With the 2022 NFL Draft just around the corner, I have been furiously looking over All-22 tape of most draft-eligible prospects. Lately I’ve been studying the top cornerbacks in the class. Tampa Bay could easily use a top pick to address the future of their cornerback room. Of the team’s top three cornerbacks, only Carlton Davis III is under contract beyond this season.

However, the Bucs do have six cornerbacks under contract for 2022 (seven if you include Logan Ryan). From a short-term perspective, the Bucs could ignore the position in the draft and be fine this year. Long-term though, that is quite the dicey proposition. And so the position becomes one that certainly can be addressed.

But at what point in the draft? And with what player? I’ll be giving you a rundown of my top 10 cornerbacks in the draft. Much of the data I pulled for the stats and NFL Scouting Combine data for these players can be found in an incredible resource in Dane Brugler’s Draft Guide for the Athletic.

How I Evaluate

Before we get to the rankings themselves, I think it’s important for me to describe what traits I find most valuable as an evaluator. There will be talented players that rate lower on my board for different reasons. And many of those players I am sure will become very good players in the NFL in systems that cater to their strengths. For me as an evaluator, there are two things to note when I set up my board.

• How would they fit in the Bucs system? I write for Pewter Report, an outlet that covers the Bucs. It makes sense that I would cater my rankings to the team I cover. That means players like Roger McCreary or Marcus Jones move down my board due to the fact that the Bucs have not coveted players with similar body-types in the past.

• Upside over floor. In general, I tend to value players who have higher ceilings than players who have higher floors.

With all of that out of the way, here are my top 10 cornerbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft.

10. Coby Bryant, Cincinnati (6-1, 193, 4.54)

Athletically, Bryant profiles very similarly to a current Bucs cornerback. Consider these combine/pro-day measurements between Bryant and Carlton Davis III:

Player     Height    Weight    40-yd    20-yd    10-yd    VJ    BJ      SS      3C      BP

Davis      6-2           203         4.53        2.64       1.59       34    10’4   4.31   7.30   16

Bryant    6-1            193         4.54        2.63       1.59       33    10’2   4.33   7.31   17

Now they aren’t identical, as Davis’ wingspan is almost six inches longer. Bryant doesn’t just remind me of Davis in body type though. Two words came to mind as I watched Bryant: length and physicality. Sound like anyone you know, Bucs fans? Bryant loves to use his hands to disrupt receivers in their routes, and he makes plays on the ball. Over his last two years, he logged 25 passes defensed and seven interceptions. While his wingspan is shorter than typical Bucs fits (and part of the reason he isn’t higher on this list), he plays big.

The concerns with Bryant’s game will center on his long speed. He improved his 40-time at his pro day from 4.54 to 4.47. But he doesn’t play as fast as the quickest receivers. Also, he can flip his hips too early at the top of the route, allowing receivers to get open underneath. Bryant is currently projected to be a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

9. Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska (5-11, 196, 4.38)

Nebraska CB Cam Taylor-Britt – Photo by: USA Today

Taylor-Britt was a three-year starter for Nebraska where he racked up 140 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, 27 passes defensed and six interceptions. While his height is a bit below what the Bucs typically look for in corners, it is his physicality that jumps off the tape.

Taylor-Britt is not afraid to get dirty in the run game. It’s obvious from his tackles-for-loss and forced fumbles that he likes to make sure that offensive players know when he is taking them down. That physicality also shows up in press coverage, as he uses his hands well to re-route receivers. These qualities would make him a great fit in the slot for the Bucs, where he can assist in the run game and match up well with bigger receivers, as well as smaller, quick pass-catchers.

Moving forward, Taylor-Britt must work on his ball skills. He only had six interceptions for his career, and only three in his last two years. When the ball is in the air downfield, he can be late to get his head around. He also can be susceptible to double moves, not unlike Jamel Dean. Taylor-Britt is currently projected to be a late second- to early third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

8. Tariq Woolen, UTSA (6-4, 205, 4.26)

Woolen is the definition of projection. It will be interesting to see where he gets drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft. Big, fast and agile he has every physical feature you would want out of a Bucs corner. He has an almost perfect Relative Athletic Score. What he doesn’t have is a lot of tape against top competition. And that will hurt his draft stock some.

Woolen has good use of his hands to make receivers uncomfortable. Loose hips allow him to cover shorter, more sudden routes, and he has the long speed to keep up with any receiver in the league. His tape showed good instincts in man coverage to allow him to stay in phase and on receivers hip pockets. He is willing to shadow a route ot deceive a quarterback into making a decision to throw his way before hitting a second gear to get into the route and disrupt the pass.

Questions around Woolen will center on level of competition and lack of experience (he only started 22 games in his college career). He has also dealt with injuries each of his last two years. His hand fighting will lead to penalties as well and he is still learning how to process zone coverage. Woolen is currently projected to be a third-round pick.

7. Zyon McCollum, Sam Houston State (6-2, 199, 4.33)

McCollum was previously featured in Pewter Report’s Mock Draft 3.0. As good of a RAS as Woolen scored (and it was great!), McCollum takes the prize for best score in the last 30 years. He scored a perfect 10.0 when looking at his size, speed, agility, and explosion. His tape backs up this athleticism. He uses his size and speed to overpower and overmatch most receivers. McCollum doesn’t panic when losing route-leverage and can easily recover and get back in phase. He is a smart player who understands route concepts which allows him to undercut routes and make plays on the ball. And make plays he does. McCollum registered 13 interceptions over his career at Sam Houston State.

The biggest knock I could find on McCollum is his lack of hand usage. It hasn’t held him back to this point in his career, but he hasn’t faced the best competition. He will need to learn how to use his hands to disrupt and re-route receivers for him to take his game to the next level. That should be a skill that can be coached, but how long it takes him to develop that part of his game will be key to how quickly he can adapt to the NFL game. McCollum is an interesting eval and could go anywhere from the second to the fourth round in the 2022 NFL Draft.

6. Kyler Gordon, Washington (5-11, 194, 4.52)

Washington CB Kyler Gordon – Photo by: USA Today

As good as Gordon was at Washington, he was a bit overshadowed by the player who will be No. 5 on this list. That’s not to say Gordon isn’t a very good corner who will make an impact on an NFL team in the future. Gordon played well matched up in both zone and man coverage. He shows fluid hips that allow him to pattern match with good route runners. His closing speed was evident when he had to come down on receiver screens. He showed good route recognition to stay in phase with receivers at the top of their stems.

Gordon’s two biggest flaws center around his lack of play-making (only one career interception) and his inconsistency in form tackling. Occasionally he will look to go with a big hit leading with his shoulder instead of using sound wrap-up techniques that will lead to misses. Gordon should be off the board in the 2022 NFL draft somewhere in the second round.

5. Trent McDuffie, Washington (5-11, 193, 4.44)

McDuffie checks very few boxes when you look at his body-profile against what the Bucs covet. He still ranks high on my list because sometimes a player just balls out to the point that you throw your “ideal profile” out the window and say I want to make room for him on my team. McDuffie is a guy I would want on my team. His height, arm-length and wingspan all show shorter than typical Bucs fits.

But when you put his tape on he just pops. He plays seamlessly in both man and zone coverage. He isn’t afraid to come into the scrum in run-defense and he is a sound tackler. This is evidenced by the three forced fumbles in his career and the four tackles for loss in 2021. He has a great processor allowing him to make plays on the ball quickly. McDuffie has also proven to be an effective blitzer. He looks to be scheme flexible and should be able to contribute Day 1.

With all of that said his size will cause some, myself included, pause. Can he match up against bigger receivers on the outside at the NFL level? That’s the one lingering question with him. McDuffie has frequently been mocked in the first round of the draft.

4. Kaiir Elam, Florida (6-1, 191, 4.39)

Florida CB Kaiir Elam – Photo by: USA Today

Elam shows the prototypical build for an outside corner in the NFL. This holds especially true for the Bucs mold. He has the height, build, speed, and wingspan that most teams covet. His tape shows a talented player who excels in man coverage. He uses his length and speed to dissuade quarterbacks from even considering throwing his way. This accounts for some rather pedestrian box score stats his final year at Florida (29 tackles, six passes defensed, one interception). But make no mistake Elam is a beast in coverage. He loves to play through receivers and getting his hands into the catch point.

Where Elam’s game struggles is with hip fluidity and form tackling. The latter issue can be corrected, but the former will be something he will have to play through at the next level. Elam is being mocked in the late first /early second rounds consistently.

3. Andrew Booth, Jr., Clemson (6-0, 194, DNP)

Despite only starting one full season at Clemson, Booth has put together some very good tape. His calling cards are fluid hips and great closing speed. He combines these traits with a good sense of how to operate in space to take away passing options from the quarterback. Booth makes quick accurate decisions that allow him to disrupt plays at the catch point. He is a strong tackler that uses sound technique to make plays in the open-field and assist in the run game. In his final year at Clemson he registered 39 tackles, three tackles for loss, eight passes defensed and three interceptions.

Booth’s opportunities lie in his patience to make sure he isn’t beat on double moves and struggles with consistency in press-man. Booth has also registered multiple injuries over the years including one that kept him from participating in the NFL Combine as well as his school’s pro day. Booth is currently grading out as a late first-round draft pick.

2. Ahmad Garner, Cincinnati (6-3, 190, 4.41)

These last two comprise of the hot debate in the 2022 NFL Draft when it comes to corners. Both have amazing upside, but one has a more certain floor. As I stated at the beginning of this article, I prefer upside and so Ahmad “Sauce” Garner comes in as CB2 for me in this draft class.

Now there is a ton to like with Gardner. He stands just under 6-foot-3 with long arms that combine for an almost 80-inch wingspan. And he uses that length on the field, whether it be getting a good punch in press coverage or stretching to disrupt a pass at the catchpoint. Despite his long frame Garner has fluid hips that allow him to turn and adjust to route direction change in an instant. He combines this with easy speed that you can see on tape. Despite this he still raised eyebrows at the combine when he registered a 4.41 40-yard dash. Garner is also adept as a blitzer, as evidenced by his three sacks in 2021.

His only drawbacks are despite his tall frame, he doesn’t have a ton of weight to go with it. This leaves him at a disadvantage when playing against bigger corners who like to get physical with corners. His height can also lead to him playing a little too tall in his backpedal forcing him to use extra effort to get into his breaks. He was also penalized more than you want to see so he will need to clean up his form when the ball is in the air at the next level. Garner is seen as a prospect in the top half of the first round.

1. Derek Stingley, Jr., LSU, (6-0, 190, 4.44)

And now we get to the top spot. Stingley at his best has no peers in this class of corners. He combines amazing athleticism with a great feel for route concepts, a quick processor, and ball skills to present the potential for the perfect corner. Everyone talks about Stingley’s 2019 tape on the National Championship team. I didn’t look at it for this evaluation. I think it is worth mentioning what he was able to do that season as a look at what his ceiling can and has been. During that year Stingley had 21 passes defensed and six interceptions while grading out with the highest PFF score by any corner ever as a TRUE FRESHMAN.

What I did watch was Stingley this year. And what I saw was a physical player who landed punches with ease in press-man. He showed himself to be smart making good decisions to stay in phase with receivers throughout the entire route. He has fluid hips and short area burst that allow him to match against elite route-runners. A good wingspan and patient approach gave him ample opportunity to disrupt passes at the catchpoint.

Stingley is still learning how to best play in zone coverage and he isn’t as willing in run-support as most would like. But the number one knock against him is going to be centered on his ability to stay healthy. He has missed time in each of his last two years due to injuries, including a Lisfranc injury that shortened his 2021 campaign. This type of foot injury will be of special concern to teams as cornerbacks rely disproportionately on their feet to succeed. And so Stingley’s floor is quite low compared to the rest of the Top 6 on this list. But I maintain his ceiling still remains the highest out of any corner in this draft class and that is why he is No. 1.