Derek Stingley, CB, LSU, 6-1, 195, 4.35, JR … Third-year junior was the #1 high school recruit in the country and was named an All-American as he started every game in the Tigers’ national championship season as a true freshman in 2019, but hasn’t been as prominent the past two years because of a series of injuries. Still made it two years as an AA in 2020 despite missing games with first a concussion and then later a leg issue, but played in only three games this past season because of a training camp foot injury that ultimately required season-ending surgery. When healthy, has all the tools of a true shutdown corner including prototype length, elite speed, fluid hips, great hands, ball skills, and excellent instincts, vision and patience. Best as a press corner with strong hands and solid technical skills, but also breaks well on the ball in zone. Could be a little more physical defending the run, though, and has been known to give an inconsistent effort at times. Is the grandson of former NFL first rounder Darryl Stingley whose career was tragically cut short when he suffered that catastrophic spinal cord injury back in 1978. Bottom line: Stingley has as much pure talent as any corner to come along since Patrick Peterson (who also wore #7 at LSU) a decade ago, but scouts have to figure out whether off years the past couple of seasons were primarily the result of injuries or are legitimate red flags.
Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner, CB, Cincinnati, 6-2, 200, 4.50. JR … Third-year junior was a lightly recruited 160-pound WR/CB coming out of high school, but emerged as one of the top cover corners in the country after bulking up to the 200-pound range. Was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Year this fall as well as an All-American for the second time; actually could be three straight AA years as he was a Freshman All-American back in 2019. Had a remarkably productive college career as opposing QBs barely completed 30% of their throws against him and he never gave up a TD pass in his entire career, although playing in the AAC, he wasn’t facing a steady diet of elite receivers. Has excellent length and uses hands and reach to disrupt routes. Also has really nimble feet and great vision and instincts. He also has a burst and is a long strider who covers a lot of ground, but still lacks sprinter speed. And as a former prep WR, also has excellent hands and ball skills. Can play in both press and zone coverage, although he’s better in the former. Could be a little more of a physical tackler and probably needs to add some strength. Also needs to polish his technique as he can also be a little grabby at times and will also gamble at times going for the big play. Bottom line: Really talented cover corner who dominated at the college level and has people talking about a possible top 5-10 pick, although much will still depend on how he times in pre-draft testing.
Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida, 6-2, 195, 4.40, JR … Third-year junior was looking to build on a breakout year in 2020 this fall, but missed three games with an early-season knee injury and never really got back into form after that. In fact, finished the year with just 29 tackles, one pick and 6 other pass breakups, which is about half his totals from the previous year. If healthy, though, has prototype length and speed; indeed, was a state 100M finalist in high school. Physical press corner who does a nice job disrupting routes at the line of scrimmage. Also transitions well out of breaks and has excellent recovery speed, although he could be a little more aggressive when the ball is in the air. Has good vision and instincts in zone, although as a long-legged guy, can be a little choppy coming out of his backpeddle. Physical tackler, but will slide off the occasional play going for the big hit rather than just wrapping up. And yes, he’s a nephew of former Baltimore first-rounder Matt Elam; in fact, his father also played in the NFL for several years. Bottom line: Aggressive cover corner that may be being a little undervalued at this point based on an underwhelming 2021 season, but much of that may be attributed to the knee injury. In fact, has prototype length, speed and athleticism, along with a feisty demeanor, and could be something of a first-round sleeper.
Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson, 6-0, 200, 4.45, JR … Third-year junior was one of Clemson’s highest recruits ever and evolved into a very steady, dependable cover corner. Has good size and length, including long arms, for the position. Also has good, though not necessarily great, speed along with better quickness and agility. Also is very smooth in his backpeddle and can turn and run on a dime, although he’s not as quick changing directions. Aggressive press corner who uses his hands and long arms to effectively disrupt routes; also confident in zone, where he appears to prefer to play off and keep everything in front of him. Also tracks the ball well and stays patient and under control when it’s in the air. He’s also a feisty kid who is a physical tackler and will get his nose dirty in run defense, but has a tendency to leave his feet too early at times. Bottom line: Polished corner who may be one of the safer picks in this year’s draft, in that he does not appear to have any major holes in his game. At the same time, though, he doesn’t really excel at any particular phase of the game which, along with somewhat questionable long speed, could limit his upside.
Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn, 5-11, 190, 4.50, SR … Fourth-year senior held up well facing the gauntlet of quality SEC receivers week-in and week-out. Solidly-built player who is tall enough, but has very short arms. And because of the short arms is somewhat limited in his ability to disrupt routes at the line of scrimmage. McCreary also lacks elite track-type speed, but is very quick, nimble and instinctive with a very fluid backpeddle and excellent body control. As a result, he is able to mirror receivers all over the field and keep separation to a minimum. Also has good ball skills and doesn’t panic when it’s in the air. He’s also a versatile DB who can play outside as well as cover the slot; he’s also physical enough that he could find a role as a nickel safety. Bottom line: Sticky cover corner with plenty of high quality experience on his resume, but is another CB this year who may have a somewhat limited upside because of the lack of 4.3 speed along with the issue of the short arms.
Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington, 5-10, 195, 4.50, JR … Versatile third-year junior, McDuffie is a physical, instinctive corner, although he’s probably quicker than he is fast and is ultimately best in zone coverage where he has excellent vision and quickness and can anticipate and jump routes. He’s also a thumper when he does find the ball. Has good enough speed with nimble feet and excellent lateral agility; also has fluidity to sink his hips and quickly get in and out of breaks, but lacks that extra gear when the ball is in the air. He will battle in press coverage, though, but will struggle to match-up with bigger receivers. Very physical tackler who will throw his body around and run through ball-carriers, although he could do a better job getting off blocks. Bottom line: Smart, feisty corner that likely lacks the length and pure foot speed to qualify as an elite prospect; however, he is arguably the best zone corner in this draft as well as potentially the best candidate as a nickel CB.
