Nor any National Football League Team, or any NFLPA player. After appearing in only four games as a true freshman, Hodges-Tomlinson had a breakout sophomore season in 2020. He finished the year with four interceptions and five passes defended. Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. Reed, New York Jets 19) Tyson Campbell, Jacksonville Jaguars 20) Jaycee Horn, Carolina Panthers 21) Tariq Woolen, Seattle Seahawks 22) Desmond King II, Houston Texans 23) Kader Kohou, Miami Dolphins 24) Cameron Sutton, Pittsburgh Steelers The 2022 PFF College Football Preview Guide has just dropped and in conjunction with that is an expansion of PFFs preseason positional rankings that will be rollled out over the next couple of weeks. 1. NCAA CB Position Grades | PFF Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State: The former four-star prospect was the Bulldogs top defensive recruit last season. His best year came when he was a freshman, as he had four interceptions and five passes defended. New Chiefs cornerback Nic Jones took the hard way to Kansas City Ranking the 5 best college football cornerbacks in 2022 - Sportskeeda Turner took on a starting spot for the first time in his Michigan career in Week 8 this past season and performed at a high level from that point forward. His breaks and processing speed shined down the stretch for Utah. Alexander's interception numbers are not there but he is this high on this list because he only gave up 353 yards in coverage in all of 2020. Power Rankings are PFFs NCAA power ratings based on weekly player grades in each facet of play. Clark didnt let his scholarship go to waste after he tallied 47 tackles and picked off three passes. Charles Woods, West Virginia Mountaineers, Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Joey Porter Jr., Penn State Nittany Lions, Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU Horned Frogs, Alabama plucked college football's top returning cornerback out of the transfer portal in Eli Ricks, who comes from, Ricks' physicality at the line of scrimmage and catch point makes him a difficult cornerback to beat outright. Elam also recovered a fumble in the bowl loss to Oklahoma. ), Rankings&Projections |WR/CB Matchup Chart |NFL & NCAA Betting Dashboards | NFL Player Props Tool | NFL & NCAA Power Rankings CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. (Photo: Derick E. Hingle, USA TODAY Sports), "Stingley might be the best athlete to take the field this fall," Treash wrote. Mullen made his presence felt with eight total tackles in the opening win over Penn State. Jay Ward, LSU: The Georgia native racked up 29 tackles, blocked a kick, intercepted three passes and broke up six more for the Bayou Bengals last season. 17. He allowed just six catches on 19 targets while making seven total plays on the ball when he was tasked with single coverage. 9. Over his last six games, the 2020 No. Yes. Eli Ricks, LSU: Last season he delivered on all the hype that he arrived with as a five-star recruit. . Boston College has a few key players on offense, but DeBerry is by far the best player on their defense. Now, did he make some mistakes this past season? Duck was great during his true freshman season in 2019, totaling 37 tackles, five pass breakups, two interceptions, and one touchdown. 2021 High School Pos Rankings State Rankings. The Top Five 1. He had one pass defended and one interception in 2021. Privacy Policy. Before his injury-riddled 2021 campaign, Ricks produced at an extraordinarily high level for a true freshman. He looked excellent in 150 coverage snaps playing press coverage, allowing only two first downs on those reps. Strong started off on fire, with four solo tackles, including one for loss and forced a fumble in the win over Kansas. He also took an interception 90 yards to the house in the bowl victory over Tulsa. NCAA Player Grades PFF analyzes every player and every play of every FBS game in the 2022 NCAA season. Seahawks take Witherspoon at No. 5, Smith-Njigba at No. 20 Now a month into the 2022 college football season, I decided it was time to rank the five best players for each position at this very moment. Ringo sealed the National Championship Game for Georgia last season with his pick-six. Canteen tallied 34 solo tackles and broke up 10 passes in 13 games. *Caleb Farley 6-1, 207 Virginia Tech 5. He was also the No. video for Did Steph Curry cook up the best Game 7 performance ever? ), Alabama plucked the top cornerback returning to college football out of the transfer portal in Eli Ricks, who comes from, Ricks' physicality at the line of scrimmage and catch point make him a difficult cornerback to beat outright. The Rank value requires a minimum number of snaps played. "The Tigers deployed a healthy dose of man coverage last season, and unlike most first-year corners in the SEC, Ricks handled it like a pro," Treash wrote. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Life is a bit easier for a cornerback when playing for one of the best front sevens college football has ever seen, as Ringo did in 2021, but he more than proved to be a talented player with a high ceiling. Luter missed the final two outings due to injury, but we wont let that take away from what he did in 10 games as a starter this past season. Best Bets Tool. Notre Dames first game is against Ohio State, who has the premier wide receiver room in the country, so Hart has to be prepared in week 1. Its time to ramp up the preview for the 2022 college football season as Week 0 is just weeks away. Dont underestimate this 5-foot-9, 177-pound corner hes going to play far more physically than his size suggests.". Before he was a Tar Heel, Duck was a 247Sports Composite three-star recruit out of Boiling Springs, South Carolina. He is a talented and experienced corner with nine career passes defended. McCreary tallied three solo tackles, forced a fumble and picked off a pass in the opening win over Kentucky. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NCAA player performance data. Additional 2020 college football recruiting links: 2020 College Football Recruiting Tracker and Grades, 2020 College Football Top Recruiting Classes, $$ Pure WalterFootball with no advertisements for $7.99 a month. Last year, he had five PBUs. 163 ranked cornerback in the recruiting class of 2019. Before his commitment to Florida, Elam was a 247Sports Composite four-star recruit out of North Palm Beach, Florida. Booth hauled in an interception and broke up two passes against Virginia. The 2019 No. 5. He was also the No. When should Pirates fans buy into this team? Hart had two interceptions and seven passes defended in 2021. Andrew Booth, Clemson: The former five-star prospect proved his value to the Tigers defense last season and finished with second-team All-ACC honors. He was also the No. Coming off an 11-interception season during the 2021 NFL season expectations were set high for Diggs entering the 2022 NFL season. Surtain is the surest thing at corner in this year's class. These 2022 college football recruiting rankings have been compiled after sifting through well over 2,000 names and even more video clips and highlight reels of the best high school football players in the country. He broke up three passes apiece against Texas, Texas Tech and West Virginia. Coming in at number 10 on the Top 10 NFL Cornerbacks 2023 rankings list is the Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs. Here are the best cornerbacks in college football from the best 15 heading into the 2023 season. Last season Clark generated 36 tackles and broke up 10 passes in 10 games. Williams has already broken up three passes, intercepted two, forced and recovered a fumble each. We are on to the 2022 season, where teams across the country will compete for a chance to play for the College Football Playoff National Championship at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. Theres still a lot to be figured out between now and then with team rosters and depth charts the transfer portal deadline is months away. He has earned an 83.5 coverage grade since 2020 with zero catches allowed in 10 of his games played. Although he left Georgia right before they won the National Championship, Stevenson played well for Miami in 2021. He played in just two games due to a knee injury in 2021. Before his injury-riddled 2021 campaign, Ricks produced at an extraordinarily high level for a true freshman. Not only are those long arms a legit make-up tool, but they also make it very tough for receivers to hold onto the ball as he rakes through their hands. Clark Phillips III (true soph) has been one of the top DBs out west in the second half of the season. Thats not even half of that entire groups average.". Full Patriots draft. The California native also had an interception in victories over South Carolina and Florida. South Alabamas Darrell Luter is an interesting one to keep an eye on in 2021, he allowed just 12 receptions off 49 targets for 88 yards with four interceptions. He had three interceptions and six passes defended. 11. In high school, he clocked a verified 4.35 40 time. Not to mention Canteen generated four solo tackles and picked off two passes in the win over Troy. College Football: Ranking the top 10 returning CBs in 2021 and a - PFF "He is just one of three outside corners in the Power Five who has generated a coverage grade above 75.0 in both man and zone coverage since 2019. From that point on, Woods was the highest-graded corner in the Power Five. Hes not flying up in run support and wants to make every tackle necessary, but his pursuit speed across the field is definitely an asset. The Razorbacks defense should be vastly improved this fall and Clark will be a ballhawk out of the secondary. TE. Especially considering how well hes played for an otherwise so-so South Carolina Gamecocks team. Oregon Football: Oregon Cornerback Christian Gonzalez Selected by New The 5-foot-10, 165-pounder followed up that performance with nine total tackles, including six solo, against Boston College. There is one player from a non-Power Five conference who makes the list. Oregon's Christian Gonzalez and Illinois' Devon Witherspoon are the two best cornerbacks in this year's draft. 19. He had 13 passes defended in 2020, then produced two interceptions and seven passes defended in 2021. All Rights Reserved. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & resort (KS). First Take - Top Cornerbacks for the 2021 NFL Draft - Sports Illustrated Will Shipley, Clemson Kobe Pace and Lyn-J Dixon are likely to occupy the top two spots on the depth chart for the Tigers. Browns 2021 man-coverage grade ranked seventh among all FBS corners. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound corner has some legit bounce and quicks. Listed in alphabetical order. Patrick Surtain was a physical. Did Steph Curry cook up the best Game 7 performance ever? College Football's 20 best cornerbacks of 2021 March 16, 2021 Lynn Harrington Indiana's Tiawan Mullen after a 38-31 victory over Nebraska, Saturday October 26, 2019 at Memorial Stadium. NFL Draft Cornerback Rankings 2021: From The College Perspective Sometimes called cover 4, is similar to cover 3 except each CB has an outside quarter and each safety has an inside quarter. The former four-star prospect tallied six total tackles, including four solo and an interception against Texas A&M. There were some lofty expectations for Phillips after being a highly-touted recruit. 265. 2023 NFL Draft: Best Undrafted Free Agents. Floridas defense struggled in 2021 and Marshalls emergence can really help them improve this season. Jobe will enter his senior year in 2021 for the Crimson Tide. 7 Penn State 152.31. Stingley tallied six total tackles, including five solo in the road win at Vanderbilt. He played just 436 snaps the past two seasons combined but still shined when on the field. The California native racked up seven total tackles, including five solo and broke up a pass at California. The two-time, All-Big Ten performer was selected in the third round Friday night by the Philadelphia Eagles. TRE'VIUS HODGES-TOMLINSON, TCU After playing less than 100 snaps as a three-star true freshman in 2019, Hodges-Tomlinson struggled to a 45.4 coverage grade in TCU's 2020 opener. Turner will have his hands full in the Big Ten against some good receivers, but he is a solid player in his own right. In seven games,Stingley was targeted 30 times, allowing just seven first downs while forcing five incompletions. In the 2021 NFL Draft, five cornerbacks were drafted in the first round, including two that were selected as top-ten picks. In 2022, Phillips will be a tough player to go up against. Luter has gained some national attention, despite playing at a small school. Woods is an outstanding zone corner who has the capability of being the best Big 12 defensive back in 2022. "In all, 265 of his 600 coverage snaps have come in press coverage, yet he's given up only 0.47 yards per coverage snap on those reps, the best mark among Power Five cornerbacks who have played at least 250 press-coverage snaps in that span. But at the end of the day, he performed at a high-level given his age and experience. Top 10 returning cornerbacks in college football for the 2022 season - PFF Opposing Offensive Coordinators avoided his side of the field because he can blanket 50 yards like its nothing. The 2020 college football season featured a ton of talented cornerback play acrossevery single conference. 10. I like how he actively approaches blockers and disengages when the ball comes his way. QB | RB | WR | TE | iOL | OT | DI | EDGE | LB | CB | S. Mullens 2021 campaign was derailed by an injury, limiting him to only four starts and 227 snaps overall. He looked excellent in 150 coverage snaps playing press coverage, allowing only two first downs on those reps. Here are the top 25 college football cornerbacks heading into the 2022 season. 2021 NFL Draft - Top Cornerbacks Taylor-Britt had four solo tackles and an interception in the home win over Penn State. Ricks picked off a pass in each of LSUs first two games against Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. ELI RICKS, ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE Alabama plucked the top cornerback returning to college football out of the transfer portal in Eli Ricks, who comes from LSU . Mullen made clutch plays at Wisconsin, with three solo tackles, a forced fumble and a sack. Luter was tested with 45 targets in coverage but only allowed a 26.7% catch rate and actually came up with more combined interceptions and pass breakups (14) than catches allowed (12). 24. Brandon Crossley, SMU:The Dallas native recorded 21 tackles, intercepted four passes and broke up five more for the Mustangs last season. 2023 NFL Draft: Grades for all 31 first-round picks Its quite clear he already has an excellent feel for the position and could be the first Thorpe Award winner from Alabama since star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in 2017. Mandatory Credit: Brad McClenny-USA TODAY NETWORK. 5 Notre Dame 174.38. After all, his career was limited to nine starts two in 2019, one in 2020, and six in 2021. Taking a look at the list based on conferences, the SEC leads the way with four players ranked. Before LSU, Ricks was a 247Sports Composite five-star recruit out of Rancho Cucamonga, California. Oregon has one of the top cornerback duos in college football, and arguably the best secondary in the nation, so it's no surprise one of their cornerbacks made it onto my list. "His man-coverage grade ranked first among all Power Five cornerbacks in 2020, and he allowed just six catches on 19 targets while making seven total plays on the ball when he was tasked with single coverage.". Georgias Kelee Ringo, Michigans DJ Turner, and Kansas States Julius Brents will all go early as well. Alabama plucked college football's top returning cornerback out of the transfer portal in Eli Ricks, who comes from LSU. The Georgia native tallied seven total tackles in the win at Georgia Tech. Copyright 2008-2021 Drafttek.com. 2023 NFL Draft prospects: Ranking top cornerback in this year's draft Not to mention he was named the leagues Newcomer of the Year and earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors. Now, did he make some mistakes this past season? He's big, powerful, extremely fluid, and well coached. Avery had four solo tackles apiece against Purdue and Nebraska. When talking about play-makers at the cornerback spot, Riley Moss at Iowa has been as good at it as anybody since the start of the 2021 college football season. 9) Thomas Graham Jr., Oregon. Here is the order from least to top, name and their team (which represents the University). And Turner did that despite playing a decent amount of press-man and being picked on with the 13th-highest target rate among that group at 17.4%. You canlikeThe Game Haus on Facebook andfollowus on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers! Quarterbacks dont always look to throw to Pritchetts side of the field because of his coverage ability. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NCAA player performance data. Its quite clear he already has an excellent feel for the position and could be the first Thorpe Award winner from Alabama since star safety, Across 530 snaps as a true freshman in 2019, Duck recorded a 78.7 PFF grade a top-12 mark among Power Five true freshmen in the, CHARLES WOODS, WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS.