Zak Drapeau's Top 10 Cornerbacks 2025 NFL Draft
- Zak Drapeau
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
The Cornerback class in this season is very strong but is contingent on several key injuries to some of the top prospects in the position. Cornerbacks are always some of the best athletes but this crop is even better than most with several award winners form the past two seasons included.
The injuries will be the biggest marker on which prospects drop down boards including Ben Morrison, Shavon Revel Jr., Will Johnson and others. While Travis Hunter is by far the best of the bunch, (if he even stays at Corner in the pros...) there is a lot of strong talent with very high potential.
In fact, one of the calling cards of this class is the extremely high potential and reasonable floors for these prospects. While most will have at least a CB3 or Nickel floor at the NFL level, a solid 6 or 7 of these Top-10 will have potential as a CB1 and a strong CB1 at that.
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1. Travis Hunter
Colorado 6'0" 188 lbs.
Big Board Rank: 1
Archetype: Athletic, All-Around Corner
The #1 prospect this year and perhaps the #1 prospect since 2020, Hunter's athletic ability is even more tantalizing then his 2-way playing ability. The 2025 Heisman can be seen as the best CB and WR in this draft, (I have him as my WR2) and though he most likely won't play both sides for long, his prestige at both will make him that much better of a corner. Understanding routes and having a natural ball-hawk instinct, Hunter's athleticism, agility and size make him the prospect scouts drool over. He is better in zone coverage at the moment and will need to improve his mirroring at the NFL level to be profound in man coverage as well, but Hunter is the ONLY player in this class that has a floor comparable to an All-Pro.
Pro Comp: Patrick Peterson-CB
Devonta Smith-WR
Draft Projection: Top-4 Picks
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2. Will Johnson
Michigan 6'2" 194 lbs.
Big Board Rank: 5
Archetype: Large Zone Corner
My 5th and final "Blue Chip" prospect, Will Johnson's injury this season only allowed him to play in 6 games where he performed at a lower level than expected. His draft stock has taken a major hit partially due to his arm length being lower than the 31" benchmark for Cornerbacks. His hip fluidity an natural instincts along with his experience as a top rated CB1 in the Big 10 have me confident his floor is a CB1 with great zone coverage. He may never be an elite press corner due to his length but with an innate ability to find the ball and drape opposing receivers, Johnson deserves to be a Top-5 pick but will likely fall to the 10-15 range.
Pro Comp: Christian Gonzalez
Draft Projection: Top-15 Picks
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3. Jahdae Barron
Texas 5'11" 194 lbs.
Big Board Rank: 9
Archetype: Fast, Versatile Nickelback
A fast and versatile defensive wizard that took center stage at Texas this year and took full advantage of it, Jahdae Barron is a pure football guy. It could be that Barron will never have the size to play a true corner, but he has a legit zhot to be the best Nickel in the league in a very short time. A long-underappreciated position in the NFL, Barron is fearless when tackling and understands zone schemes brilliantly. It could very well be that if Barron had an extra 2 inches in height and arm length that he'd be close to the #1 prospect but he could still be a huge draft steal, especially with most mock draft media having him go in the 16-24 range.
Pro Comp: Tykee Smith
Draft Projection: Round 1
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4. Maxwell Hairston
Kentucky 5'11" 183 lbs.
Big Board Rank: 31
Archetype: Fast, All-Around Corner
Hairston's huge rise since the Senior Bowl has moved him from a Fringe 2nd-rounder to a bonafide 1st. His speed and man coverage ability at the Senior Bowl was really eye-opening and then his Combine-best 4.28-40 time solidified him. Hairston may have missed several games this year due to a shoulder injury that is obviously not a problem thanks to recent performances. Hairston's build gives the potential any team would love to have, but he should try to gain a bit of mass and to work on mirroring in man coverage to complete his skills.
Pro Comp: Nate Wiggins
Draft Projection: Late 1st-Early 2nd
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5. Trey Amos
Ole Miss 6'1" 195 lbs.
Big Board Rank: 34
Archetype: Prototype, All-Around Corner
If this was a rankings of NCAA Corners based on their performance in the 2024-25 season, Amos would rank 1st or 2nd. With 3 seasons at Ole Miss of consistent improvement fulfilled in an elite 5th season, Amos put receivers on an island and only gave up a reception in every 16 dropbacks or less than 3 a game. His athleticism will never be elite which is why he is lower on the list but his coverage instincts and eye for the ball will give him a very high CB2 floor at the NFL level.
Pro Comp: Carlton Davis
Draft Projection: Late 1st-Early 2nd
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6. Benjamin Morrison
Notre Dame 6'0" 193 lbs.
Big Board Rank: 40
Archetype: Prototype, Man Corner
Morrison's hip injury has caused him to drop significantly in this class but beforehand, he was in my Top-5 prospects and #1 or #2 CB in the class. With the best example of low floor-high potential of any prospect in the class, Morrison's transition to the NFL will be entirely dependent on his rehab; if it goes well he will be a top-tier CB1, if it does not go well he could be a rotational CB3 or worse. It's important to remember that peak-Morrison in 2023 completely shook Caleb Williams in a 48-20 Notre Dame win and held Marvin Harrison Jr., (2023 Biletnikoff Winner) to 2 catches for 21 yards when covering him. If he's healthy all year it's very likely that he has my best grade as a true CB1 in the class.
Pro Comp: Kendall Fuller
Draft Projection: Round 2-3
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7. Shavon Revel Jr.
East Carolina 6'2" 194 lbs.
Big Board Rank: 41
Archetype: Large Zone Corner
Another Corner who missed playing time this season, Revel Jr. tore his ACL after only 3 games and it was such a shame because he was backing up his claim to being the best CB in the class. A unicorn when it comes to being adept to zone coverage and run support, Revel's skillset could allow to be a shutdown Nickel and his size shows he can easily play the corner. Recovery form his ACL injury will be a concern and so will his lack of competition playing in the AAC then transitioning to the NFL. Someone with Revel's size and athleticism and nose for the ball should make the transition after a year though and could very well be a Top-5 corner in the class.
Pro Comp: Benjamin St. Juste
Draft Projection: Late 1st-Early 2nd
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8. Darien Porter
Iowa State 6'3" 195 lbs.
Big Board Rank: 49
Archetype: Big, Athletic Ball Hawk Corner
Another freaky Corner with a LOT of potential, Porter's only year starting for the Cyclones was incredible in a smaller sample size of only 203 dropbacks. He used his terrific size and lightning speed to blanket receivers and get 3 interceptions on the year. His lack of competition is very scary for NFL scouts who will need a year or two to truly get him reqady for the pros, but his potential is sky high at 6'3", 195 pounds with 33+" arms and a 4.3 flat-40.
Pro Comp: Shades of Tariq Woolen
Draft Projection: Round 2
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9. Azaraey'h Thomas
Florida State 6'2" 197 lbs.
Big Board Rank: 62
Archetype: Large All-Around Corner
A Corner with experience and great size to boot, Azareye' Thomas is the last CB in Tier 3. Thomas' slot in the corner rankings has him firmly above the rest of the class and may get him drafted earlier than he deserves. A great size and length corner, Thomas struggled at the Senior Bowl when covering top talent which showed m he has a low CB1 and probably a realistic CB2 potential in the league. That being said, he allowed a reception on less than every 10 dropbacks and 0 TDs last year in the ACC and has shown good improvement in his 3 years at BC. At only 20 years old at the time he is drafted, Thomas should only get better once drafted.
Pro Comp: Jaylen Watson
Draft Projection: Round 2-3
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10. Jacob Parrish
Kansas State 5'10" 191 lbs.
Big Board Rank: 93
Archetype: Agile Nickel Corner
In the final spot on my list, Jacob Parrish takes the spot as the second-best Nickel in the class behind Jahdae. His agility and speed at the position project very well to the league and his tackling is good to boot. He will never be a true outside corner at only 5'10" but his impact inside the box and stopping the run should give him a long career with a moderately high floor.
Pro Comp: Roger McCreary
Draft Projection: Round 3
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Make sure to stay tuned as we continue coverage of the 2025 NFL Draft. Safeties Tomorrow!
-Z.D.
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