In the modern NFL, having high-level playmakers at cornerback is becoming a non-negotiable proposition to combat the new wave of offensive innovation. And much like the class that came before it, the 2024 NFL Draft CB class should allow NFL defenses to stay ready.
Ranking the Top Cornerbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft
The 2023 NFL Draft CB class will be hard to top. Not only was it talented at the front of the board with prospects like Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon, but it also had unmatched depth. Deonte Banks, Joey Porter Jr., Kelee Ringo, Julius Brents, Darius Rush, Cory Trice, Clark Phillips III, Emmanuel Forbes, Cam Smith, Tyrique Stevenson — the list goes on and on.
It’s bold to say the 2024 NFL Draft CB group will even come close to the 2023 group. But early on, we can at least say that the depth is here to stay. There are dozens of cornerback prospects on the watchlist for the 2024 cycle. And as our current top 10 list below exemplifies, playmaking ability is not in short supply by any means.
10) Terrion Arnold, Alabama
After picking up an interception and eight pass deflections as a redshirt freshman in 2022, Terrion Arnold has nearly matched those totals in eight games in 2023, while also adding five tackles for loss and a sack. He’s proven his playmaking ability in both phases, and has exciting 2024 NFL Draft upside.
It’s not a guarantee that Arnold declares at this point, but the 6’0″, 190-pound redshirt sophomore has all the tools. He’s an easy accelerator, an extremely fluid mover, and he flashes impressive discipline and reaction to stimulus in man coverage — as well as the timing and vertical athleticism to close the lid.
9) Kamari Lassiter, Georgia
The Georgia defense has long been a producer of top-flight CB talent, and the Bulldogs have another potential early-round CB prospect on the way in the 2024 NFL Draft cycle with Kamari Lassiter. Lassiter has 3.5 TFLs, a half-sack, and four deflections this year, but his impact has gone beyond the stat sheet.
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At 6’0″, 180 pounds, Lassiter is lean — but he has exceptional proportional length and plays with a kind of wiry strength. He’s a smooth athlete who can glide upfield in side-saddle and zone, and he’s visibly improved his man technique efficiency in 2023, while also flashing his playmaking upside.
8) Josh Newton, TCU
A transfer from UL Monroe, Josh Newton has only helped his 2024 NFL Draft stock with the TCU Horned Frogs. Over the past four seasons, he’s quietly been one of the most productive CBs in college football, with seven interceptions and 30 pass deflections over that span.
At 5’11”, 195 pounds, Newton doesn’t have the length that other CBs have, and he’s not an elite physical specimen. Nonetheless, Newton consistently wins with savvy technique, fast feet, fluid hips, and exhaustive ball control at the catch point. In some ways, he’s not dissimilar from Roger McCreary a couple cycles ago.
7) Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
Two words: Ball hawk. You won’t find another like Quinyon Mitchell in the 2024 NFL Draft class. The 6’0″, 200-pound Toledo product terrorized opposing passers with five interceptions and 18 pass deflections in a ground-breaking 2022 campaign. And in 2023, he’s one of the nation’s leaders, with 13 pass breakups through nine games.
At his size, Mitchell brings absurd closing speed and range as a playmaker. He has verified 4.3 pace, but also has the short-area quickness and physicality to match and gather receivers at the line. For teams intent on adding high-end physical tools, Mitchell brings plenty of appeal, and he could be a top-50 pick in April.
6) Caelen Carson, Wake Forest
There are a few select traits that will always translate at the cornerback position. You have to have the competitive mentality to exist on an island. But more than that, you need fast feet, malleable recovery athleticism, closing burst, and finishing ability. Those traits comprise a strong foundation, and that’s a foundation that Caelen Carson possesses.
Though Carson has had his rocky moments — most notably against Keon Coleman — the 6’0″, 190-pound Demon Deacon is a formidable 2024 NFL Draft prospect. Carson thrives in off-man and press-man coverage with his ability to minimize space with his feet, and he matches any physical aggression that comes his way.
5) Kalen King, Penn State
When Joey Porter Jr. funneled targets to the other side of the field in 2022, Kalen King was often the beneficiary. He didn’t make it any easier on quarterbacks, racking up three interceptions and 15 pass deflections in a campaign that earned him national acclaim and an early spot in our top CB rankings for the 2024 NFL Draft.
MORE: 2024 NFL Draft Big Board
At 5’11”, 188 pounds, King is around average size, but what he lacks in mass, he makes up for with twitchy, fluid athleticism, superb ball skills, and relentless, unsuppressed anger in both coverage and support. With his combined playmaking ability, versatility, coverage mechanics, and tenacity, King carries a similar type of appeal that Witherspoon — who went fifth overall — had in the 2023 cycle.
4) Denzel Burke, Ohio State
After arriving in Columbus as a four-star recruit, Denzel Burke broke out as a true freshman with a pick and 12 pass deflections. That true freshman season had some penciling Burke in as a first-rounder in the 2024 cycle. He regressed a bit in 2022, but in 2023, he’s returned to form, and is playing like a first-round caliber CB.
Being a former WR, Burke has all the necessary explosiveness, twitch, and flexibility to be a premier cover man, and he plays the ball as naturally as anyone. When you add in his length, physicality, processing ability, and technical improvements, there’s little reason to pass on him in Round 1.
3) Nate Wiggins, Clemson
He missed some time due to injury earlier in the year. But whenever he’s been on the field, Nate Wiggins has looked every bit like a Round 1 cornerback in 2023. He logged a pick and 13 pass deflections in 2022, and in 2023, he’s sustained his ball-hawking ways, while also giving general managers teach-tape to ogle over in coverage.
At 6’2″, 185 pounds, Wiggins is a bit lean, and could stand to add more mass to his frame. But at that size, he has all the necessary speed and fluidity, to go with sharp coverage instincts in both man and zone. He can key in on QB intent and close early on routes, and he can suffocate WRs in man with his foot speed and length.
2) Cooper DeJean, Iowa
There are three Big Ten cornerbacks in our latest positional top five for the 2024 NFL Draft. All three of them have legitimate claims to Round 1 capital, but as of now, it’s Iowa’s Cooper DeJean leading the trio.
After a 2022 campaign that saw him put up five picks, eight PBUs, and three pick-sixes, DeJean is riding high as a potential Round 1 selection, and he’s only kept pace in 2023.
He’s a cornerback, but at 6’1″, 209 pounds, DeJean looks more like a safety. In support, he looks like a linebacker — not only slabbing DBs and deconstructing blocks but also maintaining gap discipline and surging inside for tackles.
Don’t let that support ability fool you, either. DeJean is a truly complete player. One of his best traits is his smooth, high-octane coverage athleticism for his size and his rare football IQ and playmaking instincts.
Who Is the Best CB in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Some draft classes break the mold and have a CB1 from an under-the-radar school, but in all likelihood, the 2024 NFL Draft class won’t be one of them. There’s still a lot of football left to be played before the rankings are locked in, but right now, Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry is the preliminary CB1 of the 2024 NFL Draft class.
1) Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
We can confirm: It’s safe to drink the Kool-Aid.
Kool-Aid McKinstry earned first-team All-SEC honors alongside Emmanuel Forbes, Christopher Smith, and Jordan Battle after putting up a pick and a whopping 15 deflections in 2022. In 2023, he’s reaffirmed his status as CB1 of the 2024 NFL Draft class.
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It sounds simplistic, but McKinstry simply has it all. At 6’1″, 188 pounds, he has the length to jar receivers and block passes at the catch point. McKinstry’s already a footwork technician with the movement speed, agility, and fluidity to mirror receivers at every level of the route. And his physical foundation ultimately sets him apart as a future starter at the NFL level.
Beyond having all the requisite raw traits, there’s a certain precision in each layer of McKinstry’s game. Nearly every jam is precise and forceful. Every movement has a purpose, and his patience allows him to maximize each step and punch. And at the catch point, he’s as natural of a playmaker as they come, with effortless instincts and an authoritative mentality.
McKinstry looks tailor-made to be a CB1 at the NFL level, and he could be a blue-chip prospect when it’s all said and done.
Honorable Mentions
- Max Melton, Rutgers
- Ja’Quan Sheppard, Maryland
- Fentrell Cypress II, Florida State
- Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri
- Javon Bullard, Georgia
- M.J. Devonshire, Pittsburgh
- D.J. James, Auburn
- Daequan Hardy, Penn State
- Ro Torrence, Arizona State
- Zy Alexander, LSU
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