WFNY’s 2016 NFL Draft Coverage: Joe Gilbert’s Top Five Cornerbacks

The 2016 NFL Draft is just under two months away, meaning teams are in full fledge evaluation mode of the 2016 draft prospects. The draft is the biggest event of the NFL offseason, giving teams the chance to improve their teams with new talent. Over the next many weeks before the draft begins, I will be releasing my top five NFL Draft prospects at each position. The first group I examined was the safety class. Today, we take a look at the cornerback group. For reference, here were my top five cornerbacks in last year’s draft.

The Browns have Joe Haden, Tramon Williams and bunch of young corners in their cornerback room, so this position may not be a huge need. But, Haden’s injuries last season made this group thinner and may have put a light on a need to strengthen the group’s depth. The 2016 NFL Draft has a lot of talented cornerbacks, who could help a team’s secondary. It is one of the stronger positions in the draft with a good amount of depth. With that said, here are my top five cornerbacks in the 2016 NFL Draft.

2016 NFL Draft Prospects Rankings: Safeties | Cornerbacks

1. Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida

Vernon Hargreaves III is my top cornerback in the 2016 NFL Draft. In 2015 as a junior, he notched 33 tackles, one tackle for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble, four break-ups and four interceptions. The Florida Gator is a smooth technician, who can play both on and off coverage. His feet, hips and technique set him apart from the rest of the group. He has the ability to change directions and mirror his man to stay step and toe with him. He is best as an off ball corner because of his athleticism, technique, and intelligence to shutdown his area. In press coverage, he is still good because of his quick feet and good hips to move with the receiver. Another positive aspect of his game is his ability to help against the run. He is aggressive against the run and willing to put his body into the scrum. He can finish a play because of his sound tackling technique. He also has good ball skills to fight with receivers to gain the ball. But, Hargreaves does have some question marks. He is not a big corner so he does not pose great physicality at the line of scrimmage when he is in press coverage. He could have a tougher time against bigger receivers because of this. He also does not have great straight-line speed. But, overall Hargreaves wins in coverage because of his intelligence, technique, footwork and competitiveness.

2. Eli Apple, Ohio State

Eli Apple has all the tools a scout looks for in a NFL cornerback. In his redshirt sophomore season last year, he put up 33 tackles, two tackles for loss, eight pass break-ups and one interception. The first thing to like about the Ohio State Buckeye is his length. He is 6-foot-1 and has 31 3/8-inch arms. But even as a bigger corner, he moves very well because of his quick feet, fluid hips and overall speed. He is best as a press corner because of his length and movement ability to mirror his man and stay with him throughout the route. But, Apple does move well in space to be able to play off man at the next level. In the run game, he is very aggressive, seemingly always trying to do his part against the run. He gets off blocks well, which helps him get to the ball carrier. But, he is far from a finished product. He must improve his hand usage. He does not utilize his length at the line of scrimmage well enough, often not getting any contact with his man before opening his hips. He does use his hands in his games, but a lot of the times it is downfield and that could cause him to earn a lot of penalties. He must improve his off ball coverage, quickening his reaction time to passes. The last improvement needed is his tackling. He must get stronger and more technically sound in that area. Nevertheless, his combination of length, movement skills and speed makes him one of the best corners in the 2016 class.

3. Mackensie Alexander, Clemson

Mackensie Alexander is a fiery corner with ability to help defend against both the pass and run game. In 2015 as a redshirt sophomore, he posted 23 tackles, two tackles for a loss and five pass break-ups. The Clemson Tiger is a good athlete with a thick frame to take the pounding of the NFL game. He is a fast player with fluid hips to change directions and mirror his man all the way down and across the field. He has very good reaction quickness, exploding out of his break to close on the ball. Against the run, he is a strong tackler with toughness to stick his nose into the muck of run game. He shows a lot of physicality in his game, especially for a shorter corner. On the negative side, Alexander needs to improve his footwork, sometimes becoming off balance because of his footwork. He also can give too much space on routes, trusting too much on his quick reaction time. Another adjustment he needs to do before coming to the NFL is his propensity to grab downfield, which will lead to penalties. His height could cause him to struggle versus taller receivers in the NFL. His overall technique also needs just a little more refinement. But nonetheless, Alexander’s ability to mirror receivers and help against the run makes him a highly valuable corner in the upcoming draft.

4. William Jackson III, Houston

Williams Jackson III is corner with a great combination of length and athleticism. In his senior season last year, he notched 43 tackles, one and half tackles for loss, 23 pass break-ups and five interceptions. The Houston Cougar has good length at 6-feet tall and with arms of 31 3/4-inches. He combines this length with good athleticism, including impressive speed, running a 4.37-second 40-yard dash. He moves very well with the ability to flip his hips and run stride for stride with receivers down the field. His speed also helps him react quickly to the ball. When the ball is in the air, he possesses great ball skills to track it and go up at its highest point to nab it. But, Jackson does have some deficiencies he must improve on. His footwork and technique need refining, leading to him sometimes getting off balance. He also needs to utilize his length better at the line of scrimmage to get receivers off their route. His ability against the run is not strong. He lacks strength, bulk and aggressiveness to be a real impact against the run. But, Jackson is one of the most interesting corners in the class because of his combination of length and athleticism.

5. Artie Burns, Miami (FL)

Artie Burns is yet another long and athletic corner in the 2016 NFL Draft. In 2015 as a junior, he posted 36 tackles, a half tackle for a loss, five pass break-ups and six interceptions. The Miami Hurricane stands at 6-feet tall and had arms of 33 1/4-inches. He combines this size with great athleticism. He glides with great speed and shows explosiveness in his game. He is physical at the line of scrimmage, jamming the receiver to try and get him off his route. His ball skills are one of the best in the corners class, able to jump up and out catch a receiver for a pass. On the negative side, his footwork and technique are areas he must work on. He can get too high in his crouch and stumble in changing directions. Even though he is willing to contribute against the run, Burns is not great against the run. The biggest reason for this is his bad tackling, often trying to bring the ball carrier down by targeting too high. He is a raw player, who needs refining. But, his length, athleticism and ball skills makes him a very attractive option for teams looking for cornerback help.