2021 NFL Draft cornerback rankings: Patrick Surtain II leads strong group
By John Blair
13. Elijah Molden, Washington
5-foot-9, 192 pounds
2021 NFL Draft grade: Fourth round
A team looking for an extremely productive cornerback on day three of the draft will love what they find in Elijah Molden. Last season, Molden was named Pro Football Focus Pac-12 Player of the Year and in 2019 had an eye-popping 17 pass deflections. Part of the reason he has been so productive is his high football intelligence. He does a great job of pattern reading and being in the correct position. Another positive with Molden is he has experience playing both corner and safety.
The main reason Molden will fall so far in the draft comes down to his measurables. At 5-foot-9and 192 pounds he lacks the size to be a starting corner. His lack of size even forced him to play nickel corner for the Huskies the past couple of seasons. Then when you factor in he ran a 4.59 40-yard dash at his pro day it is even easier to see why he would fall to this point in the 2021 NFL Draft.
14. Zech McPhearson, Texas Tech
5-foot-11, 196 pounds
2021 NFL Draft grade: Fourth round
Zech McPherson started his career off at Penn State but after not seeing much playing time his first two seasons he decided to transfer to Texas Tech. His best year with the Red Raiders was last season when he picked off four passes. As a prospect, he shows good ball skills, athletic ability and physicality.
While McPherson carries a fourth-round grade on this board not everyone is as high on him and he is graded as a late-round pick by quite a few draftniks. One of the reasons people are lower on him is his lack of size and the fact he has trouble in jump ball situations. He also will not put up the best testing numbers. McPherson will likely start off as a core special teams player in the NFL which is something he has been very good at in college having blocked two kicks in 2019.