NFL Draft CB breakdown: Ohio State's Jeff Okudah has top spot locked down

1. Jeff Okudah

Ohio State, 6-1, 205

Okudah will be the first cornerback taken, and that could happen within the top five picks. His NFL comparable is Patrick Peterson. As a junior, Okudah was a first-team All-American and a Jim Thorpe finalist as the nation’s top defensive back. Okudah led Ohio State with three interceptions and nine pass breakups while forcing two fumbles. He also tied for the team lead with eight pass breakups as a sophomore despite not starting. Okudah also played in all 14 games as a freshman. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds at the NFL Combine.

2. CJ Henderson

Florida, 6-1, 204

Henderson was one of the SEC’s top cornerbacks as a junior in 2019, when he broke up 11 passes while missing three games because of an ankle injury. He also sat out the Gators’ bowl game. Henderson started 13 games as a sophomore, when he had two interceptions, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles and three sacks. He also started five games as a freshman and returned two of his four interceptions for touchdowns. Henderson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds at the NFL Combine.

3. Kristian Fulton

LSU, 6-0, 197

Fulton finished his career at LSU strong after getting off to a dubious start. He was hit with a two-year suspension by the NCAA for having someone else provide urine for a drug test. He sat out one season and was reinstated when an NCAA interpretation panel reviewed his case and shortened his suspension. Fulton started 10 games that season and then started all 15 games in 2019 during the school’s national championship season. Fulton broke up a team-high 14 passes and had one interception. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds at the NFL Combine.

4. Trevon Diggs

Alabama, 6-1, 205

Diggs, the younger brother of Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs, played offense, defense and special teams as a freshman, then shifted to defense full time in 2017 while maintaining his return duties. A broken foot shortened Diggs’ junior season to six games. Healthy as a senior, he had three interceptions and eight pass breakups, which was good enough to earn first-team All-SEC honors. Pro Football Focus rated Diggs as the nation’s seventh-best coverage corner. Diggs did not run at the NFL Combine, and his pro day workout was canceled by the coronavirus pandemic.

5. Noah Igbinoghene

Auburn, 5-10, 198

The son of Olympic-caliber track athletes, Igbinoghene set the Alabama state record in the triple jump and finished second in the nation in the event in his senior year of high school. Like Diggs, Igbinoghene started out on offense and excelled on special teams. He switched to cornerback for his final two seasons and had one interception and 11 pass breakups as a sophomore. For an encore, he broke up seven passes and had 42 tackles in 13 starts. He also returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Igbinoghene ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds at the NFL Combine.

6. Jeff Gladney

TCU, 5-10, 191

Gladney made a linear progression in his final three seasons at TCU. He was an honorable mention All-Big 12 pick as a sophomore, a second-team selection as a junior and a first-teamer as a senior. He punctuated his time with the Horned Frogs by breaking up 14 passes in 2019, the most in the Big 12. As a junior, he led TCU with 13 pass breakups while recording two interceptions. Gladney ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds at the NFL Combine.

7. Damon Arnette

Ohio State, 6-0, 195

In his redshirt season at Ohio State, Arnette played in the shadows of Okudah, but he still pieced together a fine season. He had eight pass breakups and one pick in 13 starts while earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. Arnette started 13 games as a junior and had six pass breakups. He considered leaving school early before electing to return for his final season. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds at the NFL Combine.

8. Jaylon Johnson

Utah, 6-0, 193

Johnson played his junior season in 2019 with a torn labrum suffered in September. The injury led to Johnson undergoing surgery in March. He competed at the NFL Combine and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds. The injury didn’t hamper Johnson’s play as he led Utah with 11 pass breakups while intercepting two passes. He was named a second-team All-American and first-team All-Pac-12. As a sophomore, Johnson led Utah with four interceptions while breaking up four other passes.

9. A.J. Terrell

Clemson, 6-1, 195

Terrell was first-team All-ACC in his junior season. He started all 15 games and had 37 tackles, two interceptions and six pass breakups. He also started all 15 games in 2018 when Clemson won the national title, and he memorably returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown against Alabama in the championship game. It was one of three interceptions he had on the season. Terrell also had one interception and seven pass breakups as a freshman. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds at the NFL Combine.

10. Bryce Hall

Virginia, 6-1, 202

The product of Bishop McDevitt in Harrisburg, Hall was a top high school wide receiver who was converted to the secondary upon his arrival at Virginia. Hall started seven games as a freshman, then all 26 over the next two seasons. As a junior, he led all FBS cornerbacks with 22 pass breakups and was named first-team All-ACC. Hall only started six games as a senior because of a left-ankle injury that required surgery. He had four pass breakups in his final season. Hall did not run at the NFL Combine.

Best fit for Steelers

Dane Jackson, Pitt

Cornerback is not a position of need for the Steelers, who have a full complement of starters and backups on the roster. Still, in this year of uncertainty because of the lack of pro days and official visits, the Steelers could take a known commodity with a later-round pick in Jackson, who trained next door at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. The Coraopolis native was second-team All-ACC as a senior when he started 13 games and led the Panthers with 12 pass breakups.