2020 NFL Draft Big Board: Ranking the top ten cornerbacks

Projected Round: 2nd

Game Reviewed: LSU vs Alabama, 2019

Kristian Fulton has had an exceptional run for LSU this season and leads many mock drafts as the first cornerback selected in the 2020 NFL draft. At 6-foot 200 pounds, Fulton shuts down receivers without much fanfare or flashy plays to show for it. In the last two seasons with LSU, Fulton has just 2 interceptions but a whopping 19 pass deflections, according to ESPN.

Fulton wins in man coverage by not allowing separation and mirroring his receiver’s movements. He dedicates himself to his receiver at the line of scrimmage and appears to tune out the rest of the game.

Fulton thrives in man coverage by not allowing himself to flip his hips and run down the field until his receiver makes indications that he will continue to run down the field. Because of this, however, I think NFL receivers will be able to take advantage of this with double moves and side steps. He can adjust from double moves against college receivers, but in the NFL it may be more difficult for him to do against the likes of Odell Beckham Jr. and Julio Jones.

His biggest strength is how well he stays with his receiver and allows very little separation. One of the biggest issues college cornerbacks have when coming to the NFL is the dynamic ways receivers at that level create separation.

College quarterbacks are more hesitant to throw to a receiver with only a yard of separation but in the NFL quarterback accuracy is light years ahead and one yard of separation is all it takes. I am concerned Fulton will have trouble keeping up in his first season and may need a season or two playing as a backup to catch up with the rest of his peers.

Nothing on his tape really stood out to me to make him appear like an elite cornerback. Which I suppose is the point of a shutdown cornerback: you only notice them in-game footage if they mess up and allow a big play. Fulton is the type of player who I think will excel in the NFL, so long as it is understood that what his role will be. Fulton is a decent tackler too, which may seem unimportant to some people, but can be the difference between a defensive stop and a touchdown.

Fulton is a great college talent, who will be selected in the 2020 NFL draft. But I am apprehensive to say he will be drafted in the first round. Fulton has a blemish on his record that will make general managers think twice about drafting him.

In 2017, the NCAA accused Fulton of tampering with a drug test and suspended him for two years. Fulton eventually beat the suspension on appeal based on a “chain of custody” issue, but a suspension like that will blemish his NFL scouting report.

It has been reported that once the NFL even suspects you of using drugs or PED’s, you will be hounded by multiple drug tests a year for your entire career. Considering the seriousness of drug suspensions in the NFL, the effect they can have on a team’s season, general managers will consider this when deciding to use an early-round draft pick on a player.

This seems unfair to me, considering the suspension was eventually dropped. But I would be lying if I said it would not be a factor for NFL teams looking to draft him.

Fulton is an elite cornerback, who will have a starting role somewhere in the NFL in 2020. He is too talented to be disregarded as a limited player with a murky background. Fulton will have an opportunity to make his case for the 2020 NFL draft in the next few months, in college playoffs and at the combine.

Nothing says winner like hoisting that College Football Playoff National Championship trophy.