Top 5 Cornerbacks Matthew Lewis Edition
With the 2023 NFL Draft at the end of the month, let’s take a look at this year’s very deep cornerback class. In this article, I am going to list my top 5 cornerbacks in the draft.
1. Devon Witherspoon – Illinois
Devon Witherspoon is the most polished cornerback prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft. He is at his best when he is lined up in man coverage. His flexible hips and low center of gravity allow him to mirror his target and change direction on a dime. He is also good at playing the opposing receiver under him and baiting the QB into throwing the ball his way. Then he explodes downhill and jumps the route and uses his long wingspan to make a play on the ball. His football IQ also allows him to anticipate where the receiver is going to be breaking in their route. This allows him to quickly gain leverage and keep it throughout the play. Although Witherspoon may be a little thin, he is a very hard hitter. This allows him to disrupt the play anywhere on the field and potentially even force turnovers.
2. Joey Porter Jr. – Penn St.
Although Witherspoon is better in man coverage, Porter may be the best cover corner in this draft. Regardless of the coverage he is lined up in, he is very instinctual and can lock down almost any opposing receiver. In man coverage, Porter does a good job of playing with inside leverage. By doing so, he forces receivers to the sideline and takes away the amount of room they have to work with. If the receiver is somehow able to generate a little space, Porter has amazing ball skills to disrupt the pass. He does a good job of tracking the ball over his shoulder and uses his 35″ vertical to go up and meet the ball at its high point.
3. Christian Gonzalez – Oregon
Out of the top corners in this class, Gonzalez is the only one that can line up anywhere on the field. He is at his best however when he can play zone coverage on the outside. Lots of corners have a tendency to keep their eyes in the backfield for too long when in zone coverage. In Gonzalez’s case, he does a good job of sticking with his target and preventing receivers from getting an easy reception. When you watch his film, everything about his game is smooth. He has fluid hips that allow him to change direction quickly and stay with his target. Then if the ball comes his way, he has the ball skills needed to track down the ball and make a play.
4. Emmanuel Forbes – Mississippi State
Emmanuel Forbes is one of the most slept-on prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft. This is primarily because he was officially measured at 6’1″ and weighed 166 lbs at the Combine. But, I am here to tell you that his size does not impact his game at all. Forbes is a natural playmaker who had 34 PBUs and 14 INTs in his 3-year career at Mississippi St. He is a very smart player who has a broad understanding of offensive schemes and route trees.
Fellow DraftDive Analyst Ken had this to say in his article on Forbes, “He is quick to identify where his receiver is going and get there before him. This, coupled with his acceleration, allows him to play off of receivers and still generate incompletions”. As I mentioned earlier, Forbes is very underweight for a corner of his height. But, if you go watch his film, he shows off a lot of aggression and willingness to deliver hard hits. So although many other analysts don’t have Forbes in their top 5 cornerbacks list, he deserves to be in the conversation.
5. Kelee Ringo – Georgia
Out of my top 5 corners, Ringo is the best at using his size to win matchups. In press coverage, Ringo delivers a powerful one-handed punch that knocks receivers back and delays their route stem. Then he keeps his hands on them throughout their route which allows him to manipulate where they can go. Ringo also has elite speed that allows him to stay with almost any receiver. At the combine, he ran a 4.36 40. Although this doesn’t mean everything, his play speed is just as impressive. The only reason why Ringo isn’t higher on my list is that he has too many penalties called on him.
