Todd McShay names his top cornerbacks leaving Senior Bowl week
With the 2021 college football season in the rear view and the Senior Bowl having passed, things are starting to look a bit more clear heading into the 2022 NFL Draft.
Several high-profile players saw their stocks rise following a successful Senior Bowl performance, while other lower-level prospects impressed and potentially put their names on the map, too. With the NFL Combine still several weeks away, though, there seems to be some clarity at the cornerback group as we near the NFL Draft, and ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay updated his top 10 cornerbacks heading into the 2022 NFL Draft.
Todd McShay ranks top 10 cornerback prospects ahead of NFL Draft
1. Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, Cincinnati
Gardner entered Cincinnati as a three-star recruit, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. And by the time he’d left, he helped build the Bearcats’ secondary into one of the nation’s best, earning All-America honors en route.
2. Derek Stingley Jr., LSU
No one was more disappointed by Stingley’s season-ending injury by Stingley himself, but the former five-star recruit still has a bright future ahead in the NFL. As a true freshman in 2019, Stingley first erupted onto the scene for LSU with 38 total tackles and six interceptions, numbers that scouts will hope he can replicate in the NFL.
3. Trent McDuffie, Washington
McDuffie, a native of California, elected to stay on the West Coast for his four years of college, but rather than pick an in-state school he went north to Washington. With the Huskies, he shined alongside cornerback Kyler Gordon, and McDuffie had 35 total tackles this year, as teams hesitated to throw his way.
4. Kyler Gordon, Washington
Gordon was one of two elite Washington cornerbacks to make the list, alongside his teammate Trent McDuffie, and Gordon looks to have as bright of an NFL future. This season, Gordon notched 45 total tackles (36 solo stops), one forced fumble and two interceptions.
5. Andrew Booth Jr., Clemson
A former five-star recruit according to the On3 Consensus, Booth looked every bit as dominant a cornerback at Clemson as he did in high school. Booth had five interceptions the past two seasons, and he notched 37 total tackles in the 2021 season.
6. Tariq Woolen, UTSA
Woolen was one of several eye-opening stories on a resurgent UTSA team this year, as the Road Runners went from nothing to something and burst onto the college football season. A native of Fort Worth, TX, Woolen had 60 tackles and two interceptions over his final two seasons as a cornerback at UTSA.
7. Roger McCreary, Auburn
McCreary has been a dominant cornerback at Auburn for three seasons now, recording no less than 36 tackles in each of his last three seasons on campus. The Mobile, AL native had five interceptions over the past two seasons, as well as 49 total tackles in 2021.
8. Kaiir Elam, Florida
A highly-coveted cornerback in the state of Florida, Elam ultimately decided to stay close to home in his recruitment, and while the Gators’ 2021 season may not have gone as planned, he still looked the part of a top 10 NFL Draft cornerback. He had 68 tackles over the last two seasons combined, while also posting three interceptions.
9. Martin Emerson, Mississippi State
Unlike Elam, Emerson — a former three-star recruit according to the On3 Consensus — decided to commit to Mississippi State, and it certainly worked out for him there. Emerson had 49 total tackles in the 2021 season, and during the abbreviated 2020 campaign, he notched an eye-opening 72 total tackles and 11 passes defended on the year.
10. Coby Bryant, Cincinnati
Bryant, alongside Gardner, made up one of the nation’s best cornerback duos. In the 2021 season, Bryant had 34 solo tackles, two forced fumbles, three interceptions and 11 passes defended.