TERRIFIC 20: TOP 20 CB FOR 2017 NCAA FOOTBALL

Almost finished! I cover cornerbacks today and all I have left with are safeties. Corners are really interesting to watch considering how important these players have become given how pass happy most offenses have become both at the NFL and NCAA levels. I think to a certain degree with the advent of 7-on-7 camps and practices, the skill position players on offense have gotten so good that only ELITE level athletes can do a good job with the corner position meaning the players need size AND speed AND coverage ability AND run support ability AND being able to be a sure tackler! You get a guy like that and he’s in consideration for the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Go ask Jalen Rasmey about this. For these reasons I think corners become a fascinating position given all the responsibilities they have.

This position also is interesting from a roster construction perspective. I’ve written before about roster construction and where corners play into the equation. In my estimation, corners fall behind quarterbacks and edge rushers, but a team wanting to build their squad around ELITE level defensive backs isn’t going about it in a wrong way. For all their faults, the New York Jets made some interesting moves by taking Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye with their first two picks in the 2017 NFL Draft, both safeties that should be able to anchor their secondary for years to come. Whether or not this turns into victories will yet to be determined but if the Jets can get one of the best college QBs in the 2018 draft, you can hardly fault them for going with a talent like Adams followed by a QB the following year. Granted we are talking about safeties instead of cornerbacks, but the gist is the same in that drafting coverage ability isn’t foolhardy even if you don’t have a QB in place.

I think my Terrific 20: Cornerbacks has a lot of potential 1st round NFL talent. I even had to leave quite a few corners that deserve to be recognized. This is a talented group we’ll get to watch this season.

A quick reminder, the 20 players are listed alphabetically by their team. As I’ve said before, I don’t try to actually rank the top-20 because I’m not entirely sure how much value added I’d receive by doing so. The margins are fairly thin between some of the players.

TEAM	COMMENTS
	Anthony Averett/6’0/185lbs/rSR: Alabama is a CB factory and Averett is next in line. Averett didn’t have a great start to 2016 but righted the ship pretty fast and ended up as an excellent coverage CB with 8 passes defended. Teams don’t pass against the Tide for obvious reasons so Averett didn’t see a ton of balls. He’s a little bit shaky in run defense although to be fair he doesn’t mind mixing it up with opposing runners. With Minkah Fitzpatrick sliding over to safety, Averett is Bama’s #1CB so he makes the list.
	Tony Brown/6’0/198lbs/SR: Brown ran primarily as Alabama’s nickle CB last season. Like with Averett, it’s always difficult to tell how good the Alabama corners are considering last year the Tide’s starters were Marlon Humphrey (1st Rd. pick in 2017) and Minkah Fitzpatrick (will be a 1st Rd. pick in 2018). Brown checks all the boxes to be sure and is a tremendous instinctive DB that can do a variety of things. He’s fast and at 6’0/200lbs is really just now coming into his own as a CB with Fitzpatrick moving to safety.
	Carlton Davis/6’1/202lbs/JR: With so much talent in the secondary among SEC squads, it’s easy to overlook Carlton Davis who wasn’t that highly touted coming out of high school. He has ELITE size for a corner &  all he’s done since stepping foot on campus is produce. He became a starter his freshman season and has started 19 games in his first two seasons & has recorded 21 passes defended! He hasn’t had an interception yet, but he can develop his ball skills then Davis will be a FORCE to be reckoned with.
	Trayvon Mullen/6’2/185lbs/SO: Mullen wasn’t overly productive last season, but he was just a true frosh playing on a national championship team that also featured CB Cordrea Tankersley. Mullen is an ELITE athlete with ELITE size at 6’2 and 185lbs. He’s a bit lean at this point but it explosive and I think he’ll be a key cog in Clemson’s defense this season preparing him for potentially being a 1st Rd. pick in 2019. The thing to watch for is whether or not Mullen eventually winds up at safety due to his size.
	Isaiah Oliver/6’1/190lbs/JR: Oliver played behind Chidobe Awuzie & Ahkello Witherspoon last year and both of those guys were NFL draft picks so Oliver didn’t get as much run time as he could have. In that limited time however, Oliver was fantastic with 7 pass defended & a pick. He’s got solid size to go up against #1 wideouts. He’s got great balls kills and coverage skills. Oliver is an incredible athlete as he also is a competes in the decathlon for Colorado’s track team! I think he’ll be in for a huge year with Colorado!
	Chauncey Gardner/5’11/204lbs/SO: I could have went Duke Dawson here if I wanted a Florida CB, but I went with Gardner because last year the true frosh was freakish recording 32 tackles with 3 passes defended & 3 interceptions. Gardner should be a 1st Rd. pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and now that he’s going to get significant run time in 2017, I’d expect him to put up crazy numbers & shut opposing receivers down. I love his ball skills so it’ll be interesting to see if other QBs try to test him on deep balls.
	Tarvarus McFadden/6’2/198lbs/JR: McFadden has TREMENDOUS ball skills as evidenced  by his 8 interceptions which lead the nation. He’s a big time press man corner that NFL teams will drool over making him an almost guaranteed 1st Rd. pick. He plays reckless at times though as well. The 8 picks are sometimes due to how much teams testing him & McFadden isn’t the best tackler despite his size. A 1st Team All-American last season, McFadden can get A LOT better which is nuts given how good he already is.
	Rashard Fant/5’10/175lbs/rSR: Along with LB Tegray Scales, Fant was a big reason the Hoosiers saw such a dramatic improvement in their defensive numbers going from allowing 37.6PPG In 2015 to 27.2PPG in 2016 & also allowing 509YPG in 2015 to allowing 380YPG! Fant was the very definition of a shut down corner recording 17 passes defended along with 3 picks. Not a huge guy, Fant needs to tackle better because offensive skill players can get away from him at times, if they can get the ball!
	D.J. Reed/5’9/188lbs/JR: The smallest guy on the list, Reed spent his freshman year at a junior college after hardly generating any interested as a high school player. He then transferred to Kansas St. and EXPLODED on the scene with 16 passes defended & 3 picks in his first year garnering 1st Team All-Big XII honors. Reed also was 2nd on the team with 75 tackles showing his ability to wrap up despite being smaller in size. Reed is a legitimate All-American candidate that projects as a nickle CB in the NFL.
	Jaire Alexander/5’11/192lbs/JR: Alexander is almost an exact replica of Tarvarus McFadden of Florida State. Alexander was outstanding in coverage last season & he has exceptional ball skills. Alexander had 9 passes defended with 5 interceptions although he wasn’t targeted as much as McFadden so his big play ability on deep passes might be even better than anticipated. Like McFadden, Alexander could get a lot better with his tackling, but he’s a legitimate All-American candidate that can take over games.
	Kevin Toliver/6’2/193lbs/JR: Toliver is a beast at 6’2/193lbs. One of the most touted DBs in his high school class, Toliver hasn’t seen as much of the field as you’d like to see. He made 8 starts as a freshman back in 2015, but last year was plagued with injuries that limited him to 5 starts. Off the hoof, Toliver is everything you’d expect from an ELITE corner playing for LSU. He has that elite size/speed combination that has scouts envisioning him being a 1st Rd. NFL draft pick. LSU needs him healthy this season.
	Denzel Ward/5’11/191lbs/JR: It’s crazy to think this since Ohio St. just sent Marshon Lattimore, Malik Hooker & Gareon Conley to the NFL, but Ward might be a better DB than any of those 3. The Buckeyes have ENORMOUS talent on defense so Ward gets overlooked a bit, but he has ELITE SPEED and exceptional coverage & ball skills. Ward had  9 pass defended yet no picks last season. That will change fast in 2017. Don’t be surprised if he’s a first team All-American & a 1st Rd. NFL Draft pick in 2018.
	Jordan Thomas/6’0/186lbs/SR: Like his conference mate DJ Reed up at Kansas St., Jordan Thomas had a fantastic year for the Sooners despite playing in the pass happy Big XII. Thomas recorded 17 passed defended along with 2 interceptions & 49 tackles. Thomas has made 28 starts at Oklahoma & was a 1st Team All-Big XII CB last season after being a 2nd teamer the year before. Thomas has a chance at being a 1st Team All-American on an Sooners defense that should be their best in quite some time.
	Jordan Wyatt/6’0/192lbs/rJR: Wyatt is a thinner CB but he’s unique in that he likes to mix it up and get in on tackles. He’s solid in run support and also possesses solid coverage skills. Wyatt also hardly allows any yards after the catch so if a receiver does manage to make the grab, he’s not making a big play out of it. Wyatt recorded 7 passes defended last year along with 4 picks showing his solid ball skills. Wyatt could maybe add a couple of pounds but this is a complete corner in all phases of the game.
	Jamarcus King/6’1/186lbs/SR: Horribly overlooked, King had an outstanding junior season for the Gamecocks after coming out of the junior college ranks. King has great size and speed at 6’1/186lbs and showed off his solid coverage & ball skills with 9 passes broken up along with 3 picks. King is big enough to help support the rush defense as well as evidenced by his 56 tackles which was 6th on the team last year. The SEC has a lot of cornerback talent to be sure, but King is one of my favorites & can be All-SEC.
	Quenton Meeks/6’2/204lbs/JR: I could have went with Alijah Holder here too and maybe I should have put both Stanford CBs here. I went with Meeks because teams avoided him like the plague last year & Holder dealt with injuries. Meeks doesn’t have a lot of counting stats (6PBU, 2INT) but that’s because he completely shut down his side of the field. He has ELITE size at 6’2/204lbs and is very twitched up. He could become a better force against the running game so he still has a chance to get much better. Scary!
	Nick Harvey/5’10/185lbs/SR: Another overlooked SEC corner, Harvey finally got a chance to start last season for the Aggies and cashed in recording 66 tackles, 10 passes defended & 1 interception. Harvey even had a couple tackles for loss. Not overly huge, Harvey has great athleticism and can man up on another team’s #1 WR. Texas A&M loses a lot up front on the D-Line which I think is going to put a bit of pressure on the corners to hold their coverage longer. I think Harvey will be able to hold it down.
	Parry Nickerson/5’11/180lbs/rSR: Not a household name by any stretch and Tulane won’t be outstanding this season but Parry Nickerson might be the best CB you haven’t heard of….yet! All the Louisiana product has done since arriving on campus is produce. Last season he had 9 passes defended with 4 picks. He’s a coverage nightmare & a pretty good tackler as well. He has 34 career starts & leads a veteran Tulane defense this year although the Green Wave’s schedule isn’t the easiest. He’s a big time CB.
	Iman Marshall/6’1/200lbs/JR: Phil Steele rated Marshall as the #1 DB in the 2015 high school class and with Adoree Jackson moving on to the NFL, he becomes the man in the secondary for the Trojans. He won’t have problems. Marshall has great size/speed and has done nothing but produce becoming a starter as a true frosh. Over his first two seasons Marshall has 17 passes defended & 6 interceptions. Marshall also doesn’t getting dirty. He has 118 tackles over his first 2 seasons & likes to hit.
	Brandon Facyson/6’2/197lbs/rSR: Facyson has big size on the edge for the Hokies and that is part of his game for sure. He likes to get nasty and wrap up running backs which certainly helps Virginia Tech defensively. He uses his size to man up receivers but does get  prone to giving up big plays. If he can keep receivers from taking the top off, he’s a shutdown corner. Facyson along with teammate Adonis Alexander are listed as corners, but you almost wonder if they aren’t safeties at the next level given their skill set.

FIVE FRESHMAN WHO COULD MAKE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN 2017

Darnay Holmes/UCLA/5’11/190lbs: HC Jim Mora did a good job with this recruiting class especially on defense as he brings in arguably the best pure pass rusher in the class in Jaelan Phillips but also arguably the best corner in the class in Darnay Holmes. Holmes is expected to start immediately for the Bruins and there is no doubt that both he and Phillips could have a significant impact on the fortunes of the UCLA defense. UCLA has an interesting opening week game against Texas A&M and it would be interesting to see Holmes go up against an incredible receiving talent like Christian Kirk. The true freshman would probably get schooled, but you can be sure he’d take those lessons and get better. A freakishly athletic DB, Holmes will get a lot of opportunities to shine this season & that is as much as you could ask for with a freshman.

Jamyest Williams/South Carolina/5’9/174lbs: Williams was an Under Amrour All-American last year as a HS senior and I think he could have a significant on South Carolina’s defense. This size makes him an obvious nickle CB in the slot and that actually makes sense with the Gamecocks because they have two senior CBs returning in  Jamarcus King & Chris Lammons. They also have JUCO transfer Kaleb Chalmers who was originally a Clemson commit in the fold. That is a lot of high level experience for Williams to learn from. There is something about this South Carolina team and I think a lot of people are sleeping on them. They’ll get a HUGE test in Week 1 when they play NC State but I think they can win that one. Offenses will surely be paying massive amount of attention to King, Lammons and safety DJ Smith meaning Williams could be in for some big plays. That is until offenses catch on that he’s something to worry about.

Byron Murphy/Washington/5’11/177lbs: Murphy is actually a rFR so this and is Murphy’s 2nd year with the Huskies, but his role couldn’t be bigger as he’s penciled into start. Washington loses a TRUCKLOAD of talent from their secondary from a year ago as CB Kevin King, CB Sidney Jones and S Budda Baker are now playing in the NFL. Washington definitely has national championship aspirations now that they’ve reached the playoffs and have a lot returning. If you were pointing to a weakness of the team however, it would have to be cornerback especially considering the passing attacks Washington will see from teams like Arizona St., UCLA, Washington St., Oregon and potentially USC in the Pac 12 championship game. This means Murphy’s play is going to be immensely important meaning he could make a significant impact on Washington’s hopes and dreams in 2017.

Thomas Graham/Oregon/5’11/188lbs: Graham could make an impact in much the same way Murphy can, but it might be even more pronounced in Graham’s case. He’s coming to Eugene as a true freshman and he’s going to see even more prolific passing offenses than even Murphy & Washington. Graham gets Nebraska & Wyoming in non-conference play meaning he’s going up against QBs Tanner Lee & Josh Allen. Allen is already being talked about as a potential #1 pick in the NFL Draft and don’t be surprised if Lee sneaks his way into the first round as well. Beyond those two teams, Graham will have to face Luke Falk (Washington St.), Manny Wilkins (Arizona St.), Keller Chryst (Stanford), Josh Rosen (UCLA), and Jake Browning (Washington). GOOD GRIEF! If you think Oregon can win the Pac 12 North then you can also potentially add Sam Darnold (USC) to the mix! Oregon has a tremendous amount of talent coming back this season and new HC Willie Taggart has won wherever he’s been. Their schedule isn’t the easiest with road trips to UCLA, Stanford, Washington & Arizona State, but Oregon is going to be a difficult team to beat given their roster and Thomas Graham could be a HUGE part of their success if he can have a big year in coverage. Huge opportunity for the true freshman.

Lamont Wade/Penn State/5’9/193lbs: Wade is interesting in my opinion because of his size. At 5’9 he’s a bit smallish at CB but he is exceptionally talented and enrolled early for the Nittany Lions meaning his familiar enough with the schemes to make a difference. What’s interesting about his size is that Penn St. returns one starting CB, Grant Haley. Haley himself is 5’9/183lbs. If Wade finds himself as the corner opposite Haley or even as the nickle in sub-packages, it gives Penn St. some corners that are very short. Contrast this with Michigan’s and Ohio St.’s receivers who are very tall. Those are matchup problems and it’ll be interesting to see how Penn St. plays given their size limitations. Maybe it won’t matter and Penn St. has MORE than enough offense to keep pace with anyone, but the Lions gave up over 25PPG last season and there does seem to be a hole there for other teams to exploit. It’ll be interesting to see if Wade plays bigger than  his size and can help PSU neutralize some very good receivers who are very tall.