This year offers an exceptionally talented cornerback class with talent up and down the board. There are 8 different corners who realistically could hear their name called on draft day. Not all of them will be but there are that many players with legitimate 1st round upside in this class. Even after those top players though, there are multiple talented prospects that could have an early impact in the NFL or have high upside to develop into a starting caliber defender. I’ve done extensive work scouting these prospects, so here are my personal rankings of this year’s cornerback class.
1. Travis Hunter – Colorado
Age: 21 | Height/Weight: 6’0″, 190 lbs
2024 Stats: 36 tackles, 4 INTs, 11 PDs
Value: Top 10 Pick
As a cornerback, Travis Hunter offers elite-level traits that pop on tape instantly. His reactive athleticism and footwork are rare—he stays balanced and composed in man coverage, rarely overextending or panicking at the top of routes. His feel for spacing in zone coverage is advanced, and he has the short-area quickness to close gaps in a flash. Whether he’s working from the boundary or the slot, his instincts and route recognition stand out.
Hunter’s ball skills are elite, and not just “for a corner.” His ability to track, adjust, and finish through contact looks like a wide receiver’s—because it is. He’s dangerous when the ball is in the air, with the timing and body control to win jump balls and tip drills alike. Despite his two-way workload, he still plays defense with high effort and a competitive edge. He attacks the catch point and brings energy on every snap.
But the concerns start with his frame. At 190 pounds, he may not be able to take on physical matchups against big-bodied receivers consistently, especially if he’s playing on both sides of the ball. He’s also prone to freelancing—relying on instincts can backfire when he guesses wrong or bites on double moves. Durability is the main concern though, given the wear-and-tear of playing offense, defense, and even special teams.
Hunter is an elite prospect with true CB1 upside. The raw tools are there, and with some refinement he will become a cornerstone of a franchise’s secondary. He has the upside of being exceptional on both sides of the ball, which would make him one of the most impactful players the league has ever seen.
2. Will Johnson – Michigan
Age: 22 | Height/Weight: 6’2″, 195 lbs
2024 Stats: 14 tackles, 2 INTs, 3 PDs
Value: Round 1
Will Johnson is the most polished and technically refined corner in this class. His footwork is crisp, his transitions are fluid, and he rarely wastes steps in coverage. He’s confident in press, using his length and strength to disrupt releases, and he plays with tremendous discipline—staying patient and not overcommitting early.
What makes Johnson special is how well he anticipates. He mirrors receivers with ease, but more importantly, he reads route combinations and understands spacing within the defense. His instincts help him break on throws with perfect timing, and he uses his length to contest even when slightly trailing. Mentally, he plays like a seasoned NFL vet.
The main knock is his injury history. He’s missed chunks of time across multiple seasons, and some teams may question his ability to stay healthy over a 17-game season. While he doesn’t have elite long speed, it rarely shows up due to his positioning—but against burners, he’ll need help over the top.
Johnson has lockdown traits and the mental makeup of a top-tier corner. He’s ready to start from day one, and if he can stay healthy, he is a blue chip player and one of the safest prospects in this draft.
3. Jahdae Barron – Texas
Age: 23 | Height/Weight: 5’11″, 195 lbs
2024 Stats: 67 tackles, 5 INTs, 11 PDs
Value: Round 1
Jahdae Barron is one of the most versatile defensive backs in the class, with the rare ability to play outside, in the slot, or even safety in a pinch. His physicality stands out immediately—he’s a tone-setter in run support and brings real pop as a tackler. He processes plays quickly and reacts decisively, allowing him to blow up screens and short-yardage plays with regularity.
In coverage, Barron has natural feel and fluid hips, especially when asked to work inside. He’s sticky in man and intelligent in zone, frequently jumping routes and generating turnovers. His 5 INTs in 2024 weren’t by chance—he reads quarterback intentions well and positions himself to make plays. He’s confident, experienced, and never looks overwhelmed no matter where he lines up.
The biggest concern with Barron is that he may lack elite top-end traits for full-time duty on the outside. His height and length are average, and while he holds up physically, he can be boxed out by bigger receivers. Occasionally, his aggression gets the best of him—he’ll bite on a fake or over-pursue in run support and leave a lane open behind him.
Still, Barron’s versatility, intelligence, and production make him a plug-and-play asset at the next level. He’s tailor-made for modern NFL defenses that value hybrid defenders, and in the right scheme, he could be a do-it-all chess piece that coaches build around.
4. Maxwell Hairston – Kentucky
Age: 21 | Height/Weight: 5’11″, 185 lbs
2024 Stats: 19 tackles, 1 INT, 4 PDs
Value: Late Round 1
Maxwell Hairston’s calling card is speed—elite, game-breaking, recover-from-anything type speed. His 4.28 time translates directly to the field, where he can stay stride-for-stride with any receiver. He covers ground effortlessly and has the athletic twitch to click-and-close in an instant. Whether it’s chasing a receiver across the field or making up ground on a deep ball, Hairston is rarely out of a play.
Beyond the raw speed, Hairston flashes high-level movement skills. His hips are fluid, his footwork is clean, and his ability to mirror receivers at full speed is impressive. He thrives in man coverage and has enough juice to carry vertical routes without safety help. His recovery ability allows him to play aggressively underneath, knowing he can make up ground if needed.
However, his frame is light, and it shows up in his tackling. He struggles to bring down bigger ball carriers and doesn’t generate much force on contact. His smaller build also raises concerns about long-term durability. Additionally, he sometimes loses track of the ball on deep throws, which leads to late reactions or missed opportunities. His eye discipline needs work—he can get baited by double moves or play-action.
Despite the flaws, Hairston has the rare athletic upside that teams gamble on. If he can develop better technique and ball tracking, he has the potential to be a high-end outside corner in today’s NFL. He may take time, but the ceiling is absolutely worth a first-round shot.
5. Trey Amos – Ole Miss
Age: 23 | Height/Weight: 6’1″, 195 lbs
2024 Stats: 50 tackles, 3 INTs, 13 PDs
Value: Late Round 1
Trey Amos brings an ideal frame and aggressive mindset to the position. He plays with confidence and physicality, often dictating the tempo of routes at the line of scrimmage. He’s an excellent tackler for a cornerback—reliable, technically sound, and not afraid to meet ball carriers head-on. His experience shows in how he anticipates throws and keeps his eyes on the quarterback while staying connected to his man.
Amos thrives in press and press-bail coverage, using his length and strength to control receivers off the release. His 13 pass deflections show how consistently he’s in position to make plays. He doesn’t panic when the ball is in the air, and his ability to contest catches without drawing flags is one of his biggest assets. He’s also a willing run defender who takes proper angles and plays with pride in his tackling.
The main area for improvement is his deep speed and recovery burst. Against faster receivers, he can get caught flat-footed or struggle to close once beaten. He also needs to clean up his footwork—he sometimes takes false steps when transitioning from his backpedal. While he’s solid technically, there’s room to grow in terms of short-area quickness and reacting to sudden changes of direction.
Amos is a sturdy, smart, and battle-tested corner who fits best in a press-heavy or zone scheme. His size, toughness, and consistency give him the profile of a long-term starter, and his physical brand of play will help him secure a starting role early on.
6. Benjamin Morrison – Notre Dame
Age: 21 | Height/Weight: 6’0″, 195 lbs
2024 Stats: 20 tackles, 0 INTs, 4 PDs
Value: Late Round 1 – Early Round 2
Morrison’s tape shows a corner with silky smooth movement and advanced coverage feel. His hips are loose, and he transitions with ease, making him one of the cleanest man-cover corners in this class. He mirrors routes with minimal wasted motion and rarely looks stressed when shadowing top receivers. His technique is refined, and he’s consistently calm and in control when isolated outside.
He also brings above-average size and plays with intelligent angles in both zone and man. Morrison is especially effective at anticipating route breaks and staying connected without needing to grab or lunge. While his 2024 stat line doesn’t jump off the page, his impact came from quarterbacks avoiding his side altogether—testament to the respect he commands in coverage.
The biggest concern with Morrison is his health. An injury sidelined him during a critical stretch of the season, and his durability is something teams will look closely at during medical evaluations. He also lacks elite ball production—0 INTs this past season—and will need to show he can turn tight coverage into turnovers at the next level.
Despite the injury red flag, Morrison is a smooth, disciplined technician who can contribute early and develop into a high-end starter. If he stays healthy and finds a scheme that lets him play tight man with safety help behind, his best football could be ahead of him.
7. Shavon Revel Jr. – East Carolina
Age: 24 | Height/Weight: 6’2″, 195 lbs
2024 Stats: 8 tackles, 2 INTs, 2 PDs
Value: Round 2
Shavon Revel Jr. has the kind of athletic profile that scouts dream about. At 6’2” with long arms and fluid movement skills, he’s built to play outside against the NFL’s big-bodied receivers. He’s explosive in his backpedal and can flip his hips with ease—rare for a corner his size. He has the length to smother passing lanes and the twitch to click and close when driving on routes. His upside as a press-man corner is real, and his physical traits offer major developmental intrigue.
Revel plays with confidence and aggression. He doesn’t back down from one-on-one matchups and shows the mentality to compete through the whistle. When he gets his hands on the ball, he makes it count—his two interceptions this year were high-difficulty plays that showcased elite ball skills. He’s shown flashes of being able to run with any receiver, and there’s clear potential to mold him into a perimeter shutdown presence if he lands with the right coaching staff.
The downside? His experience and health profile. With only eight tackles and a small sample of high-level reps, the consistency just isn’t there yet. His injury history is concerning—especially at his age, as his development window could be shorter than ideal. And while the traits are special, he’s still raw in terms of play recognition and route anticipation, occasionally getting lost against complex route combos.
Revel is the definition of a boom-or-bust prospect. If he stays healthy and refines the mental side of his game, he has all the tools to be a high end outside corner. But he’s not plug-and-play, he’ll need patience and the right environment to hit that ceiling.
8. Azareye’h Thomas – Florida State
Age: 20 | Height/Weight: 6’2″, 195 lbs
2024 Stats: 52 tackles, 1 INT, 4 PDs
Value: Round 2
Azareye’h Thomas is one of the most technically smooth corners in the class. His hips are buttery, and his transitions are as clean as any corner in the draft. He’s calm and composed in press coverage, with the ability to stay in phase through the route stem. His footwork and balance allow him to recover quickly, and his ability to mirror without grabbing is extremely advanced for a 20-year-old prospect.
Thomas excels in man coverage. He’s sticky on vertical routes and rarely overcommits in space. His frame is ideal, and he uses his length well at the catch point, disrupting receivers without drawing flags. He also plays the run with solid effort and technique—his 52 tackles show he’s not afraid to get involved downhill.
The big red flag is his long speed. He doesn’t have a second gear to recover deep, and against true burners, he’s vulnerable if the receiver stacks him early. While he plays smart and rarely panics, some coordinators may hesitate to trust him in single-high coverages without help over the top. His ball production is also modest, and he’ll need to prove he can turn coverage into turnovers.
Thomas brings a mature, technically sound game with strong instincts and ideal size. While he lacks elite speed his intelligence, fluidity, and feel for coverage make him a strong fit in zone-heavy schemes or in man if paired with safety support. There’s definite star potential here.
9. Jacob Parrish – Kansas State
Age: 21 | Height/Weight: 5’10″, 190 lbs
2024 Stats: 50 tackles, 1 INT, 7 PDs
Value: Round 2–3
Jacob Parrish is one of the most instinctive corners in this class. His anticipation and route recognition are excellent—he reads receiver body language well and routinely jumps short and intermediate routes. Parrish excels in zone and off-man coverage, where his spatial awareness and football IQ allow him to break on the ball before it’s even released. His athleticism is more than enough to stay with shifty route-runners, and his motor never cools off.
He’s also an extremely versatile defender, having played both outside and slot corner at a high level. His ability to quickly transition between coverage assignments, disguise leverage, and mirror quicker receivers gives him true matchup flexibility. Parrish is a reliable tackler who plays with physicality beyond his size, and his footwork is sharp—he rarely gets caught off-balance, even when flipping hips or reacting to double moves.
The main concern is his lack of length. At 5’10”, Parrish can struggle to contest passes against taller receivers, especially on the outside where his arms don’t give him the same margin for error. He also plays with a gambler’s mindset—he’ll overcommit on routes at times, trying to jump passes, which can leave him vulnerable to double moves or late breaks. Against polished route-runners, that aggressiveness may be used against him.
Still, Parrish brings a well-rounded skill set, great instincts, and positional flexibility that will appeal to a lot of NFL defenses. His ability to cover inside or out makes him a valuable chess piece, and in a nickel-heavy league, he has every tool to become a top-tier corner.
10. Darien Porter – Iowa State
Age: 24 | Height/Weight: 6’3″, 195 lbs
2024 Stats: 18 tackles, 3 INTs, 2 PDs
Value: Round 3
Darien Porter is one of the most intriguing raw prospects in this class. With a towering 6’3” frame, long arms, and explosive athletic traits, he looks the part of a modern boundary corner. His top-end speed and burst give him the ability to recover quickly and carry vertical routes with ease. Porter’s range and length make throwing over him a tough task, especially when he’s in press or cover-3 responsibilities.
His ball skills are impressive for a corner who’s still refining his technique. Porter tracks the football like a receiver and showed flashes of elite turnover potential in 2024, finishing with 3 interceptions. He plays with effort and awareness, and his length gives him a wide disruption radius at the catch point. In the right system, he could become a nightmare for tall, possession-style receivers.
But Porter is extremely raw. His technique in man coverage is underdeveloped—he relies too much on athleticism and often loses contact with his assignment at the top of routes. His footwork can get clunky, and he doesn’t always trust his eyes. At 24, his development curve is shorter than most prospects, and he’ll need strong coaching to clean up his fundamentals quickly. He’s not a plug-and-play guy yet.
That said, Porter is a classic traits-over-polish corner with a ton of developmental upside. If a staff can be patient and mold his technique, he has all the physical tools to become a starting outside corner in the NFL. He’s a worthwhile swing in the middle rounds for a team betting on projection.
11. Nohl Williams – California
Age: 22 | Height/Weight: 6’0″, 200 lbs
2024 Stats: 52 tackles, 7 INTs, 9 PDs
Value: Round 3
Nohl Williams is one of the most productive ballhawks in the draft, with seven interceptions and nine pass deflections in 2024 alone. His instincts and nose for the football are excellent—he consistently finds himself in the right place at the right time. Williams is aggressive in zone coverage, jumping routes with great timing, and he plays with the physicality you love to see in a 200-pound corner. He thrives in underneath zones and short-area coverage where he can read and react with urgency.
He’s also a reliable tackler who brings real thump in run support. Williams isn’t afraid to come downhill and strike, often finishing tackles with authority. His competitive edge shows on every snap—he plays with a chip on his shoulder and brings energy to the back end of a defense. He has enough size and mass to hold his own against tight ends or bigger outside receivers, and he uses his hands well to disrupt routes early.
However, Williams’ athletic ceiling may be limited. His long speed is average, and he can struggle to recover when beaten vertically. He also gets grabby downfield, leading to frequent penalties—his physicality, while effective in spurts, often crosses the line in the NFL’s flag-heavy environment. He’ll need to improve his discipline, both with his hands and decision-making, to avoid becoming a liability against polished route-runners.
Williams has clear starter traits with elite ball production and a fearless playing style. While he may lack ideal athleticism his instincts, toughness, and ball skills give him real value as a potential starting outside corner.
12. Justin Walley – Minnesota
Age: 22 | Height/Weight: 5’10″, 190 lbs
2024 Stats: 42 tackles, 2 INTs, 10 PDs
Value: Round 3
Justin Walley is my sleeper of the class and may be the most overlooked corner with true starting upside. He brings quick feet, sharp instincts, and excellent mirroring ability in man coverage. Despite his modest size, he consistently lined up on the boundary for Minnesota and held his own against top competition. Walley plays with twitch and timing, staying glued to receivers through route breaks and contesting catches with surprising physicality.
Another great trait is Walley’s consistency. He started 42 of 49 career games and brought the same level of intensity every week. His footwork is crisp, allowing him to recover quickly even when beaten early in the route. He’s not just a finesse player either—he’s a physical tackler who plays bigger than his frame, and he isn’t afraid to press or throw his body into run support. He also has positional versatility, he played mostly outside in college, but he has enough agility to play inside at a high level.
The concerns are mostly physical. He lacks ideal height and length, and when put against taller receivers it can be a mismatch. He lacks play strength that you like to see from a corner on the boundary. Some fundamentals in coverage can be worked on to ensure there’s no wasted movement and he doesn’t fall for stunts as easily. Finally, his timing can be off occasionally in coverage.
Still, Walley brings technique, toughness, and week in and out reliability. He has the potential to be an immediate contributor a team can snag later in the draft with the upside of a long-term CB2 or great slot defender, Walley is a draft day steal waiting to happen.
13. Dorian Strong – Virginia Tech
Age: 23 | Height/Weight: 6’1″, 185 lbs
2024 Stats: 32 tackles, 2 INTs, 6 PDs
Value: Day 3
14. Zy Alexander – LSU
Age: 23 | Height/Weight: 6’1″, 185 lbs
2024 Stats: 33 tackles, 2 INTs, 4 PDs
Value: Day 3
15. Cobee Bryant – Kansas
Age: 23 | Height/Weight: 6’0″, 180 lbs
2024 Stats: 37 tackles, 4 INTs, 7 PDs
Value: Day 3
16. Korie Black – Oklahoma State
Age: 21 | Height/Weight: 6’0″, 190 lbs
2024 Stats: 36 tackles, 3 INTs, 9 PDs
Value: Day 3
17. Zah Frazier – UTSA
Age: 24 | Height/Weight: 6’3″, 185 lbs
2024 Stats: 24 tackles, 6 INTs, 9 PDs
Value: Day 3
18. Robert Longerbeam – Rutgers
Age: 24 | Height/Weight: 5’11”, 175 lbs
2024 Stats: 45 tackles, 2 INTs, 11 PDs
Value: Day 3
19. Bilhal Kone – Western Michigan
Age: 23 | Height/Weight: 6’1″, 190 lbs
2024 Stats: 70 tackles, 1 INT, 9 PDs
Value: Day 3
20. Caleb Ransaw – Tulane
Age: 22 | Height/Weight: 5’11”, 195 lbs
2024 Stats: 34 tackles, 0 INTs, 3 PDs
Value: Day 3
Check out my top linebacker prospects here!
Photo Credits: University of Colorado, ESPN, The Draft Network, Lexington Herald Leader, TWSN Sports, 247 Sports, The 33rd Team, Kansas State Athletics, Bleacher Report.
