CB:
Tier 1 - The Stars
Sauce Gardner
Derek Stingley Jr
Tier 2 - The immediate starters with lower ceiling
Trent McDuffie
Kaiir Elam
Andrew Booth Jr
Kyler Gordon
Tier 3 - High traits and limited production
Cam Taylor-Britt
Roger McCreary
Coby Bryant
Marcus Jones
Tariq Woolen
Martin Emerson
Tier 4 - The Day 3 studs
Zyon McCollum
Josh Jobe
Jalyn Armor-Davis
Cordale Flatt
Derion Kendrick
Alontae Taylor
Mario Goodrich
Tier 5 - The High Ceiling special teamers
Tariq Castro-Fields
Kalon Barnes
Mykael Wright
DeMarcus Fields
Decobie Durant
Sam Webb
Analysis: The top two here are undeniably Sauce Gardner and Derek Stingley. Sauce is a unique corner prospect as his size and length make his upside limitless. Stingley’s freshman year was legendary, but since then he has struggled. I view both as top 12 prospects in this draft. Tier 2 is starters that have a low ceiling or a serious question (ex Can Booth stay healthy or Can Gordon play outside). I expect two of these guys to go Rd 1 and the others to be high Rd 2 selections. Tier 3 is like an ice cream shop: we got every flavor you could ever need. Want speed? Have some Tariq Woolen. Want tools? How about Coby Bryant. These guys production as a whole was very ok but the tools are similar to that of the guys in Tier 2. Tier 4 is the day 3 studs, and I truly do believe that one of these guys end up on a Pro Bowl. The theme of this section is upside and tools and this tier is no different. While some have off the field issues, other have injuries and yet other lack of PT or production. Either way, all these guys can be legit pros and most profile as fourth corners and special teams aces to begin with. Tier 5 is more tools but with the least refinement. A few of these guys haven’t even played against D1 talent, so that is obviously a concern while others didn’t excel against D1 talent (also a concern). These guys athleticism likely gets them drafted, but the work ethic will determine whether or not they can stick in the league. In the end, I would say that Tier 4 is your best value because there is so much upside here for a 5th round pick. The worst value is probably in Tier 2 as these guys just don’t get me excited. As a Chiefs fan and KC needing a corner, I know far too much about these guys and have legit concerns. I just would not be psyched about my team ending up with any one of them.
S:
Tier 1 - Derwin James 2.0
Kyle Hamilton
Tier 2 - The other do everything safeties
Dax Hill
Lewis Cine
Jalen Pitre
Jaquan Brisker
Tier 3 - The value safeties
Nick Cross
Bryan Cook
Tier 4 - The middle round 3rd safeties
Sterling Weatherford
JT Woods
Kerby Joesph
Verone McKinley III
Leon O’Neal
Tycen Anderson
Tier 5 - Day 3
Yusuf Corker
Kolby Harvell-Peel
Bubba Bolden
Smoke Monday
Reed Blankenship
Dane Belton
Brad Hawkins
Damarri Mathis
Markquese Bell
Analysis: Tier 1 is a top 5 prospect in this whole draft in Kyle Hamilton. This guy is an absolute freak. He has a defensive lineman’s height, a jumbo safety weight, free safety instincts, corner covers skills, and he tackles like a linebacker. I truly don’t understand why there aren’t teams lining up trying to make a deal to move up and go grab this guy. He is a once in a generation type guy. Tier 2 features four other modern safeties. All of these guys are elite testers and were among the best to perform at the Scouting Combine. I love how all these guys played at the P5 level for a smart defensive coaching staff that threw some difficult stuff at them. Tier 3 is Nick Cross and Bryan Cook. I love both these guys. They don’t test quite as well as Tier 2 and they don’t back up the production either, but I would be willing to say that the upside is slightly higher due to the tackling ability of these two, Cross in particular. I love a safety that can cover a tight end one play and then go stuff the running back the next play and Cross in particular is a guy that can do that for a defense. Both these guys fit really well into the Cover 2 look that most teams are imploying these days as well. Tier 4 is a slew of safeties with potential but a really risky floor. Generally after the mid 3rd round or so defensive backs really tail off and these safeties are just a really good example of that. Tier 5 features my favorite safeties that deserve looks on Day 3 of the draft. Overall, the best value is still Kyle Hamilton as it is appearing more and more likely that he falls outside the top 10, and if this happens, it will be a classic example of team’s just completely overthinking the draft. Worst value is in Tier 4 because, as I outlined a bit earlier, the 4th and 5th round options for defensive backs are underwhelming to put it nicely. So, if you want a safety, get one in the first two days of the draft and don’t wait until later on.