2023 NFL Draft Slot Cornerback Rankings

1. Clark Phillips III, Utah

HT: 5092
WT: 193
Year: Super Sophomore
High School: La Habra (La Habra, CA)
Rating: 4-star (0.9744)
Clark Phillips has been a starter since the moment he stepped on campus, and he’s added 15 pounds since then. He played on the boundary at Utah, but his size should limit him to the slot. I could be wrong – we’ve seen Asante Samuel Jr play well for the Chargers on the boundary. He played a ton of zone coverage in the Utah scheme, playing mostly a shell coverage style.

Pros:

Great quickness. He should test very well.
Very quick laterally. Good, consistent feet.
Ridiculously explosive athlete.
Shows some solid change of direction.
Solid man-coverage ability.
Ballhawk in zone coverage. Took two interceptions back to the house in the first 6 games of 2022.
Quick recognition. He can get caught guessing the play, but difficult to get him in that position.

Cons:

Long speed might be a little more suspect. He looks to be in that 4.55-4.60 range.
Hips might be slightly stiff, but cheating up and exploding back is flawless.
Decent tackler. Doesn’t really wrap up, but attacks with a lot of hit power. Intense at the point of contact.

2. Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU

HT: 5086
WT: 177
Year: Super Junior
High School: Midway (Waco, TX)
Rating: 3-star (0.8419)
A willing run defender, Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson plays on the boundary for TCU but will be projected into the slot at the next level. He’s an excellent athlete with a lot of juice and flexibility, but his frame and lack of play strength limit him even in a slot role. THT is the nephew of TCU legend LaDanian Tomlinson and chose TCU over Baylor, Kansas State, and Iowa State.

Pros:

Very good speed. He can fly when he needs to. Should run a sub 4.4.
Acceleration is good. Very explosive athlete.
Fluid hips. Excellent athlete.
Shows good recovery ability with an insane burst.
Settles into his zone with proper depth.
Good recognition ability in zone coverage. Seamlessly adjusts to the play.

Cons:

He lacks a lot of upper-body play strength to make him a more effective defender.
Not a great wrap-up tackler, but THT makes some plays through blocks to trip ball carriers up. He attacks the ball to try and strip the runner. Puts a lot of effort into run defense.
Pursuit angles are very meh. Struggles to get it right consistently and is just a step behind.
A step slow sometimes when reacting to the catch point.

3. Marquis Williams, Pittsburgh

HT: 5080
WT: 180
Year: Super Redshirt Junior
High School: Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Rating: 3-star (0.8600)

Pros:

Has a little upper body strength, overall is average in this area.
Flashes some ability to recover deep in the rep.
Plays solid man coverage. Has a lack of speed that will allow separation downfield against speed, but is good working through breaks and staying in the hip pocket of the receiver. Ballhawk – loves to jump routes.
Likes to play with some physicality. Not overly, but enough to put pressure on the receiver.
Capable zone coverage. Didn’t play it much in the Pitt scheme.

Cons:

Looks a step slow. He struggled to handle speed receivers on the perimeter.
Takes an additional step to get up to speed – somewhat concerning.
Average explosion.
Hips are a little bit stiff but workable.
Not a great nor willing tackler.
Doesn’t have a great jam technique and loses his edge when he tries to jam.

4. Brion Murray, Virginia Tech

HT: 5095
WT: 185
Year: Super Senior
High School: Milford (Milford, DE)
JUCO: Coffeyville (Coffeyville, KS)
Rating: 3-star (0.8304)
Murray is a very versatile prospect who offers upside not only out of the slot but as a special teams defender. Murray played special teams at Virginia Tech for most of his career. Now, as a super senior, he’s starting on the boundary for the Hokies and holding up decently well. His lack of size should move him back inside once he makes the jump up to the next level.

Pros:

Decent speed, good for the slot. Good lateral quickness.
Shows good tackling ability, especially for his size.
Has a very nice backpedal. He will give up some positioning but fights well in those situations to the football.
Physical when he needs to be. Attacks the catch point, oftentimes through the receiver.
He does a great job switching assignments on different rub/switch concepts.

Cons:

Change of direction isn’t great. Hips are good, but not great.
I don’t see a lot of recovery ability from Murray.
Pursuit angles are seriously lacking.
He doesn’t react to cuts as well as he could and surrenders some space at the top of routes.
I would like to see a better feel for positioning in his zone.
He doesn’t like to play physically through press coverage.

5. D’Jordan Strong, Coastal Carolina

HT: 5106
WT: 175
Year: Super Senior
High School: South Panola (Batesville, MS)
JUCO: Northeast Mississippi (Booneville, MS)
Rating: 3-star (0.8074)
D’Jordan Strong played on the perimeter in college, but because of his lack of size, I believe that Strong best projects playing inside.

Pros:

Good speed. Keeps up with receivers well. Should be below a 4.5 forty.
Good acceleration. Gets up to speed quickly.
Stays with the receiver in the hip pocket. Sticky man coverage corner.
Likes to play with physicality in coverage, and is good about tempering himself.

Cons:

Average upper body strength.
Not a great wrap up tackler.
Pursuit angles aren’t great. Misses tackles outright often.
Not great at reacting to timing concepts.
Would like to see him turn and locate the ball better.
Plays down to the catch point on account of his lack of size. Tends to play too soft in zone. Stays too soft.