{"id":140405,"date":"2023-04-24T12:00:31","date_gmt":"2023-04-24T16:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=140405"},"modified":"2023-04-23T19:40:56","modified_gmt":"2023-04-23T23:40:56","slug":"2023-nfl-draft-top-5-cornerbacks-rankings-team-fits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/04\/24\/2023-nfl-draft-top-5-cornerbacks-rankings-team-fits\/","title":{"rendered":"2023 NFL Draft: Top 5 Cornerbacks Rankings, Team Fits"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coming into the 2023 NFL Draft, there\u2019s been a lot of hype around this cornerback class.\u00a0 This is for good reason as it is one of the strongest position groups available.\u00a0 It is a group with a lot of depth, but in this article, we are going to be narrowing it down to the top five corners in this draft.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>2023 NFL Draft: Top Five Cornerbacks<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Devon Witherspoon, Illinois<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/04\/01\/devon-witherspoon-2023-nfl-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_self\">Devon Witherspoon<\/a> gets the nod as CB1 in a loaded cornerback class.\u00a0 Not only is he the top corner, but he\u2019s someone who deserves to be a lock to come off the board in the top ten in this class.\u00a0 He\u2019s not on the same level as a prospect as last year\u2019s group with <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2022\/04\/24\/2022-nfl-draft-ahmad-gardner-scouting-report\/\" target=\"_self\">Sauce Gardner<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2022\/03\/24\/2022-nfl-draft-derek-stingley-jr-scouting-report\/\" target=\"_self\">Derek Stingley<\/a>, but he still has a good chance to develop into a very good corner in this league.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He brings an intriguing skill set to the table as he has the tools to excel in both man or zone coverage.\u00a0 In zone coverage, he has excellent instincts as he\u2019s phenomenal at reading where the ball is going along with great closing speed to make breakups.\u00a0 These instincts make him very effective in the run and screen pass game as his ability to read, react, and fly to the football to make a play is the best in this class.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Witherspoon was also quite effective in man coverage, which Illinois ran a lot of in his career and especially last season.\u00a0 Although he doesn\u2019t have great size or length, he still plays with good physicality.\u00a0 He also can change directions and stay on receivers\u2019 hips not allowing much separation very well.\u00a0 He played an aggressive style of corner and it often paid off for him as he\u2019s good enough to win almost every rep and not get burned.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Team Fits:<\/strong> Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">For a guy 5-11 &amp; 181 lbs, Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon hits like a Monday morning alarm clock <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bD1RluzSbQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/bD1RluzSbQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Kyle Lindemann (@LuckIsMadeFF) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LuckIsMadeFF\/status\/1648033973161848841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 17, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>2. Christian Gonzalez, Oregon<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/04\/02\/christian-gonzalez-2023-nfl-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_self\">Christian Gonzalez<\/a> is a highly regarded prospect for a lot of analysts and for good reason.\u00a0 You simply don\u2019t see many corners that can move the way that Gonzalez does at his size.\u00a0 He is 6&#8242;-1\u215c&#8221;, 197 pounds, and changes directions more fluidly than any cornerback in the 2023 NFL draft class.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not only does Gonzalez change directions very well, but he also has great makeup speed for when he\u2019s ever out of position as he ran a 4.38 40-yard dash.\u00a0 This combination of size, fluidity, and makeup speed is rare at the cornerback position.\u00a0 It gives him the ideal physical profile to excel in press-man coverage, which is a valuable skill set in the NFL.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gonzalez is also a player who has improved throughout his college career.\u00a0 He spent two seasons at Colorado where he was a solid player before transferring to Oregon where he starred in the Ducks defense.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Team Fits:<\/strong> Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>3. Joey Porter Jr., Penn State<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The biggest selling point for <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/04\/21\/joey-porter-jr-2023-nfl-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_self\">Joey Porter Jr.\u2019s<\/a> game is that he plays relatively mistake-free football for a corner.\u00a0 That\u2019s not to say that he never gets beat because nobody is that good, but he does a good job of keeping receivers in front of him, ensuring that if he allows separation it\u2019s not for an explosive play.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another big selling point and a big reason he\u2019s going to be a first-round pick is his size and length.\u00a0 He stands at 6-foot-2 \u00bd with 34-inch arms for a wingspan of 80 \u215e inches, all of which are higher than the 95th percentile for corners.\u00a0 This allows him to match up well from a size and physicality standpoint against just about any receiver in the NFL.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Porter Jr. was very reliable over his career at Penn State as he was a three-year starter.\u00a0 He was at his best this past season as he allowed more than 25 yards in just one of his 10 games.\u00a0 Most teams avoided throwing at him and when he was targeted he showed good closing speed to make plays on the ball.\u00a0 This was showcased in the first game of the season against Purdue where he had five pass breakups.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Team Fits:<\/strong> Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>4. Deonte Banks, Maryland<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Athleticism is more important in corners than just about any position on the football field and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/04\/05\/deonte-banks-2023-nfl-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_self\">Deonte Banks\u2019<\/a> tape and combine performance certainly show that he\u2019s an elite athlete.\u00a0 His <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MathBomb\/status\/1646906162128748545\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">RAS score<\/a> is third of any corner since 1987 as at 6-foot-0, 197 pounds he ran a blazing 4.35-yard dash, plus had a 42-inch vertical (97th percentile for corners) and 136-inch broad jump (98th percentile).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Banks has a very good track in zone coverage at Maryland.\u00a0 He simply understands what his coverage assignment is and gets the job done consistently.\u00a0 He also does a good job of playing team defense as he communicates with his teammates well passing off receivers in and out of his zone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In man coverage, he doesn\u2019t have quite as good of a track record at Maryland.\u00a0 Banks\u2019 PFF coverage grades in man coverage left a lot to be desired as he graded at 63.6 in 2022 and 50.6 in 2020.\u00a0 However, with his athleticism, he has the potential to develop into a very good man cover corner.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Team Fits:<\/strong> Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Beautiful rep by Deonte Banks <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tu2D1baPH7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/tu2D1baPH7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Billy M (@BillyM_91) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BillyM_91\/status\/1646860479036358656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 14, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>5. Cam Smith, South Carolina<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s a bit of a gap between the top four corners and the rest, but there\u2019s still a lot more cornerback talent that projects to come off the board in the late first to mid-second round.\u00a0 One of those players is <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/04\/09\/cam-smith-2023-nfl-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_self\">Cam Smith<\/a> who comes in as the fifth-ranked corner in this class.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smith was somewhat inconsistent in his career at South Carolina, but he checks a lot of the boxes of what you want out of a cornerback prospect.\u00a0 First off he checks off the physical box as he has a good combination of size and athleticism and should certainly be able to hold his own athletically against the majority of NFL receivers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smith is also very technically sound as you can tell he\u2019s not just an athlete, but someone who really knows what to play the position.\u00a0 This shows up in some of his man reps.\u00a0 Many times in his film he is tested in man coverage and he has perfect positioning and is able to get his arm in between the receivers hands at the perfect moment to cause a breakup.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately, Smith is someone who projects well to at least be a solid cornerback at the next level, which is worth a late first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Team Fits:<\/strong> Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Main Photo: Matt Krohn &#8211; USA Today Sports<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Coming into the 2023 NFL Draft, there\u2019s been a lot of hype around this cornerback class.\u00a0 This is for good reason as it is one of the strongest position groups available.\u00a0 It is a group with a lot of depth, but in this article, we are going to be narrowing it down to the top [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4535,"featured_media":140707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1647],"tags":[9546,9835,7811,9734,9802,9783,9626,7638,7659],"class_list":["post-140405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-draft","tag-2023-nfl-draft","tag-cam-smith","tag-chiefs-featured","tag-christian-gonzalez","tag-deonte-banks","tag-devon-witherspoon","tag-joey-porter-jr","tag-ravens-featured","tag-saints-featured"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4535"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140405\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}