2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Yusuf Corker

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Yusuf Corker, 5-11/204 Safety Kentucky

Yusuf Corker Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Physical force

Extremely tough and violent defender

Can serve as the eighth man in the box

Decisive to attack downhill

Bone-rattling tackler

Hard-nosed run defender

Has good-enough speed

Solid in intermediate zone coverage

Covers a lot of ground

Stays around the ball

Toughness

Special teams projection

Experienced against good college talent

Weaknesses:

Missed tackles

Can be overly aggressive

Pass-coverage limitations

Does not make many plays on the ball

Not a natural at free safety

Should not play man coverage on most slot receivers

Can bite on play-action

Limited in man coverage on tight ends

Summary: Over the past few seasons, Mark Stoops’ Kentucky program has produced a lot of tough football players, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Corker jumps out with his physicality, which made him one of the more violent defenders in college football over the past few years. He made an impact in 2019, with 74 tackles, an interception and four passes defended. Corker stayed consistent as a junior with 77 stops, two interceptions and two passes batted. In 2021, he collected 82 tackles and eight passes broken up.

Against the pass, Corker is better in zone coverage in the short to intermediate part of the field. He has the speed to cover ground there, but he doesn’t have great range to be a deep centerfielder as a free safety. Corker is a real enforcer in the middle of the field, punishing receivers coming across the middle. As a strong safety, Corker could contribute some man coverage on tight ends. He would not be a good man coverage safety on a top receiving talent, but against the average tight end, Corker could contribute that way.



Corker is a tough run defender who will deliver some bone-rattling hits and plays downhill looking to knock ball-carriers into next week. With his size and strength, Corker could contribute as the eighth man in the box and serve as a red-zone/goal-line run defender. He does a nice job of dodging blocks and getting to the ball-carrier when working through trash. He can, however, take some poor angles and be overly aggressive. That leads to some missed tackles, but with pro coaching, Corker could become more steady and cut down on that.

Corker could potentially go as high as the third round in the 2022 NFL Draft. If he slips to Day 3, he should go in the fourth or fifth round. Corker looks like a backup safety who could be a core special teams contributor and have the potential to develop into being a starting safety.



Player Comparison: D.J. Swearinger. Corker reminds me of Swearinger. They have similar skill sets, are almost identical in size, and play the game similarly with a physical style. Swearinger (5-10, 205) was up and down in the NFL, only playing well at times. Corker does not make as many plays in coverage as Swearinger did, and Swearinger did not miss as many tackles, but Corker is a similar striker and around-the-ball defender. In the NFL, Corker could end up being a similar caliber of safety to Swearinger.

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