The 2025 NFL Draft Corners Report

I know this is a fantasy focused site but it's NFL Draft season, and I've been grinding through the tape of this class. In case you haven't, here are my thoughts on the 2025 Cornerback class. You'll want to look back and reference this when your team drafts one of these players in April and when your fantasy WR1 is being locked up by them in December.

Tier 1 - The All-Pro

The number 1 cornerback in the class for me is Shavon Revel Jr. He missed most of this past season with an ACL tear, but what he showed on tape in those games was enough for me to buy all the way in. Obviously the ACL is a concern, but thanks to the miracles of modern medicine and my inability to check with my own medical team for their thoughts on his recovery, I am not weighing it in my evaluation of his film or ranking. I would take him with a top 5 pick assuming my doctors cleared him.

Shavon Revel Jr - East Carolina

Scouting Report Executive Summary: Tall, long, physical outside corner with unlimited speed. Can improve press technique at the LOS, but still wins with insane recovery athleticism and length. Possesses eliminating press potential on the outside. Excellent awareness, ball skills, and physicality as a tackler.

Best Role: Number 1 man corner.

Favorite Scouting Note: Gears and gears of speed. Gears. As fast as BTJ.

Favorite Game: vs Appalachian State 2024 - one of the best games of any prospect I watched all year.

Tier 2 - The Pro Bowlers

The next 4 cornerbacks in my ranks all possess different skillsets that make them intriguing pieces to add to an NFL secondary and I would feel good about spending a top 20 pick on any of them. These are players I expect to be immediate starters and impact players, providing massive value to the teams that draft them.

Jahdae Barron - Texas

Scouting Report Executive Summary: Smart, physical, versatile defensive back. Just a darn-good DB that can do anything you need.

Best Role: Outside off-coverage zone corner in base and playmaking slot corner in nickel.

Favorite Scouting Note: Love him after 4 plays

(Honorable Mention): Willingly physical, plays like a defender

Favorite Game: vs Michigan 2024

Benjamin Morrison - Notre Dame

Scouting Report Executive Summary: High end man coverage traits, good athlete, good length, patient, quick feet, and excellent ball awareness. Not the twitchiest or loosest athlete to be able to mirror any WR and stick with any route, but fast enough to stick in the hip on runaway routes. Love his willingness and effort as a tackler.

Best Role: Outside corner in press man scheme.

Favorite Scouting Note: Awesome play on the edge at the GL. Plays through a block and makes a tackle 1 on 1 (vs Stanford 2024).

Favorite Game: vs Stanford 2024

Travis Hunter - Colorado

Scouting Report Executive Summary: Elite awareness and ball skills, true ball hawk. Will come off his coverage in any coverage to make a play on the ball and is excellent at IDing and reacting to route concepts.

Best Role: Outside corner in zone-heavy scheme.

Favorite Scouting Note: Dangerous as hell in C2 zones. Will range everywhere.

Favorite Game: vs Arizona 2023

Will Johnson - Michigan

Scouting Report Executive Summary: Extremely smart with excellent ball skills. Can play press and off coverage and man or zone. In off, he is aggressive triggering downhill and can make big plays, but can also get ran by and doesn't have elite mirroring athleticism. In press, his length shows up and he can disrupt route timing and contest plays all the way through the catch point. Had some bad tackling lapses in 2024.

Best Role: Outside corner in press zone scheme.

Favorite Scouting Note: Very good awareness, pointing people around, knows what is coming.

Favorite Game: vs Texas 2024

Tier 3 - The Quality Starters

The next tier of corners consists of two players who could not look more different, but they will both be very valuable to the schemes that use their skillsets. If I was a team with a good scheme fit, I would feel great spending a second round pick on either of these players and I would potentially spend a late first. I expect these players to be quality starters early in their career.

Azareye'h Thomas - Florida St.

Scouting Report Executive Summary: Press man corner with great length and patience. Didn't really see him get beat. Could be a little more physical as a tackler and might not have elite athleticism traits but plays very under control and has good short area movement skills for his size. Press man teams will covet his smoothness, twitch, and length.

Best Role: Outside corner in press man scheme.

Favorite Scouting Note: Lot of man and press experience, smooth, twitchy, long.

Favorite Game: vs Miami 2024

Jacob Parrish - Kansas St.

Scouting Report Executive Summary: Has inside outside ability and can be a weapon on the inside as a blitzer and tackler. Also can actually play press and mirror man on the outside. Legit athlete. Best fit is probably on the inside just messing stuff up and running with crossers and deep routes but I would not rule him out also being good on the outside in mirror man coverage.

Best Role: Press/mirror man coverage outside corner in base, slot in nickel.

Favorite Scouting Note: On his heels a lot off the release from WRs, wins in trail and in recovery.

(HM): Seems like he can do literally anything? Just a little shorter than you'd want at the catch point. Elite twitch and speed. Plays with physicality along the route and as a tackler, great closing and recovery speed.

Favorite Game: vs Iowa St. 2024 - electric feisty matchup with Noel and saw him go against two opposite skillsets with him and Higgins.

Tier 4 - The Early Starters

The next two corners in this class are both sound, smart, and competitive. I would be happy with either starting on the outside for my team, but they have some deficiencies that will prevent them from being able to match up well with anyone. That being said, I would still feel good about drafting these players in the middle to late second or early third round. I think they can fill a need early and be reliable starters on their rookie deals.

Trey Amos - Ole Miss

Scouting Report Executive Summary: Long, lean, perimeter corner with versatility in off and press, quality reps in both. Very smart, good eyes, points people around, recognizes routes, makes plays outside of his assignment in zone. Lack of high end athleticism lowers ceiling, still very sound, smart, great ball skills. Great fit for zone teams, man is a little sketchy sticking with receivers.

Best Role: Outside corner in zone heavy scheme.

Favorite Scouting Note: Doesn't always turn and run with deep vertical routes, instead tries to pedal and sit on top and read the QB. Can lead to him getting run by.

Favorite Game: vs LSU 2024

Jabarr Muhammad - Oregon

Scouting Report Executive Summary: Competitive, quick, smart, good ball skills. Can play man and zone, press and off. Not a top end athlete or frame but quick feet and can run with people across the field. Will lose sometimes at the catch point to bigger receivers but almost always in position, playing the ball, and helping outside of his assignment. Super willing and active tackler.

Best Role: Off coverage.

Favorite Scouting Note: Very quick to come off assignment to hawk the ball and make a tackle. Super willing and active tackler.

Favorite Game: vs Ohio St. 2024 - either game. Got to matchup with different skillsets in different alignments, and you can see him against the best WR of all time.

Tier 5 - The Scheme Specific Contributor

Tier 5 consists of but one cornerback, Bilhal Kone. He is limited athletically in terms of twitch and speed, but he has the length and technique to win in press coverage. If I had a press and zone heavy defense with a need at perimeter corner, I would target him in the third round. I would expect him to compete for a starting outside corner role and provide high quality depth and special teams play if he is beat out.

Bilhal Kone - Western Michigan

Scouting Report Executive Summary: Good feet, length, patience to stay on top and in phase in press on the outside. Vertical speed is just ok and he can get stacked and ran by. In zone he is super active and aware, willing to come off his assignment to make a play, but can get exposed doing so as well. Excellent willingness and activity as a tackler.

Best Role: Outside corner in a press zone scheme.

Favorite Scouting Note: Super active tackler. Very willing to get in on plays. Not as effective as active but a great sign.

Favorite Game: vs Wisconsin 2024

Tier 6 - The Backups

The next tier of corners is the first group that I don't see a clear role for and wouldn't want starting for my team. They are in this tier for a variety of reasons, but the common thread is that I don't trust them to not be a liability in some aspect of the position. These are players I wouldn't draft before day 3 regardless of my scheme or needs.

Quincy Riley - Louisville

Scouting Report Executive Summary: Lack of feel for routes and a poor tackler, but has pretty good movement skills and makeup speed, plus some length in press. Just don't trust him to stick with NFL WRs or tackle NFL ball carriers with his current technique.

Best Role: Press man scheme

Favorite Scouting Note: Brutal tackle attempt. Dips head and takes a shot with no wrap up - does this again in the open field. He's going to Shazier himself.

Favorite Game: vs Pittsburgh 2024

Maxwell Hairston Jr. Kentucky

Scouting Report Executive Summary: Plays too small for me. Good feet and awareness, awesome movement skills. Not big or physical enough to cover bigger receivers through the catch point. Don't trust him to get ball carriers on the ground at all and that will be exposed.

Best Role: Pure off coverage, zone heavy scheme.

Favorite Scouting Note: Doesn't try and tackle twice and is standing there as they run past him.

Favorite Game: vs Georgia 2024

Denzel Burke - Ohio St.

Scouting Report Executive Summary: Don't like the movement skills in off, the lack of press technique and ability to Jam in press, the guessing on route concepts, or the physicality/tackling ability. Length and recover ability keep him from being useless but I think you can do better than starting him on the outside.

Best Role: Number 3 perimeter corner (AKA backup/depth/ideally not on the field)

Favorite Scouting Note: Sits on routes, likes to guess what is coming. Leads to some good plays when he's right and some bad misses when he's wrong.

Favorite Game: vs Penn St. 2024

Tier 7 - The Practice Squad

Your reward for making it this long in the article is finding out who my 14th and 15th ranked corners are. Congratulations! These are guys that I likely wouldn't draft at all because I don't see a fit for them on a team that I am in control of. They may have some redeeming traits, but their weaknesses far outweigh them and are dealbreakers for me.

Cobee Bryant - Kansas

Scouting Report Executive Summary: Lacks lateral agility. Burns him trying to match route breaks and be sticky in man and when trying to recover or make tackles in the open field. Plays tall and long in a bad way, not balanced or twitchy, lacks long speed. Like his effort as a tackler but poor technique and gets beaten too often in coverage.

Favorite Scouting Note: Tries to jump a stop route, wasn't a stop route - could've been second TD back to back for Travis.

Darien Porter - Iowa St.

Scouting Report Executive Summary: Too weak and soft. Athleticism pops and he has loose hips and good speed but can't play corner if you're weak or soft.

Favorite Scouting Note: Back to back plays to open the game getting pancaked on the edge in front of an RB.