2016 NFL Draft CB Top Fifteen

Corner back is an intriguing position in this year’s draft because it’s really good at the top, and then falls off quickly. Ramsey is my top rated player, 3 in the top ten, and 6 in the top 50. So without further ado…

Overall	Player	Team	Ht	Wt	Role	Grade
1	Ramsey, Jalen	Florida State	73.25	209	Starter	7.9
3	Hargreaves III, Vernon	Florida	70.5	204	Starter	7.5
8	Jackson III, William	Houston	72.375	189	Starter	7.4
12	Apple, Eli	Ohio State	72.625	199	Starter	7.3
28	Fuller, Kendall (2014)	Virginia Tech	72	196	Eventual Starter	7.0
40	Reed, Kalan	Southern Miss	71	195	Eventual Starter	6.9
52	Jones, Jonathan	Auburn	69.125	186	Eventual Starter	6.7
63	Howard, Xavien	Baylor	72.125	201	Eventual Starter	6.5
64	Jones, Cyrus	Alabama	69.875	197	Eventual Starter	6.5
78	Murray, Eric	Minnesota	70.625	199	Eventual Starter	6.3
87	Boddy-Calhoun, Briean	Minnesota	69.5	193	Eventual Starter	6.2
124	Canady, Maurice	Virginia	73	193	Potential Starter	5.7
125	Worley, Daryl	West Virginia	72.75	204	Potential Starter	5.7
145	Hall, Deiondre'	Northern Iowa	73.625	199	Potential Starter	5.6
152	Bradberry, James	Samford	72.75	211	Potential Starter	5.5

Let’s start at the top with my best player in the draft. Ramsey can also play safety, but I think his best position is as an outside corner. Ramsey was productive enough as a junior and tested out very well for his size and should carry that success to the NFL. Behind him are three other players I think will have impacts this season. I’ve flip flopped on Hargreaves III & Jackson III throughout the process and in this case I went with the shorter, quicker player who tested out quite impressively in the short shuttle and jumps. Hargreaves III is physical corner who was one of the best in the SEC the last two seasons, but will need to reign in some of his aggressiveness to avoid being beaten by the high level technicians at WR in the NFL. Jackson III just had a nose for the ball. Last season he had 24 passes defensed against a schedule with pretty good offenses in Conference USA. Both are going to be very good this season and beyond it’s just a matter of taste. My last starter is Eli Apple. Apple, a product of Ohio State, is good sized prospect who produced well enough, and tested just fine. His tape is better than his numbers, and he should be able to step in and help whomever drafts him. Kendall Fuller would have been a first round pick if he hadn’t missed the entire 2015 season with a torn meniscus, but after missing an entire season he will slip into day two. Fuller has great blood lines but he has limitations in one on one coverage and will need to go to a system that suits those skills to get to his full-er potential. (I’m so very sorry.) Let’s split the rest of the group by production Reed, Cyrus Jones, Howard, and Worley were all above average in their production in 2015. Reed is a high upside player with good measurable and a nose for the ball, he’s scheme and position diverse and will be a great addition for whatever team he lands.  Jones and Howard come from power five schools and produced well, but that‘s where the comparisons end. Cyrus is a shorter, dense corner with good hips but in need of some explosion. Howard is a bit stiffer, but he’ll be more useful against the run, and has three inches on Cyrus. The last of our above average production players is Daryl Worley, who isn’t a stand out physical freak, but he’s physical during the player, and produced at a level at West Virginia that is on par with the best at the position. The other Jones, the pair from Minnesota, Canady, Hall and Bradberry all were average or below in production. Murray and Boddy-Calhoun where both very good corners on a Minnesota defense that wasn’t afraid to punch you in the mouth. They performed well as a tandem against TCU, and they both performed well in drills. Murray is a bit more athletic and therefore rated higher but they should both be useful players. Jonathan Jones, played on a very suspect defense at Auburn this season and that certainly doesn’t do a corner back any favors. His testing numbers weren’t horrible, but his 3 cone (7.25) is a concern and means that he’ll lack scheme diversity. Cannady & Hall come from very different schools and college football backgrounds, but thye tested and performed very similarly last season and both had very promising shuttle run test. Both are longer athletes and that should excite many teams in the draft. Lastly, James Bradberry, a big physical DB at who might be a bit of a tweener when you look at height and numbers. Bradberry is a bit stiff but at his size he should be physical and disruptive in press, but may need a little extra help on the top side.

Overall this isn’t my favorite position group, but at least I can get excited even with the lower grades than I can with the edge rankings.