2021 Top Cornerback Recruits - 247Sports 4. We are on to the 2022 season, where teams across the country will compete for a chance to play for the College Football Playoff National Championship at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. Theres still a lot to be figured out between now and then with team rosters and depth charts the transfer portal deadline is months away. He allowed just six catches on 19 targets while making seven total plays on the ball when he was tasked with single coverage. The 5-foot-10, 176-pounder snagged an interception the following week against Maryland. Luter missed the final two outings due to injury, but we wont let that take away from what he did in 10 games as a starter. Caesar Williams, Wisconsin: Last season the Texas native tallied 13 tackles in seven games and broke up two passes on his way to earning third-team All-Big Ten. Smith a top 150 recruit in the 2019 class, according to 247Sports composite earned an 89.7 coverage grade this past season across his 217 coverage snaps. He allowed under 40 yards in coverage in every game except two against Alabama and helped the Dawgs clinch the national championship with his late pick-six. The former five-star recruit has been volatile in two years in Chapel Hill. He makes sure to somehow get the ball carrier to the ground, where he can wrap around the knees or clutch a leg. Across 530 snaps as a true freshman in 2019, Duck recorded a 78.7 PFF grade a top-12 mark among Power Five true freshmen in the PFF College era (since 2014). He has plenty of experience, but had just one interception and one pass defended in 2021. Ranked ninth and tenth overall in their class, either one would be an excellent first pick, and the second will go shortly behind. Its quite clear he already has an excellent feel for the position and could be the first Thorpe Award winner from Alabama since star safety, Ringo was the No. (Note: This has nothing to do with pro potential.). ), Alabama plucked the top cornerback returning to college football out of the transfer portal in Eli Ricks, who comes from, Ricks' physicality at the line of scrimmage and catch point make him a difficult cornerback to beat outright. No analysis available. From Week 3 on, the five-star recruit earned a 78.6 coverage grade and allowed only 10 catches on 30 targets and 254 coverage snaps for 93 yards. Best Bets Tool. Power Rankings are PFFs NCAA power ratings based on weekly player grades in each facet of play. 2023 NFL draft preview: Cornerbacks - dailyherald.com He had three interceptions and six passes defended. For his success on the field, Forbes earned Freshman All-SEC honors. Kaiir Elam, Florida: As a true sophomore last season he tallied 39 tackles, broke up 11 passes and hauled in two interceptions. The Top Dog 1. Moore recorded five solo stops at LSU. His numbers weren't as impressive in 2020, but that's because quarterbacks weren't throwing his way. Gonzalez had 50 tackles and four interceptions for the Ducks in 2022, and Witherspoon had 40 tackles, three interceptions, and did not allow a touchdown in the entire 2022 season. Andrew Booth, Clemson: The former five-star prospect proved his value to the Tigers defense last season and finished with second-team All-ACC honors. While South Carolina has a lot to figure out, they know what Smith brings to the table. The two-time All-Big Ten rusher became the last Illinois player to be selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. He has the length and strength to give wide receivers a problem at the line at 6-foot-2 and 205-pounds but also rare long speed for that size. Oregon's Christian Gonzalez and Illinois' Devon Witherspoon are the two best cornerbacks in this year's draft. Moss struggled in Iowas bowl game against Kentucky, but had a fantastic season otherwise in 2021. The 2020 college football season featured a ton of talented cornerback play acrossevery single conference. With Elam back in the lineup again this fall, the Gators will keep their amazing legacy of defensive backs on the gridiron. There is always debate over ranking the best players in the sport. 51 overall recruit was the highest-graded outside corner in the country. Lets take a look at some of this years CB prospects. Coming in at number 10 on the Top 10 NFL Cornerbacks 2023 rankings list is the Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs. From that point on, Woods was the highest-graded corner in the Power Five. Alabama plucked the top cornerback returning to college football out of the transfer portal in Eli Ricks, who comes from LSU. 6. Oregon States Rejzohn Wright has excellent size and awareness and could be a great investment in later rounds. Patrick Surtain II, JR, Alabama. Taylor-Britt had four solo tackles and an interception in the home win over Penn State. Brendan Radley-Hiles, Washington: The one-time Nebraska commit started 32 games over the past three seasons with Oklahoma and racked up 115 tackles and three interceptions during that span. Turner took on a starting spot for the first time in his Michigan career in Week 8 this past season and performed at a high level from that point forward. His best year came when he was a freshman, as he had four interceptions and five passes defended. CLICK HERE to download the CBS Sports Mobile App and get the latest on your team today. 2023 NFL Draft prospects: Ranking top cornerback in this year's draft Patrick Surtain was a physical. He has the length and strength to give wide receivers a problem at the line at 6-foot-2 and 205-pounds but also rare long speed for that size. Mullen missed more than half of the 2021 season with an injury, but back in 2020, he was one of the top corners in the country. The two are simply one of the top tandems in college football in 2021 and will be valuable parts to seeing the defense improve next season. After four successful years at Oklahoma State, Bernard-Converse joined LSU. Hart had two interceptions and seven passes defended in 2021. Derek Stingley Jr., LSU: The former five-star prospect is arguably one of the best cover corners in the SEC. Top 25 College Football Cornerbacks - The Game Haus The Top Five 1. Alexander had 17 pass breakups and 1.4 wins above replacement which is the highest among all cornerbacks in 2020. jaire.alexander.coverage. Hodges-Tomlinson has improved each season and if he continues that trend, he will rise up this list. 85 ranked cornerback in the recruiting class of 2016. Over his last four games, in particular, the 5-foot-11, 193-pound cornerback didnt allow a single yard while intercepting one pass and breaking up two others. He was also the No. 15 Best Cornerbacks in College Football in 2023. He recorded his second and last interception of the season against Pittsburgh. 2022 Stats: 50 Solo, 0 FF, 3 INT, 14 PD. NCAA CB Position Grades | PFF Elam also recovered a fumble in the bowl loss to Oklahoma. His man-coverage grade ranked first among all Power Five cornerbacks in 2020. The six-foot-two, 196-pounder ended his true freshman campaign with Freshman All-SEC and third-team AP All-America honors. Here are the best cornerbacks in college football from the best 15 heading into the 2023 season. He broke up three passes apiece against Texas, Texas Tech and West Virginia. McCreary tallied three solo tackles, forced a fumble and picked off a pass in the opening win over Kentucky. His length and ability to shut down receivers will be huge for Purdue in 2022. Elijah Molden, Washington. Top Cornerbacks: 16-32 16) Mike Hilton, Cincinnati Bengals 17) Trent McDuffie, Kansas City Chiefs 18) D.J. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound corner logged over 400 coverage snaps last season and didnt allow a single touchdown while intercepting one and breaking up seven others. All Rights Reserved. Take a look at PFF's top tencornerbacks for the 2021 college football season below. Clark Phillips III (true soph) has been one of the top DBs out west in the second half of the season. Marshall opened his 2021 true freshman campaign with a couple of rough outings, but he played at an advanced level after those were out of the way. The Georgia native tallied seven total tackles in the win at Georgia Tech. He is a talented and experienced corner with nine career passes defended. The hometown kid can also return kicks. Odds and lines subject to change. Led the way for BC's 2021 class that was the Eagles' top-ranked group in the modern recruiting era. QB | RB | WR | TE | iOL | OT | DI | EDGE | LB | CB | S. Mullens 2021 campaign was derailed by an injury, limiting him to only four starts and 227 snaps overall. 18. GP. The 5-foot-10, 165-pounder followed up that performance with nine total tackles, including six solo, against Boston College. The Georgia native had an interception against Massachusetts and Coastal Carolina. Smith learned a lot from former Gamecock Jaycee Horn. Not only are those long arms a legit make-up tool, but they also make it very tough for receivers to hold onto the ball as he rakes through their hands. PFF ranks college football's top ten cornerbacks for the 2021 season "In all, 265 of his 600 coverage snaps have come in press coverage, yet he's given up only 0.47 yards per coverage snap on those reps, the best mark among Power Five cornerbacks who have played at least 250 press-coverage snaps in that span. Phillips allowed 0.34 yards per coverage snap in that span. Continues to be regarded as one of the nation's top recruiters. Clark followed up that performance with three interceptions in the win over Ole Miss. 15 Best Cornerbacks in College Football in 2023 - kiiky.com BNB Football is the best place for in-depth analysis of 2021 cornerback prospects at all levels of college football. Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska: The former three-star prospect is one of the most physical corners in the Big Ten. Ringo did a good job of sticking with his receiver by allowing only two of his 36 targets in single coverage to have separation (seventh-lowest rate in the Power Five). Corners are usually the fastest players on the team and can blanket an entire side of a field. Before his commitment to Florida, Elam was a 247Sports Composite four-star recruit out of North Palm Beach, Florida. (Please note that this has nothing to do with pro potential. LSU brings in just one freshman cornerback to the . The California native also had an interception in victories over South Carolina and Florida. Here are the top five cornerbacks in college football right now: Coming into the year with Georgias Kelee Ringo, LSU-to-Alabama transfer Eli Ricks and Cam Smith as the trio at the top in terms of draft prospects for next year, I feel like the latter has really established himself as the top guy in the group. However, during his true freshman season in 2019, McDuffie totaled 45 tackles, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one interception in 12 games. Position U: Which schools produce the most college football - ESPN First Take - Top Cornerbacks for the 2021 NFL Draft - Sports Illustrated Playing a ton of soft press and cover-three bail, Williams trusts his speed as receivers push vertically. 23. Joey Porter Jr., Penn State Nittany Lions. Malachi Moore, Alabama: Hes one of the most dynamic players on the Crimson Tides defense and makes clutch plays from his STAR position. Elam racked up 13 solo tackles and had six pass breakups through the Gators first three games. Rated by 247Sports composite scale as a three-star recruit in K-State's 2021 class, the underclassman originally chose Chris Klieman's squad over an offer from Colorado and a host of non-Power . 2021 NFL Draft - Top Cornerbacks Most Recent Update: 4/28/2021 7:00 PM EST Position/Conference Rankings OT RB-C WR-S EDGE DL 1-TECH DL 3-TECH DL 5-TECH OLB ILB SAFETY CB KICKER PUNTER SEC ACC BIG-10 BIG-12 PAC-12 AAC M-WEST MAC C-USA SUN BELT 2020 RANKINGS 2019 RANKINGS Rank O/A Chng Player/School Ht/Wt Elig. Brandon Crossley, SMU:The Dallas native recorded 21 tackles, intercepted four passes and broke up five more for the Mustangs last season. C.J. Additional 2020 college football recruiting links: 2020 College Football Recruiting Tracker and Grades, 2020 College Football Top Recruiting Classes, $$ Pure WalterFootball with no advertisements for $7.99 a month. Georgias Kelee Ringo, Michigans DJ Turner, and Kansas States Julius Brents will all go early as well. All defensive backs are either blitzing or in man coverage (no help over the top). Marshall didnt record a penalty in that span, nor did he allow any of his eight deep targets to be caught. For his height, he also redirects forward as receivers break in front of him when he does play off pretty well. Top 10 Cornerbacks in NFL 2023 Rankings Top Cornerback Prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft | BNB Football 35 Overall. Wright also returned kickoffs and finished 2020 with first-team All-Pac-12 honors. Its time to ramp up the preview for the 2022 college football season as Week 0 is just weeks away. Check out our college football page for more content like Top 25 College Football Cornerbacks! Prunty has great range, standing six-foot-one, and weighing 185 pounds. Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. (with WWEs Corey Graves). Another guy who has really stood out in that spot this season is Garrett Williams. We will continue to review film, attend showcases, camps and games to make sure we have the most honest, accurate results with each class. "We only got to see two games from Duck in 2020 because of injury. And that's not all, as McDuffie might also be the best tackling cornerback in college football. Everyone is geeking out over the quarterbacks, but cornerback might actually be the biggest strength position in the 2021 NFL Draft. 5. That puts him in the company of several stars, including 2022 first-round picks Derek Stingley Jr., Kaiir Elam and Trent McDuffie and NFL talents Adoree Jackson, Carlton Davis and Patrick Surtain II. 2023 NFL Draft grades: Patriots' Bill Belichick may have nabbed top In that 2020 season, Ricks was tasked with a high dose of man coverage and handled it like a pro. Should the Celtics Be Worrying About Jayson Tatum? Top 10 returning cornerbacks in college football for the 2022 season - PFF Its quite clear he already has an excellent feel for the position and could be the first Thorpe Award winner from Alabama since star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in 2017. He then proceeded to have the best true freshman season since PFF College's inception back in 2014. Similar to cover 2, made famous by Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay, but with a twist; the middle linebacker drops into a deeper zone than usual, creating a hybrid cover 2/cover 3 look. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Type above and press Enter to search. New Chiefs cornerback Nic Jones took the hard way to Kansas City Smith was one of the unsung heroes of the 2021 season. Elijah Molden 5-10, 190 Washington 4. These power rankings are adjusted based on coach, quarterback and the market each season. Hell likely be an early favorite for the Jim Thorpe Award. Before his time at Cincinnati, Gardner was a 247Sports Composite three-star recruit out of Detroit, Michigan. With the 2021 college football season right around the corner,Pro Football Focus' Anthony Treash recently released a ranking of the top-ten cornerbacksacross college football. After all, his career was limited to nine starts two in 2019, one in 2020, and six in 2021. 20 on Thursday night. He has three interceptions and 11 passes defended in his career. On top of that, he was faced with overcoming an injury and learning how to run and cut at a high . Alexander's interception numbers are not there but he is this high on this list because he only gave up 353 yards in coverage in all of 2020. Neither Drafttek.com or www.drafttek.com are affiliated in any manner 37-ranked recruit elevated his play after the position and school change. Gainesville, FL, USA; LSU defensive back Eli Ricks (1) runs with the ball after making an interception during a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. Dec. 12, 2020. His breaks and processing speed shined down the stretch for Utah. 24. His press performance was, (Photo: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY Sports), Pro Football Focus' Anthony Treash recently released a ranking of the top-ten cornerbacksacross college football. Was one of the lead recruiters on nine BC signees, including four-star cornerback Clinton Burton. He was also the No. The Big-12 has two players ranked, while the Big 10, ACC, and Pac-12 each have one player ranked. 1. He followed up that performance with four solo tackles against Washington State. Chestnut was a freshman starter for the Orange and registered three interceptions and eight passes defended. Last year, he had five PBUs and four picks, of which he returned two to the house, along with putting up three tackles for loss. Gambling Problem? Bryant left a lasting impression with three solo tackles and his fourth pick in the Peach Bowl loss to Georgia. Chris Steele, USC: He showed promise as a true sophomore for the Trojans last season. However, Booth is the real deal and will shore up any voids left by the previous regime. Coming out of high school in 2019, the five-star cornerback clocked a 4.3-second 40 time and a 42-inch vertical. Its quite clear he already has an excellent feel for the position and could be the first Thorpe Award winner from Alabama since star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in 2017. Gonzalez (6-1, 197) has ideal size and length for an NFL cornerback. Alabama's Trevon Diggs and Louisiana Tech's Amik Robertson were two of the NCAA's most dominant man-coverage cornerbacks in the 2019 season, but each player was selected by zone-heavy teams whose. Honorable mentions: Clark Phillips III (Utah), Tyrique Stevenson (Miami), Storm Duck (North Carolina), DShawn Jamison (Texas) & Steven Gilmore (Marshall), You can check out all my other college football positional rankings here or as one piece on halilsrealfootballtalk.com, Be the first one to comment on this story. He plays the catch point well due to his length and excels in man coverage. Although he left Georgia right before they won the National Championship, Stevenson played well for Miami in 2021. Brents started his career at Iowa, but played last season with the Kansas State. The third-best cornerback on the PFF big board, Banks can fly and clocked a 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the NFL . . 17. Linebacker U The . He was also the No. 2022 College Football Preseason Rankings: Top 25 cornerbacks PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. The next game Clark recorded nine total tackles against Texas A&M. Colts select Kansas State CB Julius Brents with No. 44 overall pick in In seven games,Stingley was targeted 30 times, allowing just seven first downs while forcing five incompletions. The Ohio native generated six solo stops at SMU. 2022 College Stats. Ricks brings some experience to Alabamas corners, as they look o make a run at the National Championship. Its all about reading the quarterbacks eyes and making a play on the ball. Before joining the Hoosiers, Mullen was a 247Sports Composite three-star recruit out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Over his last six games, the 2020 No. 1. Before his injury-riddled 2021 campaign, Ricks produced at an extraordinarily high level for a true freshman. Luter missed the final two outings due to injury, but we wont let that take away from what he did in 10 games as a starter this past season. Steele and Isaac Taylor-Stuart, gives USC a solid duo at corner, plus both were former five-star recruits. NFL Draft Cornerback Rankings 2021: From The College Perspective Trice is returning to Purdue for his fifth season after his fourth season was cut short. In all, he gave up only 15 catches on 32 targets for the entire season. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound corner has some legit bounce and quicks. *Caleb Farley 6-1, 207 Virginia Tech 5. Clarks solid ball skills will be on display in 2022. He pretty much picked up right where Jaycee Horn left off in 2021, as he picked off three passes, broke up 11 more and finished with an 89.7 PFF coverage grade. He had 49 total tackles, one interception and two passes defended. 8. "Hes such a rare one that even Coach O is, (Photo: James Guillory, USA TODAY Sports), (Photo: Steve Mitchell, USA TODAY Sports), "Hes at his best at the line of scrimmage playing in press coverage when he's allowed to rely on his length and physicality," Treash wrote. After appearing in only four games as a true freshman, Hodges-Tomlinson had a breakout sophomore season in 2020. After a great 2020 season that saw him have three interceptions and four passes defended, Mullen played in just five games in the 2021 season with an ankle injury. Prunty recorded a career-high, six total tackles against Iowa State. Follow Walter @walterfootball for . The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder recorded seven tackles against Michigan. Will Shipley, Clemson Kobe Pace and Lyn-J Dixon are likely to occupy the top two spots on the depth chart for the Tigers. Cincinnati made the College Football Playoff last season and Bush was a contributor. In 11 games in his true freshman season, Ricks totaled 20 tackles, four interceptions, five pass breakups, and two touchdowns. The All-Pac-12 Second Team performer from 2021 is ready for a big 2022 season. Yes. The Giants added to their depth in the defensive backfield on Saturday, selecting cornerback Tre Hawkins in the sixth round .