DRAFT TRACKER 2024

Monroe’s frame and play strength are easy checkmarks in his favor, but he fails to meet the mark when it comes to the cover talent and athleticism needed to stay at cornerback in the NFL. Monroe looks like a press corner, but he is too impatient and lacks desired balance to stay connected to the release. He plays more confidently from off-man or short-zone looks and frequently takes the ball away when quarterbacks try to fit it in over the top of him. Monroe is too upright and sluggish with change of direction and transitions, but he has the toughness for a team to give him a look as a down safety.

While Duck’s size goes to waste as a run defender, he’s more than capable of utilizing it to aggressively contest throws in man coverage. He’s patient to time up jabs from press and does a nice job of bird-dogging the route from trail-man, but speedsters can run away from him as the route progresses. Duck lacks the premium athleticism and closing burst to play from off coverage and still create ball challenges. His size and peskiness at the catch point are tempting, but there might not be enough of the total package in place for him to make a roster.

Team captain with outstanding size but potentially too many holes in his game to stay at cornerback. Johnson has definitely improved his technique, but a fundamental lack of coverage fluidity and deep speed will be hard to cover up as a pro. Johnson could be seen as a developmental prospect whose tackling talent and size give a team an opportunity to develop him as a Cover 2 cornerback or in a transition to safety if he can run with functional speed.

Woods is missing the size and length to stay outside, so he will need to prove that his quickness can override his average speed from the slot. He’s patient from press and has adequate short-area footwork to stay close to most routes. When he falls behind, he’s unlikely to make up the difference against NFL competition. Jump balls can eat him up against receivers with size. Overall, his athletic ability appears to be good enough for consideration, but there might be too many holes for defensive coaches to poke in his game.

An outside cornerback in college, Stephens will need to play inside in the NFL due to a lack of size. His outstanding interception production (16) over the past two seasons, combined with a strong pro day performance, will force teams to take a deeper dive. He has twitchy feet but his technique is messy in coverage. He needs to improve his footwork, play with patient hips and do a better job of squeezing route breaks against slot receivers. While there are noteworthy elements to consider, his game tape is too rough right now.

Man-cover corner with below-average size who can press or play off coverage. Boatwright can be a smooth and twitchy athlete when his feet are right, but too often he gets caught with premature hips/foot movement that sees him fall behind. He gives away too much route freedom to receivers and takes passive recovery angles that prevent him from making as many plays as he could. Boatwright has adequate deep speed but is missing the jets to make up for much lost ground. His testing numbers are worthy of consideration, but the tape says he has a long way to go.

While Battle has posted electric athletic-testing numbers, the game tape shows he’s a much better athlete than cornerback right now. He lacks coverage instincts in man and has busts from deep zone coverage from time to time. He’s not a physical hitter or tackler, so a move to safety seems unlikely.

Nickel cornerback with good length and solid athletic-testing numbers but a lack of consistency. Norris has the physical talent for man coverage but gets manipulated out of position by route runners and isn’t always confident with his zone duties. He plays the run with good aggression and will attack ball-carriers with some zeal. His coverage has too many holes and might prevent Norris from getting much of a pro look.

Outside cornerback with decent size and feel for route recognition but a lack of chase speed that makes it tough to envision him sticking on a roster. Newsome plays with good aggression and is a tackle-finisher, but he’s not likely to make many plays on the ball. Look for Newsome to get into a camp as an undrafted free agent.

Sims has good size and great length, but he doesn’t have the functional change of direction needed to guard NFL wideouts. He will need to play tight to the line as a press-man corner. His backpedal is bumpy and he’s way too sticky in opening his hips to stay with the bends of a route. Teams could be tempted to try him as a Cover 3 cornerback, but he might lack the balance and instincts to make enough plays and he doesn’t tackle to his size frequently enough.

Dandy’s lack of size and difficulties dealing with big targets will force him to play inside at the next level. He has adequate speed and is a good athlete, but he is still very raw. His press technique frequently gets him beat off the release and he struggles to anticipate and consistently squeeze route breaks. Dandy might not develop quickly enough to stay connected to NFL slot targets.