2022 NFL Draft Preview: Defensive Backs
March 25, 2022
by Alex Zeese
Much like with our running backs column, let me start by saying, there are too many defensive backs in every year’s draft to cover every single one in a single column. There were 61 defensive backs in the scouting combine as far as I counted. And I’m sorry, I just don’t have time to go and find YouTube clips of 61 players. So, for this column, I decided to the cornerback group (will list safeties next week), I decided to focus mostly on the defensive backs that the Commanders should be looking at grabbing in rounds 1 or 2. Despite the fact that Washington has invested quite a bit in the secondary via free agency these last few years, we can all agree things have not been working out very well for the team’s coverage unit. I wouldn’t put it out of the question that they try and improve this unit early in the draft.
This appesrs to be a very fast draft class. 10 corners all were timed at sub 4.4 speeds in the 40-yard dash, with two corners getting below 4.3. Tariq Woolen of Texas San-Antonio ran a 4.26, and Kalon Barns of Baylor ran 4.23. The rest of the sub 4.4 corners were Zyon McCollum, Sam Houston, 4.33; Alontae Taylor, Tennessee, 4.36; Cobie Durant, South Carolina State, 4.38; Tariq Castro-Fields, Penn State, 4.38; Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska, 4.38, Damarri Mathis, Pittsburgh, 4.39; Jayln Armour-Davis, Alabama, 4.39; Kaiir Elam, Florida, 4.39.
I suspect that the top guys I’ve mentioned will all be gone before Washington’s pick at eleven. But if any of them were still there, I’d say it’s worth considering, as Washington could clearly still use some help in the secondary.
Derek Stingly, LSU, CB, 6’1”, 195. Watching some tape of Stingly’s amazing freshman season, it’s easy to see why he’s the consensus #1 cornerback in this draft. The guy can do it all. He’s a great tackler and has amazing ability to get interceptions. But he does come with a huge injury concern, as he missed significant time in both his sophomore and junior seasons, playing in just 7 and 3 games in those two years. Odds are Stingly won’t make it out of the top 5 of the draft class, but if he’s there somehow at 11, he should strongly be considered even with the injury flags, as the guy looks like he could be a true franchise corner when healthy. In those 25 games, he managed 73 tackles 6 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles.
“Sauce” Gardner, Cincinnati, CB, 6’3 200. Cincinnati had a very good team last year, with many of their top players coming out in this year’s draft. Gardner still looks to me to still be a bit rough around the edges as a cornerback, he’s a long, lean looking player which may be part of the reason, but he’s physical which I really like. I saw a lot of highlights of him getting downhill in run support. Shows good form in tackling too. In terms of his raw numbers, he played 3 seasons and 33 games, and had 9 picks, 99 tackles, and 3.5 sacks.
It’s likely that Gardner and Stingly will be long gone by pick eleven. Therefore, let’s focus on the guys who Washington may be able to get in rounds 1 or 2. The next group of guys are the ones who are projected as being there in the mid to late first-round into the 2nd round, and a few should still be there at the Commanders pick in the 2nd round. Personally, I think if the team does get a defensive back, it will more likely be in round 2 than round 1, so these are the guys I suggest focusing on.
Daxton Hill, Michigan, CB/SS, 6’0, 192. I wanted to get to Hill and put him down as a cornerback because I really liked what I saw from this kid’s game and I think he could be a great addition to the defense. We all know how much Washington was using Landon Collins in the “buffalo nickel” packages last year and while I think the way that Washington would use Hill is very much in that role, do not mistake his game style with Collins. Collins played a mix between strong safety and linebacker, leaning more towards linebacker, whereas from what I saw Hill is much more like a nickel corner than a safety. I think he would be a perfect fit as the slot CB, as he’s much better in coverage than Collins, and finding a player who’s good in covering the slot is a big key to winning in today’s NFL. I don’t know if Hill is a good pick at 11, because most have him going later in the 1st round, but I do see a player here who could be a good contributor to the defense if used right. He played 3 seasons and 32 games, and made 149 tackles, 4 interceptions, and ½ of a sack.
Trent McDuffie, Washington, CB, 5’ 11”, 195. McDuffie has very good game speed, but his form could use some work when making tackles. He’s more of an outside corner than an inside corner. He’s a redshirt sophomore who played in 27 games, with 94 tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, and 3 forced fumbles. Fun fact I didn’t know until I started this column: McDuffie is from England, so there’s that.
Kyler Gordon, Washington, CB, 6’0 200. Gordan has a decent skillset. Overall, he’s a very well-balanced player. No one trait stands out to me as but looks like he can do everything you can ask of a corner. He has played in 29 games and had 97 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles.
Kaiir Elam, Florida, CB, 6’2” 196. From what I saw watching his highlights I can see how Elam could fit in on the Washington roster. Elam looks like he would be best in a zone-heavy defensive scheme, which seems where Washington leans these days in the secondary. He makes most of his big plays while playing off the wide receivers and watching the quarterbacks rather than playing tight coverage. Elam has played in 3 seasons, 30 games total of 78 tackles and 5 interceptions.
Roger McCreary, Auburn, CB, 6’0”, 190. What really stood out to me when watching some of McCreary’s video is just how good he is with getting his hands up in the passing game. He’s outstanding at that. It looks like he breaks up a lot of passes. That’s something not every corner seems to have a knack for. In 4 seasons at Auburn, he played in 39 games and had 135 tackles, 6 interceptions a sack, and a forced fumble.
Derion Kendrick, Clemson/Georgia, 6’0″, CB, 190. Kendrick is an interesting player, partly because he was a three-way player in college. In his freshman year at Clemson, he mostly played wide receiver and returned kicks. That season he has 15 catches for 210 yards, and 5 rushes for 36 yards, returned 13 kickoffs for 299 yards and had one pass attempt and one tackle. After that, he switched to playing cornerback, which is what he did for the bulk of his remaining 3 years at Clemson and Georgia. In 37 games he had 103 tackles, a sack, 7 interceptions, and a forced fumble. He’s a very physical cornerback in terms of his playing style.