of where they might foreseeably take a corner.
I have Byron Murphy a bit lower than many other scouts, as while he does flash a lot of nice things, there is still some work that needs to be done in terms of putting it all together into a finished product. He isn’t far away from being a very good corner, but there are likely to be some growing pains regardless of what scheme he ends up in.
Sean Bunting is somebody who might be more in the range the Panthers are looking, and in my view offers excellent value on the final day of the draft. He was used almost exclusively as an outside man corner in college, but could forseeably play inside as well and has the athletic traits to play in zone even if he doesn’t have the experience.
There are a number of players in the third tier of cornerbacks for me, with some like Oruwariye and Brown showing the athleticism to become good players with development while others like Smith and Long can be immediate impact players in the right scheme, even if their upsides are not quite as high.
Another player who might make some sense for the Panthers is Kendall Sheffield, who is a great athlete in need of some development. Given that the Panthers need in the short term has more to do with depth, if they think he can improve with coaching, Sheffield is somebody who could offer short term value as a depth piece who can play on special teams while also having a high ceiling as a developmental prospect.
The big name who I have a lot lower than many other boards is DeAndre Baker, who I think was a very good college corner, but who might struggle for athleticism in the NFL. The best case scenario for him is likely in a zone-heavy scheme where he can make the most of his ball skills, though this isn’t how he was used a lot of the time at Georgia and when he was, he blew too many coverages to be confident of him making the transition. He was a good college player who did a lot of nice things, but it’s not totally clear how he can make the most of those skills in the NFL without being a liability if teams look to go after him.
This is actually quite a deep cornerback class even if the top end talent isn’t there outside of Williams; given that the Panthers are likely going to be shopping on day three if they are at all, there is a chance they could look to target anybody who falls. Beyond the players I have talked about in detail, there are a lot of developmental options below that on the board, but if any of them see significant game time in year one, it likely isn’t going to end well.
This isn’t an area the Panthers have to draft, though they would like to, and while nickel is the bigger need in the short term, even that could be filled from the roster if they look to move Gaulden back to where he played in college or even move forward with Kevon Seymour. That being said, the final day of the draft usually becomes about getting value regardless of need, so if there is somebody on the board who the Panthers like, that could well be the pick as early as their third round compensatory pick.
