2023 Draft Preview – Cornerbacks

March 31, 2023

By Noonefromtampa

Cornerback is the top position mocked to the Commanders in the upcoming draft, with most of top cornerbacks picked going to Washington by at least one mocker. If you have been reading the Mock Draft posts here on The Hog Sty, you’ll know that Joey Porter Jr is the player most mocked to the Commanders.

Prospects

Prospect	College	Position	Ht	Wt	40 Time	Draft Day
Devon Witherspoon	Illinois	CB	6’0″	180		1
Christian Gonzalez	Oregon	CB	6’2″	201	4.38	1
Joey Porter Jr.	Penn State	CB	6’2″	192	4.46	1
Brian Branch	Alabama	CB/S	5’11”	190		1
Cam Smith	South Carolina	CB	6’1″	187	4.43	1 or 2
Kelee Ringo	Georgia	CB	6’2″	205	4.36	1 or 2
Deonte Banks	Maryland	CB	6’1″	205	4.35	1 or 2
Julius Brents	Kansas State	CB	6’4″	202	4.53	2
Emmanuel Forbes	Mississippi State	CB	6’0″	180	4.35	2
Clark Phillips III	Utah	CB	5’10”	185	4.51	2
D.J. Turner II	Michigan	CB	5’11”	181	4.26	2
Kyu Blu Kelly	Stanford	CB	6’1″	185	4.52	2
Tyrique Stevenson	Miami (FL)	CB	6’0″	214	4.45	2
Jaylon Jones	Texas A&M	CB	6’1″	205	4.57	2
Darius Rush	South Carolina	CB	6’2″	200	4.36	2
Riley Moss	Iowa	CB	6’1″	194	4.45	2
Garrett Williams	Syracuse	CB	6’0	190		3
Eli Ricks	Alabama	CB	6’2″	195		3
Mekhi Garner	LSU	CB	6’1″	220		3
Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson	TCU	CB	5’8″	175	4.41	3
Jakorian Bennett	Maryland	CB	5’11”	195	4.30	3
Tiawan Mullen	Indiana	CB	5’10”	180		3
Mekhi Blackmon	USC	CB	5’11	182		3
Kei’Trel Clark	Louisville	CB	5’10”	179	4.42	3
Jartavius Martin	Illinois	CB	6’0″	195		3
Terell Smith	Minnesota	CB	6’0″	207	4.41	3
Jarrick Bernard-Converse	LSU	CB	6’1″	205		3
Anthony Johnson	Virginia	CB	6’2″	205	4.63	3
Keidron Smith	Kentucky	CB	6’2″	203		3

Day 1 Players

Devon Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez will most likely be the first two cornerbacks off the board. I covered Brian Branch in the Safety Draft review and I think he will be drafted for that position more so than a pure cover corner. Joey Porter Jr. is probably the next player taken because of the strength of his play at Penn State, as his combine measurables were not elite. The next group of players are grouped together skill-wise, Cam Smith, Kelee Ringo and Deonte Banks. They are big, physical corners with good speed. Emmanuel Forbes with his 40-yard time at the combine may have elevated himself into that group.

Statistics

Player	GP	Solo Tckl	TFL	Sack	INT	PD	FR	FF
Devon Witherspoon	41	115	11.5	1	5	25	3	1
Christian Gonzalez	30	100	6	0	4	17	0	0
Joey Porter Jr.	34	86	2	1	1	20	1	0
Cam Smith	32	69	3.5	0	6	18	0	1
Kelee Ringo	29	63	3	1	4	15	0	1
Deonte Banks	28	61	0.5	0.5	2	11	0	0
Emmanuel Forbes	35	94	6.5	1	14	20	0	1

Day Two and Beyond picks

The other players thought to be going on Day 2 of the draft are Clark Phillips III, D.J. Turner II, Kyu Blu Kelly, Tyrique Stevenson, Jaylon Jones, Darius Rush, and Riley Moss. Phillips and Turner will probably fill the third corner role primarily covering the slot receiver. The other four players have the size to play outside against the bigger NFL receivers.

Statistics

Player	GP	Solo Tckl	TFL	Sack	INT	PD	FR	FF
Clark Phillips III	31	83	5	1	9	21	1	1
D.J. Turner II	27	53	2	0	3	17	1	0
Kyu Blu Kelly	37	111	1.5	1	3	23	2	1
Tyrique Stevenson	41	78	6	1.5	3	21	0	0
Jaylon Jones	29	72	2	0	3	12	1	0
Darius Rush	29	61	5	1	3	15	0	1
Riley Moss	43	123	5	0	11	26	1	2

Two players to watch out for on Day 3 of the draft are Jakorian Bennett and Jartavius Martin. Bennett turned in the fastest time in the 40-yard dash at the combine at 4.30 seconds. Martin has played both cornerback and safety at Illinois showing versatility that scouts love on draft day. Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson and Kei’Trel Clark are two Day 3 picks at slot corner.

Commanders Take

The Commanders need another cornerback, especially after releasing Bobby McCain the other week. The big question is when in the draft to the go after that player. The offensive line needs some serious help, particularly if you are going to start a virtual rookie at quarterback, in Sam Howell. The good news is that this draft is fairly deep at both offensive line and cornerback. There are options of good players in the first three round which give Washington some flexibility of selection in their draft picks.

If they go cornerback in round one, I think the choice comes down to Joey Porter Jr. and Deonte Banks.

Sources: sports-reference.com and draftek.com