2021 NFL Draft Prospects: Cornerback

4/24/21: Horn totaled 16 tackles, two interceptions and six passes defended in 2020 before opting out of the final three games of the season following South Carolina firing head coach Will Muschamp. Unlike just about every other corner in the SEC, Horn had a solid game against Florida and its dynamic receivers. He was awesome against Auburn, shutting down Seth Williams and leading the Gamecocks to an upset win. Over the course of the season, Horn did a nice job of running the route to prevent separation and showed improved ball skills.

Some team sources have Horn graded in the top half of the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, while some others have him lower. Horn ran well at the South Carolina pro day to help ease some speed worries with scouts. The lack of speed was the one real concern teams have with Horn, but they love how he played his tail off at South Carolina. Horn is a real competitor and shows good technique to run the route and prevent separation. He is a natural football player, and many evaluators like him more than Patrick Surtain.

9/5/20: While teammate Israel Mukuamu has gotten more media attention, some team sources like Horn more as a prospect for the NFL. They feel that Horn is a more fluid athlete and faster. Those evaluators like Horn's ability to run the route and prevent separation. <

Horn broke into the starting lineup as a true freshman and showed improvement in his sophomore season. He has quality size to him and has shown a nice ability to break up passes. As a junior and/or senior, Horn could help himself to show the ability to turn some pass breakups into interceptions.

4/24/21: Surtain played well in 2020. He had some issues against Tennessee and was beaten by the Florida Gators' Trevon Grimes for a 50-yard touchdown in the SEC Championship, illustrating that Surtain lacks elite speed and twitch, but is a big corner who is reliable to cover up big receivers.

At the pro level, Surtain would not be a corner to match up against fast explosive wideouts like a Tyreek Hill, Will Fuller or Robby Anderson. However, Surtain still looks like a good outside corner who could have Pro Bowl potential. While Surtain will go early in the 2021 NFL Draft, he is not as good of a prospect as Jalen Ramsey or C.J. Henderson. In the worst case scenario, Surtain could be a good safety in the NFL, but he looks like a safe pick to turn into a good, although not elite, outside cornerback.

9/5/20: With Alabama consistently featuring a loaded secondary, it can be hard for young players to see the field. Surtain, however, was the exception, as the star recruit got a lot of playing time for a freshman under Nick Saban. Surtain played well in 2018, recording 28 tackles with an interception, seven passes defended and one forced fumble. He looked like he was just scratching the surface of his potential.

Surtain recorded 42 tackles with two interceptions, three forced fumbles and eight passes broken up in 2019. He has good size and tons of upside. Surtain is big, quick, physical, and has solid ball skills. He projects well as a press-man corner. As is very common with corners of his size, Surtain has issues with redirecting and is not a twitchy corner. Thus, he would not be a great fit to play off-man or move inside to the slot in the NFL. He does look like a safe player to develop into a solid starting outside cornerback.

4/24/21: Farley decided to skip the 2020 season to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft. Given his tremendous skill set of size, speed and athleticism, Farley could have been the first cornerback drafted despite sitting out 2020 and having a history of injuries. The durability issues were given further validation when Farley had back surgery in the spring of 2021 and was unable to work out at the Virginia Tech pro day. Farley could get flunked medically by some teams, and his draft range is very fluid because of the medical concerns.

There is no doubt Farley has an excellent skill set with very good height, length and speed. His closing speed gives him recoverability to eat up ground and delete separation. Thanks to his speed, Farley is able to run with receivers downfield and keep them from getting open in the deep part of the field. Farley has the agility and enough twitch to run routes and prevent separation. He showed vastly improved route recognition in 2019 and did a nice job of not biting on double moves.

Along with being big and fast, Farley has some ball skills and is a threat to snatch passes for turnovers. He uses his length to make it difficult to get passes by him, and he shows a sharp acumen to slap passes away when he can't catch the ball. Farley is a physical defender who flashes tackling and hitting ability. He could stand to improve his tackling fundamentals for the NFL because he will miss some tackles. Farley also can be late getting his head turned around to track the ball. With his size and physicality, Farley shows a nice ability to jam wideouts and knock them off their routes. In the NFL, Farley could fit in any scheme because he is capable of playing off-man, press-man and zone coverages.

9/5/20: Farley has an excellent skill set with size, speed and athleticism. After starting out at wide receiver for the Hokies, Farley missed the 2017 season with a torn ACL. He had a bad year 2018, but was excellent in 2019, recording four interceptions with 12 passes broken up and 20 tackles. It was impressive that Farley played that well considering he had a serious back injury for a lot of the season.

Farley decided to sit out the 2020 season because of the pandemic, so he will enter the 2021 NFL Draft having been a 1-year wonder and flagged with durability issues. His physical tools, however, could be enough to lead to him being selected during the opening night of the 2021 NFL Draft.

4/24/21: Some teams have graded Campbell in the second round, but believe he stands a good shot of being a pick in the back half of the first round. Typically, teams do not have 32 first-rounders, so some second-rounders end up going in Round 1, and team contacts believe Campbell has a good shot of being one of those players in the 2021 NFL Draft given his size, athletic upside, and solid cover skills.

Campbell needs to get stronger because some receivers got the better of him through being stronger, getting in better position, and making catches over him. Along with getting stronger and more physical, Campbell needs to improve his ability to play the ball. His struggles to play the ball are the big knock on him with scouts.

Campbell played really well for Georgia in 2020 overall, including an excellent game against Auburn wide receiver Seth Williams. Campbell is a big corner who is tough to make completions against given his size and cover skills. He is a better fit to take on big wideouts rather than small speed receivers. Playing in a press-man scheme could be a good fit for Campbell. He had some issues with Florida wide receiver Trevon Grimes and Florida tight end Kyle Pitts.

9/5/20: In 2019, Campbell had 15 tackles with four passes broken up. He has ability, which he flashed for Georgia during 2018 while totaling 29 tackles with one forced fumble and one pass broken up. Campbell is a streaky player with some ups and downs, but he has plenty of upside to develop. Team sources have said that Campbell has a ton of potential but needs development and is raw.

4/24/21: Robinson had a solid 2020 season and accepted an invitation to play at the Senior Bowl, where he had a good week of practice. With his size, steady coverage skills, and upside, Robinson looks like a first- or second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Team sources feel Robinson could be a press-man corner for the NFL, but also is sufficiently fast and fluid to be able to play off-man coverage. They say his zone coverage can be shaky because he has vision issues when he has to look at too much and sometimes Robinson can have a paralysis by analysis. They still like his man-coverage skills though and think he should go early in the second round if he doesn't sneak into Round 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft.

9/5/20: Robinson played really well in 2019, covering well for Central Florida while also contributing in run defense. Robinson is a big corner and has put together some quality ball production. The 2019 season was his first of extended playing time, so he could be even better now that he has a year of experience.

4/24/21: Newsome has a really good skill set with toughness. Team sources say Newsome has excellent technique and always stays in phase to shut down his opponents. Newsome could slide to the second or third round of the 2021 NFL Draft because he suffered a lot of injuries in college and there are a lot of concerns about his ability to stay healthy in the NFL. He also has a thin frame, which just adds to the durability concerns that teams have about him. Newsome will need to work on not grabbing as much in the NFL as well. He ran fast at the Northwestern pro day, but he underwhelmed in the field work.

4/24/21: Joseph flashed an excellent skill set for Kentucky with size, speed and athleticism. His play did not match up with his talent, however, as he was extremely inconsistent, allowing him to get burned at times. Joseph was torched by Florida, especially tight end Kyle Pitts, and Joseph's giving up big plays led to him getting benched at one point. Joseph has a ton of physical talent, but he is going to need a lot of coaching on technique in the NFL.

9/5/20: Joseph has not played a lot of college football, so he must have a serious skill set for the advance scouts to place him on their preseason watch list for the 2021 NFL Draft. Joseph was forced to sit out the 2019 season after transferring from LSU. As a freshman with the Tigers, Joseph was a backup who played on special teams. He could skyrocket over the next year or two.

4/24/21: Stokes played well for Georgia in 2020, including good performances against Auburn and Tennessee. An impressive pro day helped Stokes showing his elite speed and athleticism. He needs to get stronger for the NFL, but Stokes is a steady cover corner. Team sources think he could go early in the second round, but the possibility exists that he goes late in the first round during the 2021 NFL Draft.

9/5/20: Stokes joins Tyson Campbell and D.J. Daniel to give Georgia a trio of talented cornerbacks. Like Daniel, Stomkes has good height and length to him but could stand to get stronger. After serving as a backup as a freshman, Stokes became a starter as a sophomore and had a quality year for the Bulldogs. Stokes has upside to grow and rise up rankings as a junior and senior.

4/24/21: In the 2020 season opener against Georgia Tech, Samuel made two interceptions on bad passes that floated right to him, but he took advantage of the opportunities to create those turnovers. He made some big plays for Florida State, but his size mismatch problems were exposed against Notre Dame. Samuel is a slot corner who doesn't have the size to play on the outside. Along with a lack of size, Samuel is not a burner who makes up for his size with great speed. He ran fast at the pro day. Some teams have him graded in the mid-round while others project him to go as top-50 pick, so Samuel is a bit of a love/hate prospect.

9/5/20: Samuel is a potential nickelback candidate for the NFL due to a lack of size to line up on the outside. Even though he is undersized, Samuel is a gritty player who shows the ability to cover and play the ball. It would help him to turn more breakups into interceptions as a junior. Samuel is the son of Asante Samuel, who played 11 years in the NFL with the Patriots, Eagles and Falcons.

4/24/21: Sources from multiple teams say Williams play was massively improved in 2020 and think he will be no worse than a second-day pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Williams did produce a huge stat line in 2020, but scouts love the coverage ability he showed during 2020. He probably will go no later than the third round.

Williams has quality size and will enter the NFL with significant experience after playing all four years for the Cowboys. However in his first three years, teams threw at Williams, and his play was that of a late-rounder according to team evaluators. His draft stock could continue to rise.

4/24/21: Adebo made the foolish decision to sit out the 2020 season, which could really hurt him in the 2021 NFL Draft because he lost the opportunity to show good health and improvement in his eye discipline and ability to not get burned by double moves in coverage.

9/5/20: In the 2019 season opener, Adebo picked up where he left off in 2018, collecting five tackles with two passes batted and an interception against Northwestern. However, he had an ugly game against Central Florida, getting roasted on some double moves. He had a bounce-back game against Washington with four breakups. Adebo totaled 33 tackles with four interceptions and 10 passes broken up on the year, but he was held out against Notre Dame, Washington State, and California with an undisclosed injury. In 2018, Adebo totaled 64 tackles with 20 passes broken up and four interceptions.

Adebo is a big corner who has cover skills and a tremendous ability to play the ball. He also has good instincts and good technique. Adebo shows the size to match up with big wideouts and the speed to carry verticals. He just has to get more disciplined and improve his ability to handle double moves. Losing the 2020 season to the stupid cancellation by the Pac-12 presidents and commissioner Larry Scott really hurts Adebo ability to prove to NFL teams that he has improved the discipline issues that hurt him in 2019.

4/24/21: Against Penn State in Week 2, Wade had some problems with wide receiver Jahan Dotson. Dotson got the better of Wade on a few plays, but on some receptions, Wade was in good position with close coverage, but Dotson just made excellent plays on the ball. Taking on Indiana, Wade had a mixed game, including his first career pick-six, which ended up as the game-winning score, but he also gave up a long touchdown pass. He also had some uneven moments versus Northwestern and some struggles against Clemson.

Wade is still developing as an outside corner. Team sources say Wade is big and fast and has upside, but he has a lot of issues in technique that lead to him giving up plays.

9/5/20: The selfish and foolish Big Ten presidents and commissioner Kevin Warren made the decision to protect their job security over considering the science that football players are more likely to die in a car accident driving to practice than from COVID-19. Wade is one of the players who is really hurt by this decision, hence why Wade's father has led a protest of the decision.

The lost season hurts Wade from showing NFL teams that he is capable of being a starting outside corner along with playing in the slot and safety. If Wade had proven he is a good outside corner as well in 2020, he could have been the top cornerback prospect and a high first-rounder. With Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette in the NFL, Wade was in a position to move to the outside in 2020, and it would have really helped his draft grade if he played well there, as it would demonstrate the versatility to be effective at numerous spots in coverage for the next level. The Jacksonville, Florida product missed the 2017 season because of abdominal surgery.

Wade recorded 25 tackles with eight passes broken up, an interception and two sacks in 2019. He made some impressive plays for the Buckeyes and was a bigger presence than the numbers indicate. During the fall, I reported that team sources said they believed Wade was likely to go back to Ohio State for 2020, which is what happened.

Wade has a good skill set to develop with a ton of upside. He had a strong debut for the Buckeyes in 2018, totaling 31 tackles, three interceptions, seven passes defended and one forced fumble on the year. Even though Wade has the size to line up on the outside, Ohio State played him mostly at slot cornerback in 2018 and 2019, and he did well there while also playing some safety.

4/24/21: If Melifonwu's name probably sounds familiar, it is because his older brother Obi Melifonwu was a second-round pick of the Raiders in the 2017 NFL Draft. Ifeatu Melifonwu had a solid 2020 season, recording 55 tackles with one sack, one interception and eight passes defended. It was a big jump from his previous seasons of play, but his 2020 season was good enough to earn him a Senior Bowl invitation.

Like his brother, Melinfonwu has a good skill set but is not a natural player. Obi Melifonwu was a bust in the NFL in part because of bad influences, so it will be interesting to see if his younger brother can avoid those mistakes.

4/24/21: Oklahoma's defense struggled in the early going of 2020, but Brown played well for the Sooners. Brown needed to improve his production in 2020, and he did. After a solid season, team sources say Brown helped himself with a good week of practice at the Senior Bowl.

9/5/20: Brown had a solid junior year for Oklahoma. He projects as a slot nickel corner candidate for the NFL. He needs to improve his production in 2020.

4/24/21: Mukuamu made an interception against Florida, but he also struggled in coverage against the Gators' receivers and dealt with injuries. He is a giant corner, but he has issues running with speed and preventing separation. Mukuamu is limited to being a press-man or zone corner at the next level.

9/5/20: Mukuamu was very good in 2019, producing four interceptions, nine passes broken up and 59 tackles. The sophomore put together a huge game against Georgia, shutting down the Bulldogs' passing attack to lead the Gamecocks to a huge upset win.

Mukuamu is a big corner who fights and competes. The question to get answered during his junior year will be if he has enough speed to be an early-rounder in the 2021 NFL Draft.

4/24/21: Under Jimmy Lake and Chris Petersen, Washington has produced a lot of quality defensive backs prospects for the NFL, and Molden will carry that tradition on in the 2021 NFL Draft. Lake was a former defensive backs coach with Tampa Bay, and the Huskies' defensive back prospects have been a very polished and well-rounded players. That grooming has Molden looking like an early contributor at the next level.

Molden had an impressive 2019 season, showing good ball production and a willingness to tackle. In limited action, he played well in the shortened 2020 season. Some team sources don't think Molden can play corner in the NFL and should move to safety and could be a safety similar to Ricardo Allen. They feel Molden will have a tough covering in man. He is instinctive and productive, but is small, has some tightness, and lacks speed. They believe he is neither fast enough nor athletic enough to play nickel corner, yet also lacks the size, strength, and physical tools to play safety.

4/24/21: In 2020, Williams produced well for Syracuse in terms of tackles and plays on the ball. He is a sleeper corner who could be a good value pick.

9/5/20: Williams is a tall and lean corner who played a lot of nickelback and slot corner for Syracuse in 2019. He had a solid debut for the Orange, but Williams did not produce much ball production. Given his height and weight, he is a large nickel for the NFL, so he might be a better fit on the outside at the pro level.

4/24/21: Thomas was a solid corner for Michigan in 2020. He has some limitations for the NFL and looks more like a backup corner and special teams contributor.

9/5/20: Thomas was a solid corner for Michigan in 2019. He should add some weight for the NFL, but he could have the skill set to grow into a starting role. Thomas also has been a contributor on special teams, including returning kicks.

4/24/21: Bynum had a quiet 2020 season. He has quality size, but his speed could be an issue for him in the NFL.

9/5/20: Bynum has been a solid defender for California and broke into the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman. He has been a good tackler and steady defender for California. The senior needed a chance to turn more pass breakups into interceptions during 2020 to help his stock for the 2021 NFL Draft.

4/24/21: Graham might fit best as a slot corner in the NFL.

9/5/20: Graham has been a 3-year starter and a good cover corner for Oregon. Not only does Graham play well in coverage overall, he's a good contributor as a run defender. As a sophomore, Graham had huge ball production with 21 breakups and three interceptions. However, teams were throwing at him a lot. Graham could rise as a senior, but if he is shorter than his listed height, he will likely be relegated to the slot.

4/24/21: Wilson did not impress for Florida in 2020, but he was not abused in coverage either. He has limitations and looks like a backup for the NFL.

9/5/20: Wilson was steady overall in coverage for the Gators in 2019, but he was wise to return to Florida to improve before going to the NFL. Team sources say they were grading Wilson in the middle of the third day of the 2020 NFL Draft before he decided to return to school. With C.J. Henderson moving on to the NFL, Wilson could be the Gators' No. 1 corner in 2020, and if he has a good year, his stock for the 2021 NFL Draft could skyrocket.

Wilson went out early in the 2018 season with a torn ACL. With C.J. Henderson, Wilson formed a dynamic duo of young cornerbacks for the Gators in 2017. Wilson recorded 34 tackles and 10 passes broken up that season. 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 the 2017 NFL Draft.

4/24/21: Rochell made three tackles in 2020, but only notched stats in one game. Rochell did not do enough at the Senior Bowl to help himself rise.

9/5/20: Rochell recorded nine interceptions over the past two years and possesses good height and length for the NFL. He definitely needs to add weight and strength to match up against pro receivers, who would push him around at his current size. If Rochell performs well as a senior and then at an all-star game, he could be a riser.

4/24/21: Castro-Fields is a solid defender who held his own in 2020.

9/5/20: Castro-Fields had a solid 2019 season for Penn State, contributing well in coverage and in run defense. He is a solid corner who could be better now that he has a year of experience.

4/24/21: Lenoir didn't impress in 2020.

9/5/20: After rotating onto the field as a freshman, Lenoir became a starter in his second season and hasn't missed a start for Oregon since. He had a good junior year with solid coverage and tackling as a run defender. Lenoir could have helped himself by creating more splash plays as a senior.

4/24/21: Taylor has good size with length, but he might be better off moving to safety because of speed limitations.

9/5/20: Taylor had a solid junior year in his first year as a starter. His height and length help make him a good corner to take on big receivers. He also is a tough run defender. Taylor needed to improve his ball production as a senior.

4/24/21: Echols was solid for the Wildcats in 2020, but his size limitations make him a slot candidate for the NFL. While Kelvin Joseph had a better skill set, Echols was the more reliable cover corner for the Wildcats.

9/5/20: The JUCO product Echols had a good debut for Kentucky in 2019. Even though he is undersized, Echols is a willing tackler and gritty defender. He needs to add weight for the NFL, but he could grow into being a slot corner as a pro.

4/24/21: Vincent opted out of the 2020 season. For the NFL, Vincent will have to compete as a slot corner. Some teams have him graded as a late-round pick.

9/5/20: Vincent would be ranked higher if he were taller, but at his height, he could be limited to being a slot corner in the NFL. Over the past two seasons, Vincent has been the nickelback for LSU, and he showed big improvement as a junior.

Vincent is very fast and a track competitor, so he should test well leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft. If Vincent had shown some ability to line up outside as a senior, similar to Donte Jackson or a Janoris Jenkins, that could really help him to rise.

4/24/21: Brown made a number of splash plays in 2020. If he were bigger, he would be rated higher.

9/5/20: Brown saw the field in 2019 and had a decent season as the Spartans' nickelback. He missed half the year with injury, but came back and closed out the season well. Brown is a nickel corner candidate for the next level.

4/24/21: Thompson did not stand out in 2020 and should have gone back to school instead of entering the 2021 NFL Draft.

9/5/20: Thompson was a corner for the Volunteers over his freshman and sophomore years. He could rise as an upperclassmen, but he needs to gain weight and get stronger. If he is shorter than his listed height, Thompson will probably be a slot corner for the NFL.

4/24/21: Daniel was a solid corner for Georgia in 2020, but he has some limitations for the NFL. Some teams have him graded as a late-round pick to compete for a backup role and special teams duty.

9/5/20: Daniel has good height and length, but needs to fill out his frame to cover NFL receivers. The junior college product worked his way into being a starter in his first season with the Bulldogs. He had a good 2019 considering his jump in competition. It would help Daniel to make more plays on the ball and create some interceptions as a senior.

4/24/21: Webb was a solid corner for Georgia in 2019 and 2020. He has quality size to him. Some team sources see Webb as a tweener who doesn't have the skills to play cornerback and lacks the tackling ability to play safety.

9/5/20: After serving as a backup for two years, Webb became a starter as a junior and had a respectable first season. His run defense is ahead of his pass coverage. Over his senior year, Webb needs to illustrate improved pass coverage.

4/24/21: McPhearson had some good moments in 2020, but also did not look good against Texas, Iowa State and Kansas State.

9/5/20: McPhearson redshirted one year and then served as a backup for two years at Penn State before transferring to Texas Tech. He had a solid debut for the Red Raiders in 2019, showing an ability to cover and defend the run.