By Charlie Campbell
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Heading into the 2018 college football season WalterFootball.com will debut our projections for the nation’s leaders during the fall. The All-American teams always have some surprises and the stars of next fall could be the headlining players next April in the 2019 NFL Draft.
First-Team Cornerbacks:
Greedy Williams, LSU Williams broke out in 2017 with six interceptions, 11 passes broken up and 38 tackles. It was a real statement for being his first year of playing time. In pass coverage, Williams is an impressive cornerback. The first thing that stands out is his ability to run the route and prevent separation. Williams has enough speed to carry verticals and the recoverability to close gaps from breaks. He also has quick feet and agility to stay in the hip pocket of wideouts. On top of his ability to run, Williams possesses excellent height and length, which make it tough to get around him. On top of his physical skills, Williams has an impressive mental makeup with his instinctiveness. Coming from one of the two schools known as “DB U,” Williams will have plenty of attention and won’t go unnoticed. He’s a safe pick to be a First-Team All-American.
DeAndre Baker, Georgia Baker (5-11, 183) was very impressive as the No. 1 cornerback for Georgia in 2017. During the Bulldogs run to the SEC Championship and appearance in the National Championship, Baker came up huge with excellent performances against top competition. He showed good speed and athleticism to run with receivers and prevent separation with the instincts to make plays in the clutch. On the season, the junior totaled 44 tackles with nine passes broken up and three interceptions.
As a corner, Baker has some similarities to former Ohio State corner Denzel Ward. Like Ward, weight could be an issue, so it would be good if Baker could add some muscle to his frame to battle NFL receivers. As a sophomore, he notched two picks, five breakups and 31 tackles.
Second-Team Cornerbacks:
C.J. Henderson, Florida Henderson was really impressive as a freshman, showing excellent coverage skills and ball skills. He totaled four interceptions with four passes broken up and 22 tackles. The 6-foot-1, 186-pounder has excellent size to go along with speed and cover skills. Now that he has a year of experience, he could be even better. Henderson posesses a ton of upside and could be one of the top cornerbacks in college football in 2018.
Damon Arnette, Ohio State Florida and LSU fight for the title of “DB U,” but under Urban Meyer the Buckeyes have been just at prolific at churning out top defensive back talent. After Marshon Lattimore and Denzel Ward, Damon Arnette could keep the tradition going of a top cover corner. The 6-foot, 195-pound Arnette has good size while also showing 4.4 speed according to NFL sources. In his first year as a starter last fall, Arnette had a rough start to the season but really improved as the year progressed. He totaled 44 tackles with eight passes broken up and two interceptions in 2017. With his skill set and experience, Arnette could easily take his game to another level in 2018. He definitely has All-American potential.
Third-Team Cornerbacks:
Trayvon Mullen, Clemson Mullen is a physical freak who has a ton of athletic upside. In 2017, he totaled 42 tackles with three interceptions and seven passes broken up. Some team sources say that entering the 2018 season, his tape might be more of a second-rounder, but they think with his excellent skill set he could be a first-rounder and if he has a good season, he could skyrocket. The 6-foot-1, 186-pounder has a ton of upside and could end up higher on this list if he plays up to his potential.
Marco Wilson, Florida With C.J. Henderson, Wilson forms a dynamic duo of young cornerbacks for the Gators. If Wilson sounds familiar, that is because he is the younger brother of Quincy Wilson, a former Gators standout who was a second-round pick of the Colts in 2017 NFL Draft. Marco Wilson had an impressive debut for the Gators in 2017 with 34 tackles and 10 passes broken up. He showed a ton of upside and an excellent skill set. Wilson (6-0, 177) could easily emerge as a top cornerback during the 2018 season.
Honorable Mentions: Virginia’s Juan Thornhill, Ohio State’s Kendall Sheffield, Stanford’s Alijah Holder, Auburn’s James Dean, Alabama’s Trevon Diggs, Clemson’s Mark Fields, Penn State’s Amani Oruwariye, Ole Miss’ Ken Webster, Notre Dame’s Julian Love, Northwestern Montre Hartage, Rutgers’ Blessuan Austin, Texas’ Kris Boyd, Washington’s Jordan Miller, Washburn’s Corey Ballentine, Troy’s Blace Brown and USC’s Iman Marshall.
2018 Preseason All-American Projections:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | G | C | DE | DT | OLB | ILB | CB | S | K/P
2018 Preseason Postseason Award Projections:
Thorpe Award | Lombardi Award | Biletnikoff Award | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Outland Trophy | Rimington Trophy | Mackey Award | Maxwell Award | Hendricks Award | O'Brien Award | Doak Walker Award | Bednarik Award | Nagurski Award | Hornung Award | Jet Award | Walter Camp Award | Ray Guy Award | Groza Award | Heisman Trophy |
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | G | C | DE | DT | OLB | ILB | CB | S | K/P
2018 Preseason Postseason Award Projections:
Thorpe Award | Lombardi Award | Biletnikoff Award | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Outland Trophy | Rimington Trophy | Mackey Award | Maxwell Award | Hendricks Award | O'Brien Award | Doak Walker Award | Bednarik Award | Nagurski Award | Hornung Award | Jet Award | Walter Camp Award | Ray Guy Award | Groza Award | Heisman Trophy |
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