This is a down year at one of the most important positions in the NFL: cornerback. I have just two solid first-round grades. However, the depth of draftable talent is outstanding, and there are many of the late-round guys who can make a long living playing in the slot and/or thriving on special teams in the NFL.

Before the list, note I consider Jalen Ramsey and Sean Davis as safeties. Ramsey would be No. 2, Davis No. 22 at corner.

Obviously I cannot bore you with the details of over 50 graded prospects. And my editor would hate to have to cram all that into a manageable page. So after the top few guys the notes will be very brief.

William Jackson--physical, instinctive 6-footer with tremendous ball skills and fight. Allowed completion rate of 35% last two seasons & made almost as many plays on the ball (28) than completions allowed (26) in 2015. Can be grabby and transition agility is only average. Best in off man or zone, where he can use his aggressive ball skills and anticipation best. Not a great jammer, hands aren’t active and that also shows in run support/getting off blocks. High tackler but generally gets the job done. Best CB with the ball in the air by a country mile. Has the right blend of high confidence and a short memory. Compares to Darius Slay and could have same career arc of struggling early before hitting his stride.

Vernon Hargreaves III--twitchy bundle of kinetic energy with outstanding technique, stays low and balanced and ready to pounce in any direction. High-effort vs. run, good tackler both at the line and in space. Plays with outward swagger and has enviable mental toughness. Fluid mover who can make cuts and stay on the hip of the receiver. High football IQ in terms of diagnosing and reacting to the entire chess board. Excellent three-step closing burst and has above-average ball skills. Just 5’10” with small hands and a maxed out, almost overmuscled 205-pound frame. Long speed is average. Jumps routes and can be baited (see Michigan & Alabama games). Really good football player but with physical limitations in the NFL that will keep him from being an All Pro.

Mackensie Alexander--shorter (5’10”) and lighter (190) outside corner with extreme confidence and a shutdown mentality. Inherently sticky in man coverage, can stay with his mark all over the formation. Great at anticipating what the receiver and offense are trying to do. Not overly physical but doesn’t lack strength or will. A little tight in hips and his footwork can be lazy and/or shallow. Lacks deep speed and doesn’t sustain burst well beyond his first two steps. Has battled a hamstring injury that wiped out workout season. Didn’t show ball skills at Clemson but also didn’t have a lot of opportunity to do so. Will get caught up in individual battle over the team concept (see North Carolina & Florida State). Not a great tackler. Best fit is in press man but his size & speed don’t fit the NFL template. High bust potential but could also be very, very good. Think a smaller Antonio Cromartie.

Eli Apple--optimal size, length & speed at 6’1”, 200 pounds and a game-speed 4.4 40 time. Plays with the “my ball” mentality and thinks he can intercept every pass, for better or worse. Very quick to top speed and can break hard on the full gallop. Feet and balance in coverage both showed steady improvement during his Buckeye tenure. Productive tackler, though he will miss more often than most out in space. Undisciplined with his hands, clutches and grabs way too much. Doesn’t trust his own game yet. Played much better against lesser competition than he did in big/close games in ’15, though the inverse was true in ’14. An unfinished product with awesome physical potential, compares to Vontae Davis but also DJ Hayden.

Kalan Reed--I wrote up Reed, a true hidden gem, here at Draft Breakdown.

Xavien Howard--has the size/athleticism/length to make teams drool at 6’1”, 201, and great explosion metrics. Very physical at the line and really all over the formation, plays CB like you would expect a linebacker to play the position. Big-time hitter and sound tackler who loves to crash the box versus the run. Uses his length well on the sidelines and with ball in air. Can make the difficult catch and extends his body to get at the ball very well. Aware of the field, though he doesn’t always anticipate the throw well. Not as fast as he thinks he is and doesn’t have a chase gear when he gets beaten over the top or wide with inside technique. Often an illegal contact penalty waiting to happen. Plays too high in space, at a real disadvantage against nifty wideouts if he misses the jam. Will need safety help over the top, or perhaps even move to being a coverage safety. High risk/reward CB.

Maurice Canady--long (6’1+”) but skinny corner who played boundary, field and even slot. Very cerebral player with a quick processor and the twitch to react to what he sees. Smooth technique and transition, short turn radius for a taller corner. Good in red zone, attacks back shoulder throws surprisingly well. Leadership and character off the charts. Not very physical, either in man coverage or run support. Lacks long speed, doesn’t play anywhere near his 4.49 Combine time. Often played with 12-to-15 yard cushions out of fear of getting beat deep and couldn’t stay with faster guys in Senior Bowl practices. Best fit is as a very tall slot corner or outside in vanilla zone, but he’s got to display better tackling aggression.

Artie Burns--you’re drafting Burns on what he can become, not what he’s done. Former champion hurdler with outstanding speed/athleticism at 6 feet and a powerful build even though he only weighs 193. Locates the ball and attacks it, has a playmaker mentality. Not shy about using his hands, though he can be overaggressive after the initial contact. Exceptional short-area burst and quickness. Played through a lot and has mental toughness. Prone to boneheaded mistakes, like being flat-footed off snap or undisciplined play. Wildly hit/miss on tape, but he’s inexperienced and comes from a program that has not properly developed talent lately. Raw talent who needs good coaching, with potential for very high reward.

Will Redmond--tough as nails man-cover CB who plays a lot bigger than his 5’10”, 182 Combine size. Fast feet, flexible hips and ankles, above-average short-area burst. Great stickiness in trail coverage with the closing burst to make the play on the ball. Quick to diagnose and react, anticipates routes. Can adjust in-game to different situations. Good tackler against the run, hits and wraps and clearly enjoys doing so. Misses a lot of tackles in the passing game, however. Often runs past the POA or drops his head and whiffs. Coming off a torn ACL in October, otherwise he’d be higher up this list. Reminds me of Orlando Scandrick coming out.

Danzel McDaniel--JUCO transfer who made immediate impact against top competition in ’14. Physical but smooth, explodes out of breaks. Can reroute effectively and does a great job keeping his hips open properly. Big-time hitter, productive tackler. Situationally smart. Decent long speed but doesn’t have the extra gear. Didn’t play as well in ’15 before tearing his ACL in October. Might be a better safety than CB, a move he would embrace. I wrote about him here.

Cyrus Jones--great football player, good cover man, highly competitive and feisty. Great in run support. Small at 5’10” and not blessed with more than average long speed. Cannot catch up if he takes a false step or guesses wrong. Can be oddly passive in off-coverage. Brings extra value as a premium return man if he can’t hang as a slot corner, where his size says he’ll play in NFL.

Kendall Fuller--his brother Kyle was Bears first-rounder and a better all-around player and has underwhelmed in NFL, and Kendall is coming off a season lost to knee surgery. Has had major durability issues at Virginia Tech, slight frame will always be an issue. Strictly a zone CB who made his college living baiting bad QBs into bad throws, but he is indeed a great playmaker.

Tavon Young--outstanding fight/size of dog ratio, very active hands with lightning closing burst to the ball. Stood out in Senior Bowl practices for his ability to finish and dislodge the ball. Needs to fine-tune his breaks, has the athletic potential to do so. He’s 5’9”/180 with 30” arms. Compares to Quandre Diggs, who played quite well as a rookie in Detroit.

Harlan Miller--small-schooler with length (6’) and big, sticky hands. Quicker than fast and it really shows on in-breaking routes. Adept in run support and great against screens, reacts quickly and artfully dodges blocks. Long speed is average at best. Doesn’t stick with wideouts down the field unless he’s got a hand on them. Slight frame, just 182 pounds and his aggressive style leads to concerns there.

Nick VanHoose--smart, instinctive and aware in both press and zone coverage sets. Best one-two-three closing burst in this draft class, better even than Hargreaves. Explodes from breaks, plays with great balance too. Has an odd athletic gait and isn’t straight-line fast. Can be dreadful in run support. Strong on special teams (3 blocked kicks) helps value as a likely third outside CB.

Going deeper…

Ryan Smith looked great at the FCS level but needs to play more disciplined and aware to make the jump. Jerky athlete who can close in a hurry but must set himself up better. Starter potential if he adds a little bulk and takes to the coaching, with a little patience required. Tackle numbers are inflated by playing a lot of safety.

Zack Sanchez is a big-play machine, though the sword cuts both ways. Ultra-skinny gambler who tries to win the game by himself on every snap. If he ever develops positional discipline, can be an effective starter. Lack of strength is very real issue.

Juston Burris lacks speed and has tiny hands but brings size and physicality. Has real burst from a stop. Stood out in Shrine Game practices, asset in run defense. Lots of experience and savvy.

Arjen Colquhoun started for just one year but rapidly improved, was top-level Big 10 cover man by end of ’15. Long at 6’1”, great on outside technique and turning & running with deep routes. Needs seasoning, must learn better angles.

DeVante Harris has NFL pedigree and a high football IQ. Very quick to diagnose and react, can throw off route timing without illegal contact. Plays the out route as well as anyone. Has had injury issues and at 175 pounds his frame might not allow him to make it.

The Minnesota teammates, Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Eric Murray, are very different players. BBC is a twitchy, in-your-face slot corner with size (he’s 5’9”) and long speed concerns. Murray plays much bigger than his 5’11” size but lacks agility and quick speed/acceleration. Murray is very good in run support. I like the concept of keeping them together as the nickel and No. 3 outside CB package for a team in the middle rounds.

Deiondre Hall brings great length and unquestioned swagger. Average athlete who lacks a top gear and oversteps out of breaks too much. A trash-talking hurricane who must accept his limitations.

Morgan Burns projects as a No. 4 or 5 corner but brings his value as a return man, where he led the nation in explosive returns and is a legit threat to take every punt or kickoff to the house. Has some cover skills and instincts to work with too.

Frankie Williams is undersized but fits nicely in the slot with his agility and quick reactions. 5’9” and 180 but hits like he’s 200 pounds. Try-hard guy with a high football IQ but speed and size limitations. If you’re looking for one of these later-round guys to dramatically outplay their draft slot and ranking here, Williams is a good bet.

Brian Poole got overshadowed by Hargreaves but plays a plucky style and exudes intelligence on the field. Tough, savvy, thickly-built short-area slot man who might project better as a short safety.

KeiVarae Russell missed 2014 with academic issues and it showed in his ’15 play. Got better as he worked the rust off but still takes too many false steps and pregnant pauses in his movement. Sure tackler and excels at shedding blocks, blowing up the edge vs. the run. Could bounce back and be a strong zone-oriented outside CB.

Mike Jordan is a rippled 6’1” small-school project with length, power and decent transitional footwork. Thinks too much at times instead of just reacting, and he’s not fast enough to get away with that in NFL. Smart guy, physical tackler. Could transition to safety and be a special teams ace for years.

Bryson Abraham was one of the most fun players in college football to watch, a hyperkinetic slot corner who makes things happen. Three pick-sixes and a fumble return TD and always around the action. A short 5’8” and he doesn’t play to his 4.49 40 time in coverage, agility is just average for an inside player. I’m rooting for him regardless.

Rashard Robinson’s on-field potential is no worse than 4^th round grade, but off-field issues make him a very tough sell.

I didn’t see enough of a couple of small school guys who made good initial first impressions, Vernon Harris of Dartmouth and Dylan Chatman from Eastern Illinois.