Georgia’s Nolan Smith Headlines Defense At 2023 NFL Scouting Combine

Cornerbacks

Even though he didn’t run the fastest 40-yard dash out of all the cornerbacks, Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez shouldn’t escape the top ten of this year’s draft. At 6’1″ and 197 lbs. (with 32″ arms), the junior ran the seventh fastest 40 (at 4.38 seconds) along with the third best vertical (at 41.5″) and a top five broad jump (11’1″), showing fluidity during the drills. Gonzalez led the Ducks last season with four interceptions and seven pass deflections as a starting boundary corner. He played at Colorado for two years and then transferred to Oregon to follow his cornerback’s coach, where he started and had his breakout season.

The fastest 40-yard dash, for corners and so far overall, goes to DJ Turner II at 4.26. The Michigan Wolverine posted an elite 10-yard split at 1.47 seconds, leading the position as he projects more as a slot corner due to his size at 5’11” and 178 lbs. The redshirt junior had 17 pass deflections and three interceptions in the two seasons he played.

Speaking of lighter cornerbacks, Emmanuel Forbes is the definition of rail thin with his 6’1″ height but weighing 166 lbs. The Mississippi State corner did run a 4.35,  which was tied for third, and his 1.48 10-yard split was tied for second at the position. The junior corner with 32 1/4″ arms was a ball hawk in his three seasons as a Bulldog, catching 14 picks and bringing six of them to the house (with six pass deflections). It is rare for a corner to have more interceptions than pass deflections in a college career.

Other potential first-round corners who had pretty good testing, other than Gonzalez, include Joey Porter Jr. (Penn State) and Kelee Ringo (Georgia). Devon Witherspoon (Illinois) would be on the list but he didn’t test due to an injury (hamstring).

Witherspoon, at 5’11” and 181 lbs. (with 31 1/3″ arms), is a feisty cover corner that seems like the opposite of Forbes (statistically). The senior amassed 25 pass deflections and five interceptions in his four years at Illinois.

Both Porter Jr. and Ringo are both listed at around 6’2″ but are slightly different in measurables. The Penn State corner (193 lbs.) is about ten lbs. lighter and a 1/2 inch taller than the Georgia corner (207 lbs.) and Porter Jr. has the arm length advantage, with 34″ arms. Ringo is faster, running a 4.36 40-yard dash in comparison to Porter’s 4.46 40-yard dash.

The Georgia redshirt sophomore possesses 31 1/4″ arms and both he and the Penn State redshirt junior project on the boundary if teams are looking for a press-man corner in the first round.

Statistically, Ringo has the advantage on a better defense, with four interceptions and 15 pass deflections in the two years he started. Porter Jr. has only one career interception in his four years at Penn State, but 20 pass deflections, as he also only started for two years.

The Maryland cornerbacks blazed through the Scouting Combine, as they were among the fastest groups at the position. Jakorian Bennett (at 4.3 seconds) and Deonte Banks (at 4.35 seconds) had the second and third fastest 40-yard dash times for corners. Both Bennett and Banks had upper-echelon athletic scores for basically all the other testing events, as the redshirt junior Banks does project a bit better at the next level due to size, even if the senior Bennett is faster and has more production.

The South Carolina cornerbacks didn’t disappoint, however, as Cam Smith should be a late first or early second-round selection with his athletic score and Darius Rush is no slouch himself as a potential day-two pick. Rush ran the sixth fastest 40-yard dash (at 4.36) and Smith was just outside the top ten (running a 4.43) as the 11th fastest at the position, which is more than manageable for their size. Smith had a top-three score in the broad jump (11’2″) and is slightly more productive, while Rush is the faster and bigger corner out of the two.

Another big corner that jumped out of the gym is Kansas State’s, Julius Brents. He is second all-time in the broad jump (11’6″) and is top ten all-time in the vertical jump, even if others from this draft class were close or ahead of his mark of 41.5″. Regardless, the 6’3″ redshirt senior had elite ratings for the other athletic testing metrics, while running a 4.53 in the 40-yard dash at 198 lbs. with 34″ arms at his size.

Other mid-round prospects at cornerback that did well in their testing include Kei’Trel Clark (Louisville), Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson (TCU), Cameron Mitchell (Northwestern), and Clark Phillips III (Utah). Both of them are for sure slot corners with their size and offer quick twitch, along with toughness and aggression at the position to make plays.

The senior at 6’1″ and 193 lbs. is a better overall prospect than Apke, despite not being as fast as him, and Moss also has safety versatility if a team thinks he fits there better, similar to Apke. Still, a 4.45 40-yard dash for Moss is plenty fast, totaling 11 interceptions and 26 pass deflections in five seasons but started the last two years at Iowa.

This secondary class this year has more depth and talent at the corner compared to safety. So I included Alabama’s Brian Branch in the safety group, even though he is considered a slot cornerback by many but regardless, he is a highly touted and instinctual defensive back in this year’s draft class.

However, there is another safety that has the versatility to play corner, who excelled in athletic testing at the Scouting Combine.