NFL
By Bill Carroll
Fit: Press‑man / match‑quarters | Year‑1: Outside Corner opening week Draft Projection: Round 1 (Top‑5-7)
1) Mansoor Delane (LSU)
He is a corner with the approach of a chess grandmaster. Mansoor anticipates routes, while baiting throws, and closes like ShowBiz Pizza Place. Displaying smooth hips, confident press, and a “don’t throw it here” aura.
Delane is two moves ahead. After transferring from Virginia Tech, he owned the SEC, earning first-team honors with 45 tackles, 2 picks, and 11 pass breakups in 2024. His hips are smoother than a jazz solo, and his ability to bait quarterbacks is pure art. Press-man? Zone? Clearly, it doesn’t matter; Delane’s instincts and athletic traits scream “All-Rookie Team Member.”
2) Jermod McCoy (Tennessee)
McCoy is a 6’0″, 193-pound press-man prodigy who is allergic to separation. His hands are Duran solid at the line, with elite reset speed; he is a catch‑point combatant who flips possessions. His medical checks are vital. In 2024, he racked up 44 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 7 pass breakups, earning All-American honors. His jam at the line is vicious, his recovery speed is elite, with an urgent closing burst. He tore his ACL in January 2025, but his tape screams “first-round talent”.
Draft Projection: Round
Fit: Press‑man with Cover‑1/3 | Year‑1: Outside CB1/CB2; starts early.
3) Avieon Terrell (Clemson)
Terrell is 5’11”, 180 pounds of controlled corner chaos, twitch and torque, short‑area explosiveness, boundary polish, and violence around the ball. He thrives in the press, flipping his hips and exploding like a sprinter out of the blocks. With 48 tackles in 2025 and a knack for forcing turnovers (five forced fumbles!), he turns routine slants into defensive highlights. His short-area burst and ball skills make him a high-upside part of any scheme.
Draft Projection: Round 1
Fit: Match‑quarters / press‑mirror | Year‑1: Outside CB, nickel versatility
4) Colton Hood (Tennessee)
At 6’0″, 195 pounds, Hood brings track-star speed (4.4 forty) and tacky coverage skills. He posted 50 tackles, 1 interception, and 8 pass breakups in 2025, showing his ability to high-point the ball and bully receivers at the catch point. His run support is inconsistent, but in man or press coverage, Hood’s athletic traits are NFL-worthy.
Draft Projection: Round 1
Fit: Press/zone mix, cloud corners | Year‑1: Outside CB2, heavy sub‑packages
5) Malik Muhammad (Texas)
Muhammad is pure athletic poetry. At 6’0″, 188 pounds, in 2025, he posted 36 tackles, 32 solo, one tackle for loss, and eight passes defensed. His tape screams first-round traits. Zone coverage? He’s a lurking predator waiting to undercut your favorite route. He can close with liquid transitions and route denial with a grudge. If his consistency tightens, the ceiling is Pro Bowl.
Draft Projection: Round 1 | Fit: Split‑safety with pattern‑match | Year‑1: Outside CB2/Nickel; starter traits
Tier 2 — Early starters with Pro Bowl ceilings
6) Will Lee III (Texas A&M)
Lee is a press corner savant at 6’1″, 189 pounds. He thrives at the line, using quick feet and sharp instincts to erase releases. With 50 tackles and 8 PBUs in 2025, he’s a physical defender who forces contested catches. Zone? Meh. Press=perfection.
7) Brandon Cisse (South Carolina)
Cisse’s stat line of 26 tackles and an interception, understandably, doesn’t scream superstar, but his tape whispers NFL starter and, possibly, “sleeper pick.” He’s physical, disciplined, and rarely gives up easy yards. The corner who quietly ruins the top receiver’s day.
8. Keionte Scott — Miami (FL)
Scott is a feisty, instinctive playmaker who compensates for size deficits with explosiveness and toughness. Elite in run support and effective as a blitzer, he brings immediate sub-package value. NFL Translation: Nickel starter with tone-setting physicality.
9. Davison Igbinosun — Ohio State
Igbinosun boasts elite length, reported 4.34 speed, and strong instincts. However, his grabby tendencies and penalty history are legitimate concerns. If refined, he profiles as a shutdown CB1. NFL Translation: High-risk, high-reward press corner.
10) Daylen Everette (Georgia)
Everette is 6’1″, 190 pounds of SEC aggression. He posted 58 tackles and 3 picks in 2024, then followed up with 40 tackles in 2025. He plays the run like a linebacker and closes gaps like a heat-seeking missile. His size-speed combo makes him a perfect outside corner who gives tight-end coverage.
11) Julian Neal (Arkansas)
Neal is a 6’2″, 208-pound enforcer playing corner like a safety trapped in a corner’s body. With 55 tackles and 10 PBUs in 2025, plus two pick-sixes in 2024, Neal brings size, length, and a mean streak. Technique refinement will be key, but his upside is undeniable.
12) Cal Hezekiah Masses (Cal)
Masses didn’t just lead the nation in passes defended; he practically “cornered” the market. With 18 PDs, 5 interceptions, and 43 tackles, he’s the definition of a ball-hawk. His ability to disrupt passing lanes and flip momentum makes him a dream for defensive coordinators.
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Why he slips: Zone-only label, West Coast exposure
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Why he hits: Elite ball production + route anticipation
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Steal Profile: Immediate turnover generator in split-safety defenses
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Floor: CB3
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Ceiling: CB1 in zone-match systems
🟦 DAY-2 STEAL ALERTS (Rounds 2–3)
I. BUILD: DAY-2, DAY-3 & PRIORITY UDFA STEAL ALERTS
Starters hiding behind draft-slot math
13. Chris Johnson — San Diego State
Why he slips: At just under 6′ and 182, with low-mid 4.5 speed, he lacks the ideal man corer profile
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Steal Profile: Zone-match assassin
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Best Value: Round 3-4
Why he hits: Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year in 2025, Career Tackles: 152, Tackles for a Loss and Sacks: 4.5, Interceptions: 6, Pass Breakups: 14, scheme versatility, excels using his eyes in off-man, zone, and in tight man coverage.
14. Keith Abney II — Arizona State
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Why he slips: Though he is physical, aggressive, and relentless, he can be too aggressive.
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Why he hits: Veteran-level eye discipline, bait-and-close ability
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Steal Profile: Zone-match assassin
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Best Value: Round 3-4
- He’s a developmental prospect with intriguing upside for teams willing to invest in refinement.
Value Windows, Steal Alerts & Team Fits
14. Tacario Davis — Washington
At over 6’3″ and with elite length, physicality, and zone coverage skills, he will appeal to the teams seeking the “Seattle Corner” prototype.
- Why he slips: Raw, choppy backpedal, tightness
- Why he hits: Length and strength
- Steal Profile: Ideal type for Cover-3 match
- Floor: Sub-package starter
- Ceiling: Nashon Wright’s lost triplet
15. Chandler Rivers — Duke
Rivers is a Swiss Army knife, fearless, instinctive, and versatile. At 5’10”, 185 pounds, he led Duke with 59 tackles and 8 PBUs in 2025. He’s not the fastest guy on the field, but his football IQ and slot skills make him a plug-and-play nickel with starter upside.
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Why he slips: Size bias, nickel-only perception
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Why he hits: Leverage IQ, tackling, communication
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Steal Profile: Plug-and-play nickel starter
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Floor: Sub-package starter
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Ceiling: Defensive signal-caller in the slot
🟨 DAY-3 STEAL ALERTS (Rounds 4–6)
Traits + processing = future starters
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16 Joshua Moten (So Miss)
- Why he slips: Slender frame and questions about his long speed
- Why he hits: 2024-6 PBU and his 5 INT in 2024 show his ball skills.
- Steal Profile: He can stay in phase with wide receivers and his length in coverage. Despite being lanky, he is a willing tackler
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17 Domani Jackson (Alabama)
- Why he slips: Questionable ball tracking, instincts, and tackling mechanics
- Why he hits: Sooth press-man coverage with disruptive length and strong run support
- Steal Profile: He has experience in disguised man/zone and combination coverage that some teams covet
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18 Devin Moore (Florida)
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Why he slips: Injury history, and he needs improved play strength
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Why he hits: Sticky in-phase coverage, great size, and fluidity
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Steal Profile: Initially boundary depth, but has a mix of talent and intelligence that could= starting corner-back
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Best Value: Round 5-6
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19 Aaron Harris (North Carolina A&T)
Harris posted 42 tackles and 13 PBUs, showing off sticky coverage and strong ball skills.-
Why he slips: Size and level of competition biases
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Why he hits: Sticky in-phase coverage, real ball skills
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Steal Profile: Boundary depth who plays above measurements
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Best Value: Round 6
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Why he slips: FCS prospects are usually available later
20 Jeremiah McClendon (Southern Illinois)
McClendon’s 59 tackles, 14 PBUs, and 2 interceptions prove he’s more than just an FCS standout. He’s a legitimate NFL prospect.-
Why he slips: Level of competition
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Why he hits: Relentless competitiveness + production
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Steal Profile: Nickel/CB3 who survives every cut-down
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Best Value: Round 5–6
- Why he hits: He’s the kind of corner who makes receivers earn every yard.
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21 Ayinde Johnson — Rhode Island
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Why he slips: FCS tax
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Why he hits: Clean feet, disciplined hands, no panic
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Steal Profile: CB #4 who becomes CB2 by Year 3
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Best Value: Round 6-7
🟥 PRIORITY UDFA ALERTS
Camp wreckers, special-teams locks, emergency starters
These are “draft-able grades that fall players:
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22 JoJo Johnson, Bowling Green State University (BGSU). His quickness and lock-down coverage come with experience at Indiana and Iowa Western CC; he’s been a key player for the Falcons, racking up an interception and 13 pass breakups
- 23 Elias Archie — Brown
Processor > stopwatch; nickel depth with sub-package value -
24 Tyler Hallum — Kennesaw State
Boundary toughness + coverage teams lock. -
25 Darnell Stephens — Fort Valley State
Slot-only, fearless, ST demon -
Honorable Mention David Fisher — North Texas
Zone eyes, tackling reliability, plug-in depth Cover 4 fit -
Honorable Mention Ephesians Prysock — Washington
- Strengths: His size, length, and experience are major assets for NFL scouts.
- Concerns: Some teams question his tendency to draw penalties and lack of interceptions despite his size.
If your CB room is thin, sign two of these immediately post-draft.
