2021 NFL Draft – Cornerback Rankings

Complete NFL Draft Rankings – CB:

You are currently viewing the best cornerbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft. Our top cornerback prospects are selected after thousands of hours carefully scouting the best defensive backs in college football. Even though only about 25 will get selected in the draft, a lot more are signed as free agents, and many more receive a training camp invite. Find who is a first round talent, and who is likely nothing more than a training camp body. Find draft sleepers, draft stars, who will be a bust, and who is being undervalued.

BNB Football is the best place for in-depth analysis of 2021 cornerback prospects at all levels of college football. To view another position, follow the links below.

(Last Updated: April 29, 2021)

2021:  | QB | WR | RB | FB | TE | OT | G | C | DT | DE | OLB | ILB | S | CB | K | P | LS | OVERALL |

Surtain is the surest thing at corner in this year’s class. He’s big, powerful, extremely fluid, and well coached. You can trust him to hold his own alone in coverage, and he’s excellent in the press. Surtain is one of the better tacklers in the class, and has all the physical attributes you could want at the position. In 40 games of experience at Alabama his stat line isn’t eye popping, but most quarterbacks have avoiding throwing to him from day 1. The son of a phenomenal NFL player, he’s been coached at the position from day 1 and has advanced technique which shows on film. He isn’t quite as sticky as Farley, but has no glaring weakness.

2020 Stats

12 games: 37 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 10 passes defended, 1 interception

Caleb Farley is an elite outside corner, with incredible production considering how little experience he has at the position. At 6’2" 205 pounds he’s a really big corner, with extremely quick hips, high top end speed, and sticky coverage skills. He has experience playing heavy man and press coverage, and plays with the strength of a safety. After playing QB in high school, he learned CB prior to his freshman season at Virginia Tech and played solid right away. After a good freshman year he was absolutely lockdown as a sophomore before sitting out in 2020. While his physical traits are elite and his coverage skills are advanced, he does have an ACL injury in his past which will garner plenty of attention.

2019 Stats

10 games: 20 tackles, 16 passes defended, 4 interceptions

Did not play in 2020.

Jaycee Horn is another big, strong 2nd generation NFL talent with a lot of potential. After manning the slot as a true freshman in 2018, Horn moved outside to his natural spot as a sophomore, displaying advanced skill in the press due to his physicality. While he only came away with 2 interceptions in his 3 year career, he’s broken up plenty of passes and contests just about everything. Horn shows a high football IQ and understanding of offensive and defensive tendencies. He’s fast in the open field with above average quickness. Despite his size, he’s not the best tackler and needs to do a better job of wrapping up.

2020 Stats

7 games: 16 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, 8 passes defended, 2 interceptions

A high school teammate of Patrick Surtain II, Tyson Campbell is yet another long press corner with big time potential. Despite being raw, he started to turn the corner this past season at Georgia. Campbell was rarely targeted by opposing teams given how tight his coverage was. At 6’2" 185 pounds, he is one of the best athletes in the class with elite open field speed as well as lateral quickness. He’s a decent tackler, and has experience in press, man, and zone. The buzz word that’s thrown around with him is “awareness". His overall feel for the game is a step behind some of the other prospects, but all the physical attributes are there.

2020 Stats

10 games: 29 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 6 passes defended, 1 interception

Asante Samuel Jr. is a smaller corner but plays with a bulldog mentality allowing him to stick with the bigger receivers on the outside. He mirrors well and has the athleticism and competitiveness to stick with receivers as well as content a lot of passes. Tackling is above average for a small corner and he doesn’t take plays off. His technique is very good for the position, and you can tell that he’s a second generation NFL talent. It took me a while to move him above Newsome and Molden, actually making the change the morning of the draft, but he has a skill set which suggests both a high ceiling and high floor.

2020 Stats

8 games: 30 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, 9 passes defended, 3 interceptions

Complete 2021 CB draft rankings

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2021: | QB | WR | RB | FB | TE | OT | G | C | DT | DE | OLB | ILB | S | CB | K | P | LS | OVERALL |

Another year, another deep cornerback class. The 2021 cornerback class includes an abundance of tall, long corners who have massive potential. The class is led by 3 high first round talents in Farley, Horn, and Surtain II, but it expands all the way past the 7th round with talent. A number of corners in this class have been impressive in both pass and run support, playing versatile roles in their defense and excelling as leaders. Even though I don’t think there’s quite as much first round talent as some other years, this class is still stronger than average at every phase: Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3.