The college football season has concluded and the NFL playoffs continue towards the Super Bowl. All-Star games are coming up soon and we’ll start getting official measurements, reports of teams meeting with prospects and viral social media clips of practice drills. It’s fair to say that draft season is starting to heat up, and with that, I’ve been doing final film evaluations and updating my position rankings for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Cornerbacks are up next, and though I feel like I’ve said this for a lot of these position groups, we have another deep group today. There are two elite top-five prospects at the top of the class and the rest of my top 15 could all hear their names called by the end of Day 2. They come in all shapes and sizes, too, with a variety of press-man, off-zone, and slot corners to choose from, as well as several that can play in many schemes.
If you want to see how these rankings compare to how I ranked this class over the summer, check out the link below. Additionally, my other updated rankings can be found below as well. As always, stay tuned for more 2025 draft content, as I’ll be looking to update all my position rankings over the next few weeks.
Updated Position Rankings:
1: Travis Hunter, Colorado
The reigning Heisman winner and the most electric player in college football, Hunter was the top overall recruit in the 2022 class and shocked the football world when he committed to Deion Sanders and Jackson State over a plethora of top programs. When Sanders took the job at Colorado, Hunter followed him there, playing both cornerback and wide receiver for the Buffaloes the last two seasons. Though he missed a few games in 2023 due to injury, he put together a quality season and elevated his game even further in 2024. As a junior, Hunter had 35 tackles, 11 passes defensed and four interceptions, all while winning the Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver in college football.
What Hunter’s done on defense while playing a full workload on offense is nothing short of incredible. His movement skills are off-the-charts good — silky-smooth transition ability when changing from his backpedal to break on a route or run with a receiver downfield. He practically runs routes for the receivers at times, beating them to their breaks and making plays on the ball. Short-area quickness, long speed and hip flexibility are all major pluses in Hunter’s game. The way he stays connected on routes, even against NFL-caliber competition, is impressive.
As you’d expect for a player who spends a lot of time at receiver, Hunter has great ball skills. He plays the cornerback position like a receiver, with advanced route recognition and high-pointing ability for a defensive player. At the catch point, Hunter digs into all his receiver skills to fight for the ball and has the cleanest hands you’ll ever scout on a defensive back. He’s also the best click-and-close corner I’ve seen. When he puts his foot in the ground, he bolts to the ball, interrupting the catch and saving yards.
About the only thing you could criticize in Hunter’s game is physicality. Naturally, at 6-1, 185, there are times when he’ll be outmatched size-wise by the receiver. He took major steps forward in this department in 2024, but he can still be bullied in contest-catch situations a little bit. Other than that, it’s just an issue of experience. More time focused on playing corner will help, for sure.
Hunter is going to be the first non-quarterback taken in this draft, and in a down quarterback class, there’s a good chance he goes No. 1 overall. As I’ve continued to scout him, I am more and more confident that I’d play him at corner over receiver. Hunter could be a great receiver, but he has a chance to be a historically great cornerback. You just don’t see corners come into the league with these types of movement skills very often.
2: Will Johnson, Michigan
A 6-2, 202-pound true junior and former five-star from Detroit, Johnson earned All-American recognition as a true freshman, then was selected as a first-team All-American with a breakout sophomore campaign. In 2022, he had 27 tackles, four forced incompletions and three interceptions. In 2023, he had another 27 tackles, this time with seven forced incompletions and four interceptions. As a junior in 2024, Johnson fought through a turf toe injury that was described as “severe,” playing five games and appearing in a sixth before missing the rest of the season.
Like Hunter, Johnson has rare movement skills for the position. He combines that with a big frame and long arms, the perfect combination for elite press coverage skills. When Johnson lines up one-on-one against a receiver, he creates instant, disruptive contact off the snap, interrupting the timing of the route and playing physical within the allowed yardage. Down the field, he uses his size to contest at the catch point, with his long arms providing a major deterrent to receivers. It’s not just physicality, though, as Johnson has smooth ball skills and can pick off passes cleanly outside his frame like a receiver would.
As good as Johnson is in man coverage, he might be better in zone. He has elite vision in coverage, watching both the backfield and his area to make plays on the ball. His change-of-direction skills come into play here, as well, with good timing on his breaks and the recovery ability to make up ground on the rare occasions he loses a step. Whether he’s running stride-for-stride down the sideline or staying glued to his target on a jittery underneath crosser, Johnson is a hound in coverage who won’t let his assignment win the route.
Johnson’s play took a dip in 2024, likely due to his toe injury. He struggled with missed tackles and looked a step slow at times, both in straight-line speed and when attempting to cover receivers in smaller areas. It is a concern, but not a major one for me. Turf toe injuries can be difficult to play through, but don’t tend to linger or cause long-term damage once healed.
My top prospect on my preseason big board, Johnson remains in my top five. He’s such a clean, high-level prospect, the kind of player who you expect to compete for All-Pro honors once drafted. It’s a lofty standard to set, but that’s the kind of prospect Johnson is. I’d almost be surprised if he doesn’t become one of the best corners in the league in the next few years, and any drafting team can take a deep breath when he’s out there guarding an offense’s top target.
3: Shavon Revel Jr., East Carolina
A JUCO transfer from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Revel has one of the best stories in the 2025 draft. He worked the night shift at an Amazon warehouse to put himself through school and play football at Louisburg College, eventually showing up to an East Carolina tryout following the 2021 season. The Pirates coaches were so enamored with Revel’s performance that he got an offer to transfer immediately. He broke out in 2023, with a monster 55 tackles and 12 forced incompletions. Over the summer, draft evaluators began taking notice, and he was off to a great start in 2024 with eight tackles, two interceptions, and four forced incompletions across just three games. Unfortunately, Revel tore his ACL in practice back in September, cutting his senior year short. He’ll be in attendance at the Shrine Bowl to meet with teams but will be unable to participate in the practices.
Listed at 6-3, 193, Revel is a long, solidly-built cornerback. He plays a ton of press coverage, using that length to disrupt receivers off the line and make them uncomfortable. It’s difficult for receivers to deal with, especially at the catch point, where Revel can out-leverage his opponents to make plays on the ball. I like Revel’s coverage instincts, as well, specifically his ball skills. He has a knack for timing his breaks well and playing the ball, not the receiver, helping him avoid penalties. There’s an air of physicality in Revel’s play, both in coverage and run support. He’s a brutal tackler who isn’t afraid to mix it up in traffic and deliver big hits, fighting through blocks and wrapping up his target.
What makes Revel especially dangerous is his fluidity and speed at that size. The way he can flip his hips and change directions on a dime is reminiscent of much smaller corners — that combination of length and lateral agility is hard to come by. Recovery speed is also a plus with Revel. He has no issue keeping up with speedster receivers down the field, nor closing to make a play on the ball even if he’s a few steps behind. His football IQ is impressive, especially for someone with limited starting experience like Revel. He’s still learning, but the jumps he took in his understanding of routes and receiver tendencies year-over-year is visible on tape.
Revel can be over-aggressive at times, occasionally giving up big plays as a result. You love the competitive fire and the big-play mentality, but that could be abused by a savvy quarterback in the NFL. He can also be a little grabby at the tops of routes, which will draw more penalties at the next level. It’s not that he lacks the athleticism to keep up, he’s just not as disciplined with his hands as he needs to be, indicating that this can be cleaned up. Lastly, he’s still developing a feel for zone coverages. He loses routes a little too often when he’s tasked with playing an area rather than a specific man.
That said, all these issues can be cleaned up with more experience. Early in his career, Revel will be best deployed in an aggressive scheme that asks him to play press coverage and cover one-on-one down the field. I don’t doubt his ability to adjust to other schemes with time, however. The big thing for Revel’s draft stock will be his medical evaluation. How is he recovering from his ACL tear, and how high will teams be willing to take him? He was trending towards a top-15 selection, now he’s likely looking at a late-first or early-second pick. Either way, he projects as a true CB1 in the NFL.
4: Jahdae Barron, Texas
A 5-11, 200-pound fifth-year senior from Austin, Barron stamped his name on the 2024 college football season like almost no other. Originally a four-star recruit, he chose to stay in his hometown and play for the Longhorns. After redshirting initially, he played some rotational snaps as a freshman before becoming the full-time starter at slot corner in 2022. That year, he racked up 74 tackles to go with a pair of interceptions, and he took a step forward as a junior. In 2023, he was named second-team All-Big 12 behind 59 tackles, five passes defensed and an interception. But that paled in comparison to his senior year, where was named consensus All-American, won the Jim Thorpe Award and totaled 67 tackles, 10 forced incompletions, five interceptions and eight run stops as one of the most versatile defensive backs in the country.
Although for his career Barron primarily played in the slot, he moved to the outside as a senior and thrived. He fires off his breaks, both in coverage and in run defense. When he comes up to make a tackle or break up a pass, he does so forcefully, with a physical brand of football that coaches love. He can plant his foot in the ground and really move, making him a headache for underneath passing attacks when he drives on receivers’ breaks. That speed and decisiveness shows up in his recovery ability, as well, able to close on receivers with the ball in the air to make plays.
In zone coverage, Barron showcases his experience in how he approaches the game. He can pass off routes and keep his priorities with ease, playing high-low and taking on difficult assignments. With clean footwork at all levels of the field, there isn’t wasted motion. Barron exhibits patience and deliberateness in how he covers one-on-one. When playing against the run, Barron is more than just physical — he displays an advanced understanding of leverage and can undercut blocks before they arrive.
I wouldn’t consider Barron to be an explosive short-area athlete, and this limits him in a few areas. Receivers are sometimes able to shake him on quick cuts, as he has a little stiffness in his hips when cutting and it takes him a few steps to recover. He’s fine covering fast receivers deep down the field, but can be vulnerable to comeback routes, as he needs to bail out a little quicker to keep up than other corners. Additionally, being a little small for an outside corner, he will struggle against the NFL’s biggest receivers, particularly in the red zone.
Barron will be a favorite of fans and coaches alike at the next level. He plays with a brand of physicality and competitive fire that will endear him to his new team, and he has a penchant for big plays as well. Some athletic limitations likely keep him out of the top half of Round 1, but he has a late-first or early-second grade from me. Teams looking for cornerback help would love to add the scheme-versatile Barron to their squad.
5: Zy Alexander, LSU
A fifth-year senior, Alexander started his career at Southeastern Louisiana, redshirting initially before being named an FCS All-American as a freshman. He transferred to LSU before the 2023 season, only playing eight games before suffering a season-ending injury. In 2024, he bounced back, playing in 10 games and recording 33 tackles, 10 forced incompletions and two interceptions.
At 6-2, 194, Alexander has an ideal build for an NFL corner. That length gives him an advantage in press coverage, where he can create initial contact off the line and play physical at the catch point. In man coverage, he displays good burst and lateral agility, with the change-of-direction skills necessary to stay sticky in coverage at the next level. Whether he’s transitioning from his backpedal, flying down off a break to cover underneath, or flipping his hips on a downfield route, Alexander is butter smooth in how he plays.
In zone coverage, Alexander has the awareness and route recognition skills to be a problem for offenses. He stays in-phase when getting to his zone, with good eye discipline and the length to disrupt throwing lanes. When coming up in run support or tackling in the open field, Alexander plays with solid fundamentals and an aggression that allows him to make plays. He had five run stops and only one missed tackle in 2024, showing his reliability and playmaking in this area.
Alexander isn’t a burner and can occasionally get beat over the top. When playing the fastest receivers in the NFL, he’ll likely need to play off-coverage, and you might want to give him some safety help. This really only shows up against the true speedsters, however, and isn’t a consistent issue against most receivers. Additionally, he can be bullied at the catch point at times, lacking the mass to fight through the box-outs from bigger receivers.
As a second-round prospect, Alexander is as solid as they come. I like his upside as a guy who’s still coming into his own and has an upward trajectory. He’s scheme-versatile, able to thrive in man or zone, with the size to be a playmaker in the league. You’ll want to keep him away from single coverage against the fastest deep threats, but other than that, there isn’t much he can’t do.
6: Trey Amos, Ole Miss
The well-traveled Amos was a surprise breakout in 2024. A fifth-year senior and former three-star recruit, Amos spent three seasons at Louisiana before transferring to Alabama in 2023. After seeing regular playing time but only getting one start for the Crimson Tide, Amos took his skills to the Rebels, earning a starting spot for HC Lane Kiffin on the Ole Miss defense. He had an incredible season, earning first-team All-SEC honors with 50 tackles, 15 forced incompletions and three interceptions, emphatically putting his name on the NFL radar.
A 6-1, 190-pound outside corner, Amos thrives best in man scheme, particularly when asked to play press coverage. Amos possesses the quick-twitch athleticism and smooth hips necessary to blanket receivers down the field, following them through their breaks and cuts. With the speed to keep up down the field and the length to be disruptive off the line and at the catch point, Amos is ideally suited to that role. His hands have power on contact, moving receivers and creating timing issues for the offense.
It’s not just physical attributes with Amos, however. He plays the position with a veteran’s understanding of receiver tendencies and route combinations. In zone, he plays off multiple routes well, tracking receivers through his area and keeping an eye in the backfield. At the catch point, Amos has the length to contest and the ball skills to make plays. Fifteen forced incompletions is a high mark, and it speaks to how well he times his breaks and the opportunistic nature of his play.
Amos lacks some technique and punch as a tackler. He had as many missed tackles as run stops as a senior, and that will be an issue in the NFL. Defenses rely on their cornerbacks to make plays on the outside and prevent running backs from breaking big plays down the sideline, and Amos will need to wrap up better to make it as an NFL starter. Additionally, he has some issues transitioning from his backpedal, leading to some open windows on underneath throws as he can’t react in time to contest the catch.
As a Day 2 cornerback prospect, there’s a lot to like with Amos’s game. While he’s best in a man scheme, he’s versatile enough to succeed as an off-cover zone corner as well. He displays an advanced understanding of the position, critical for an older prospect, and he has consistent production across multiple stops in college. All told, Amos would be a great pick in the second round for cornerback-needy teams.
7: Jacob Parrish, Kansas State
A native of Olathe, Kansas, and a former three-star recruit, Parrish is true junior who’s started on the outside the last two seasons for the Wildcats. He picked off four passes as a sophomore, upping his game as a junior with 50 tackles, nine forced incompletions and an interception. With a reputation as one of the Big 12’s most physical defenders, Parrish is off to the Senior Bowl next week to showcase his skills against college football’s best.
At 5-10, 198, Parrish is built more like an NFL slot cornerback, but he doesn’t let that stop him on the outside. He racks up a ton of forced incompletions with some of the best click-and-close abilities in this class. When he wants to make a play on the ball, nothing stops him, and he can put his foot in the ground and beat the receiver to the break in a flash. Physicality shows up in every area of Parrish’s game but with surprising subtlety for a younger player. He’ll establish early contact in the legal zone and ease up enough to avoid drawing a flag while still disrupting the receiver’s rhythm. Some of that he won’t get away with at the next level, but with a few adjustments, he can continue pestering receivers on their routes.
While Parrish hounds underneath routes, he also plays with discipline and a veteran’s savvy down the field. As routes develop, he knows how to play off them, often baiting quarterbacks into throws he’s in position to break on by manipulating the spacing in his zone. For how aggressively he attacks underneath routes, Parrish displays remarkable restraint and discipline too, rarely falling for double-moves or trick plays. If you’re going to beat Parrish on a route, it won’t be that easy. As a run defender, Parrish brings that same nasty demeanor coaches love, truly playing with a chip on his shoulder and matching that energy with strong fundamentals in his tackling form.
There are two reasons why I think Parrish will be better in the slot in the NFL. First, his long speed isn’t elite, and he can lose leverage over the top. More importantly, his frame does hinder him at times, and you can see this on tape. Being smaller doesn’t impact his game on most snaps, but there are times taller receivers simply outreach him on a play.
Much of this would be mitigated by a move inside in the NFL. Just this last year, we saw a number of elite rookie slot corners enter the league and have an immediate impact, including the Commanders’ Mike Sainristil, the Giants’ Andru Phillips and the Chargers’ Tarheeb Still. I see Parrish in that same mold, a versatile slot weapon for a defense and someone who can be transformative for the unit as a whole through their play. Parrish is solidly in my top 50 and would be a great choice in the early parts of the second round.
8: Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
One of the top draft prospects entering the season, Morrison suffered a hip injury that limited him to just six games in 2024. Originally a four-star recruit from Phoenix, he was an immediate starter for the Fighting Irish, with 33 tackles and six interceptions in 2022. As a sophomore, Morrison was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, racking up 31 tackles, 10 passes defensed and three interceptions. In his injury-shortened senior year, he had another 20 tackles and three passes defensed.
At 6-0, 190, Morrison isn’t a big corner but I wouldn’t describe him as undersized, either. His 2023 tape showcased a smooth mover, someone who could stay sticky in coverage in short areas and down the field. He can flip his hips and run with anyone, but it’s not just straight-line speed. Elite quickness and agility let him hound receivers on underneath routes and stay connected at all three levels of the field.
Morrison is comfortable in both zone and man coverages, with experience playing press and the awareness to be effective passing off routes in zone. He has good ball skills, with high numbers of interceptions and force incompletions in all three of his college seasons. A knack for big plays and the ability to pay them off are hallmarks of Morrison’s game — he picks his spots well and is smart about avoiding penalties.
With only six games played in 2024, much of Morrison’s evaluation comes from what he did in 2023. He wasn’t playing well before the injury this year, either, highlighting some of his struggles. Physicality can get to him, during the route and at the catch point. He gave up a lot of yards on quick slants and other short passes as a junior, relying more on his natural athleticism rather than technique to cover his man.
Morrison is just a tough player to evaluate. He had a great 2023 and a bad 2024 that ended with a hip injury, one we still don’t have a ton of clarity on. You can’t take away his traits, however, as few cornerback prospects move the way this guy does. It’s why he might still be a first-round pick, despite all this, pending his medical evaluation of course. I wouldn’t touch this guy on Day 1, but if I’m a team that runs a lot of press coverage, he’d be an intriguing second-round prospect. Essentially, you’re taking a flier on a guy with rare athleticism and hoping he bounces back from his injury to become the player he was in 2023.
9: Azareye’h Thomas, Florida State
A former four-star recruit, Thomas is a true junior and an intriguing draft prospect. After joining the Seminoles in 2022, he played extensively but only saw one start over his first two seasons. That changed in 2024, as Thomas became a weekly starter and made an impact, recording 53 tackles, eight forced incompletions, and an interception. Thomas’ work earned him an honorable mention All-ACC nod, and he was invited to the Senior Bowl to continue his ascent to the NFL.
Standing at 6-2, 198, Thomas is a long corner with a strong core. He’s a smooth mover at that size, too, sliding in and out of his breaks with ease. His length causes problems for offenses, as he can shrink passing lanes in zone and make plays on the ball at the catch point. Not only that, but he packs a real punch, too, with a noticeable jolt when he makes initial contact in press coverage.
Thomas has nice ball skills, with his high school offensive background translating in how he plays the ball on the air, able to high-point it with soft hands. It also translates to how he reads and reacts to receivers — he’s a natural defender in zone coverages who can cover multiple routes entering his zone without losing focus. Plus change-of-direction ability gives him a high ceiling, as he can flip his hips and run on a dime.
Now, all that said, Thomas is essentially just traits at the moment. He’s still learning press techniques, with his punches not always landing, and he can get off-balance by overextending. Overall, Thomas’s game is more athleticism and feel than developed technique right now. With only one year of starting experience, there’s hope that Thomas can refine his game with more reps and some time in an NFL system.
Although he’s not the type of prospect you’d want starting right away, I’m intrigued by Thomas’s tools. As a developmental Day 2 player, you won’t find a guy with a higher ceiling than what he offers. The smooth movement, long speed, length, and feel for the game are all superb. Corners like Thomas aren’t made every day, and teams will believe in their ability to get the best out of him moving forward.
10: Denzel Burke, Ohio State
A 6-1, 193-pound senior from Phoenix, Burke had a Day 2 projection last draft cycle and chose to return to the Buckeyes for a chance to win a national championship. He started all four years at Ohio State, earning freshman All-American honors in 2021 and multiple All-Big 10 awards, including first-team as a junior. During his senior year, Burke had 48 tackles, four forced incompletions and two interceptions, earning third-team All-Big 10 recognition.
The first thing that jumps off the tape with Burke is his length. He causes receivers a lot of problems with his big frame, whether that’s off the line or at the catch point. When playing press coverage, Burke is extremely disruptive with his initial punch, messing with the timing of the route and playing physical at the line of scrimmage. Pairing that length with quality ball skills lets him make plays down the field, catching interceptions with his hands rather than needing to bring the ball to his chest.
Four years of starting experience is a lot, and it shows up in Burke’s game. He plays zone with advanced read and react ability, using his plus burst to close on passes quickly and can track multiple routes in his area. In man coverage, he has the change-of-direction ability to stay sticky in coverage, keeping connected to his man down the field.
I have a few athleticism questions with Burke, namely that I think he’s a good athlete, not a great one. He struggles to transition from his backpedal quickly, giving up a lot of underneath yards as a result. When he can keep everything in front of him, he’s excellent at timing his breaks and getting downhill, but he can’t cut on a dime to do that. I also don’t think he’s the fastest down the field, which tends to show up when he needs to bail out more quickly than other corners. Additionally, he’s not always reliable in the run game, with more attempted ankle tackles than solid wrap-ups on his tape.
Burke reminds me a lot of Texans’ CB Kamari Lassiter when he was coming out of Georgia last year. They play the game differently, but both were solid, unexciting prospects who gave up a little athleticism and made up for it with an advanced understanding of the game. It’s worked out pretty well for Lassiter, who started on a divisional-round team this year, and I could see the same thing happening for Burke. I don’t think Burke’s stock has shifted much from last year — he’s a Day 2 player who can have an immediate positive impact on his new team.
The next five
11: Darien Porter, Iowa State — Older prospect with plus length and athleticism, Porter is a late bloomer but has a chance to start right away in the NFL. Plays with great anticipation and is a disruptive force on defense.
12: Sebastian Castro, Iowa — Rock-solid slot corner/box safety hybrid who plays all over Iowa’s defense. Will be a 25-year-old rookie but is a playmaker through and through.
13: Dorian Strong, Virginia Tech — Veteran press-man corner, Strong excels in schemes that take advantage of his silky-smooth hips and plus length. Honed instincts make him a threat in zones, as well, though he can be a liability in run defense.
14: Jabbar Muhammad, Oregon — Undersized zone corner with plus movement skills, Muhammad gives up size and speed on the outside but makes up for it with a feisty playstyle that hounds receivers all game long.
15: Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky — A true junior and rising star, Hairston made the second-team All-SEC this season behind a quietly productive year. He plays with a nose for the football and is built for man coverage schemes.
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