Here are the top 10 cornerback prospects (with projected round) for the NFL draft, which is set for April 28-30:
1. Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, Cincinnati, 6-foot-3, 190 pounds (first): Has the potential to be a lockdown corner in the league. He was the American Athletic Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and didn’t allow a touchdown over 1,059 career coverage snaps.
2. Derek Stingley, LSU, 6-1, 195, (first): Injuries held him back the past two seasons, but in 2019 he led the SEC with six interceptions.
3. Andrew Booth, Clemson, 6-0, 193 (first): He had 75 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 10 pass breakups and five interceptions in his career. He played 981 defensive snaps over 35 career games and made 15 starts. He was a first-team All-ACC selection in 2021. He was an AJC Super 11 member in 2018.
4. Trent McDuffie, Washington, 5-11, 195 (first): He became a starter early in his freshman season. The Huskies played a lot of zone coverage, so his man-to-man skills must be developed at the next level.
5. Kaiir Elam, Florida, 6-2, 200 (second): He was second-team All-SEC. He led the conference in passes defensed with 11 last season.
6. Roger McCreary, Auburn, 6-0, 187 (second): Has experience in the SEC, where he defended Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Treylon Burks and DeVonta Smith. McCreary had 14 pass breakups last season.
7. Kyler Gordon, Washington 6-0, 190 (second): He was a late bloomer with the Huskies. He didn’t start until his fourth season but was named All-Pac 12 in 2021.
8. Marcus Jones, Houston, 5-9, 185 (third): He was an All-American at Troy before transferring to Houston. He had five interceptions, which were the second most in the FBS last season.
9. Coby Bryant, Cincinnati, 6-1, 191 (third): He won the Jim Thorpe Award as the top defensive back in the nation, even though he was playing opposite of Gardner. He had nine interceptions and 35 pass breakups over his career.
10. Martin Emerson, Mississippi State, 6-1, 202 (third/fourth): He played in 36 games over three seasons. He led the SEC in pass breakups with 11 in 2020.
Best of the rest: Fayetteville State’s Joshua Williams, South Carolina State’s Cobie Durant, Texas-San Antonio’s Tariq Woolen, Alabama’s Jalyn Armour-Davis, Georgia’s Derion Kendrick, Oregon’s Mykael Wright and Nebraska’s Cam Taylor-Britt.
Teams in need: Giants, Jets, Patriots, Bucs and Lions.
Need area for Falcons: Yes, the Falcons signed veteran Casey Hayward to play right corner and re-signed nickel back Isaiah Oliver. Hayward is 32 and could help train the corners to eventually take over. They are set at left cornerback with A.J. Terrell.
AJC’S 2022 POSITION-BY-POSITION SERIES
WIDE RECEIVERS – Falcons need to upgrade weapons | Top 10 WRs
RUNNING BACKS – Position has become devalued in draft | Top 10 RBs
TIGHT ENDS – Chigoziem Okonkwo survived heart condition | Top 10 TEs
OFFENSIVE LINE – Ex-UGA lineman Salyer points to wins in SEC trenches | Top 10 OL
QUARTERBACKS – Malik Willis now top QB prospect for NFL draft | Top 10 QBs
DEFENSIVE LINE – Georgia dominates D-line talk ahead of draft | Top 10 DL
LINEBACKERS – Ex-UGA star Dean the latest test of play vs. measurables | Top 10 LBs
CORNERBACKS – Cincinnati’s Sauce Gardner or LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. | Top 10 CBs
SAFETIES – Thursday, April 21
SPECIAL TEAMS – Friday, April 22
The Bow Tie Chronicles
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