2023 NFL DRAFT: Position Breakdown: SECONDARY

 

2023 DEFENSIVE BACKS

Defensive backs continue to have very high value in the modern day pass heavy NFL. Corners with length and athletic ability to cover man to man are especially valuable. Speed is key but modern-day defensive backs still need to be physical and able to tackle in space. This year’s crop has plenty of guys that provide a variety of skills in the secondary

2023 PROSPECTS

Christian Gonzalez-CB-Oregon
6'3"/197/4.41/41.5” vertical
NFL Comp: Byron Jones/Carlos Rodgers
PFF Grade: 81.2

Gonzalez has the best combination of length and athletic ability of any defensive back in this class. He is a smooth player that uses his elite athletic tools to mirror receivers. He can play man or zone and is big enough to cover tight ends as well.

Devon Witherspoon-CB-Illinois
5'10"/181
NFL Comp: Terence Newman/AJ Bouye
PFF Grade: 92.1

The term “pure cover corner” is the best way to describe Witherspoon. His technique is that of a seasoned pro. Despite his 181 pound frame, he is one of the most physical players in the draft and plays the game with immense passion.

Joey Porter Jr-CB-Penn St
6'3"/193/4.46
NFL Comp: Carlton Davis/Josh Norman
PFF Grade: 81.2

Porter has ideal size for a perimeter corner. He is not as athletic as Gonzalez but is more physical and has just as much upside.

 

Brian Branch-SS/Slot DB-Alabama
6'0"/190
NFL Comp: Minkah Fitzpatrick/Jimmie Ward
PFF Grade: 89.5

Branch may be the most complete football player in the entire draft regardless of position. He plays a smart and physical brand of football. Due to the positional value safety not being as high as corner, there is chance that Branch may slip into the 20s.

Cam Smith-CB-South Carolina
6'1"/180/4.43
NFL Comp: Darius Butler/Kelly Jennings
PFF Grade: 81.2

Smith has the best ball skills of anyone in this class. He uses his combination of elite athletic tools and instincts to make plays. He is not as physical as the corners ranked above him and most of this is due to his slender frame.

Deonte Banks-CB-Maryland
6'0"/197/4.35
NFL Comp: Vontae Davis/Ronald Darby
PFF Grade: 71.9

Banks is an experienced and physical corner from Maryland. His physicality and ball skills are very similar Vontae Davis. His length and athletic ability is similar to another Maryland native in Ronald Darby. 

Emmanuel Forbes-DB-Miss. St
6'1"/166/4.35
NFL Comp: Merton Hanks/Demarcus Van Dyke
PFF Grade: 87.2

Forbes is the all-time college leader in interceptions returned for touchdowns and his ball skills are second to none. It was hard to find an accurate comparison for someone as long and slender as Forbes. The team that drafts him will hope he can turn into Merton Hanks. Hanks was a 4 time All Pro player that had 33 interceptions in his 9-year career in San Francisco. He was also very tall and slender but was still able to be productive. However, the weight concerns are real for Forbes as there are no current starting corners in the NFL that are over 6 feet and under 180 pounds.

Kelee Ringo-CB-Georgia
6’2”/207/4.36
NFL Comp:  Jimmy Smith/Xavier Rhodes
PFF Grade: 71.4

Ringo is the textbook physical corner that can press receivers at the line. He also has elite straight-line speed to mirror receivers on long routes. His weakness is in his short area quickness and some scouts see him as only a fit in a zone heavy scheme.  

Antonio Johnson-SS/Slot DB-TX A&M
6'2"/198/4.58
NFL Comp: Chris Conte/Kameron Curl
PFF Grade: 81.6

Johnson is a perfect fit as a slot DB. He has excellent fundamentals as a tackler in the open field and as a blitzer. He looks like a reliable safety that will likely never be a star but should have a very nice career given his skill set.

Julius Brents-CB-Kansas St
6'3"/197/4.45/41.5 vert
NFL Comp: Trumaine Johnson/Tre Flowers
PFF Grade: 74.9

Brents really improved his stock at the combine showing his combination of elite physical tools and size. If a team picking in the 8-15 range misses out on Gonzalez and Porter, they could target Brents in the mid second round.

DJ Turner-CB-Michigan
5'11"/178/4.26
NFL Comp: Jonathan Joseph/Fabian Washington
PFF Grade: 77.4

Turner was the fastest player at this year’s combine. He needs that speed to make up for his size and lack of physicality. His speed translates on the field covering the deep ball. The upside is there if he can put it all together.   

Clark Phillips III-Slot CB-Utah
5'9"/184/4.51
NFL Comp: Chris Harris/Mike Hilton
PFF Grade: 85.2
Phillips lack of size and elite speed will lead most teams to view him as a slot corner only. However, he is a ballhawk as evidenced by his 6 interceptions in 2022 and 13 pass breakups in 2021. He has the tools to be an elite slot guy similar to Chris Harris in his prime. 

Jordan Battle-SS-Alabama
6'1"/209/4.55/41.5
NFL Comp: Morgan Burnett/Malcolm Jenkins
PFF Grade: 81.5

Battle was a three-year starter and one of the leaders of a very talented defense. He is a great all-around football player and among the safest player in this draft class.

Tyrique Stevenson-DB-Miami
6'0"/198/4.45
NFL Comp: Darius Slay/Bradley Roby
PFF Grade: 76.7

Stevenson feels like the most underrated corner in this class. He passes the eye test as a long and athletic corner. He has the tools to become the best corner in this class and an All Pro like Darius Slay or may just turn into a solid pro corner like Bradley Roby.

Jammie Robinson-S-FSU
5'11"/191
NFL Comp: Jordan Poyer/Duron Harmon
PFF Grade: 80.1

Robinson is a versatile defensive back that lined up everywhere in college. Per PFF, Robinson played 633 snaps in the box, 759 deep and 1,348 from the slot. Hopefully he can land with a coordinator that will find a way to maximize his versatility.

JL Skinner-S-Boise St
6’4”/209
NFL Comp: Jayron Kearse/George Iloka  
PFF Grade: 74.7

Skinner is a tall and long safety that projects a big slot defensive back. He uses his frame to play with the physicality of a linebacker. He is not as big as former Boise product George Iloka (6’4”/225) but plays a very similar game.

Sydney Brown-S-Illinois
5'10"/211/4.47/40.5 vert
NFL Comp: Kurt Coleman
PFF Grade: 78.4

Brown is a physical and athletic player at the safety position. He started five year at Illinois and has gotten better every season.

Christopher Smith-FS-Georgia
5'11"/192
NFL Comp: Jalen Mills
PFF Grade: 75.8

Smith is an undersized free safety that may be better suited for a Nickel/Dime role at the next level. Jalen Mills has a near identical build and used his versatility to be nice contributor on the Eagles and Patriots. 

Garrett Williams-CB-Syracuse
5'11"/192
NFL Comp: Rock Ya-Sin
PFF Grade: 71.1

Williams would likely be on the first-round bubble had he not torn his ACL last season. He is a physical corner that would fit best in a zone scheme. In a crowded corner class his draft landing spot may have the biggest variance.

Ji'Ayir Brown-S-Penn St
5'11"/203
NFL Comp: Jordan Whitehead
PFF Grade: 78.7

Brown played in one of the best secondaries in the nation in 2021 with Joey Porter Jr., Jaquan Brisker and Tariq Castro-Fields. He was the most physical player in that secondary and was very productive as he had 147 tackles the past two seasons. He lacks speed so he will need to find a team that will use him primarily in the box.

Eli Ricks-CB-Alabama
6'2"/188
NFL Comp: Dre Kirkpatrick
PFF Grade: 69.8

Ricks is similar in size and lockdown ability to another former Bama corner in Kirkpatrick. He played at both Bama and LSU but was not a full-time player on either team. He only played in 23 games total in 3 years of college. His tape is good but the production is limited.

Cory Trice Jr-DB-Purdue
6’3”/206/4.47
NFL Comp: James Bradberry
PFF Grade: 75.4

Trice is yet another big and physical corner that has the physical skills to play as a box safety if needed. He was pretty unknown in the draft process but is now seeing his stock rise after an elite showing at the combine. The only question is what position he will play on the next level.

Jartavius Martin-CB-Illinois
5'10"/194/4.46
NFL Comp: Rashad Fenton
PFF Grade: 73.2

Martin’s story is similar to his teammate Devon Witherspoon as both were underrecruited coming out of the state of Florida. He does not have the ball skills of his teammate but is a lot more physical. He fits a nickel corner on the next level similar to Fenton.

Jakorian Bennett-CB-Maryland
5'11"/188/4.30/40.5” vert
NFL Comp: Robert Alford
PFF Grade: 71.9

Bennett put on a show at the combine with his blazing speed and elite leaping ability. Bennett has a very strong and compact build with massive biceps. He should be able to carve out a nice role as a second or nickel corner.

Darius Rush-CB-S. Carolina
6'2"/198/4.36
NFL Comp: Eli Apple
PFF Grade: 77.9

Just like Jartavius Martin and Jakorian Bennett, Rush was overshadowed by his teammate Cam Smith in the secondary. Rush used a nice Senior Bowl and Combine to vault himself into day two discussion. He has the requisite height, speed, length combination but lacks consistency.

Tre Hodges Tomlinson-Slot DB-TCU
5'9"/178/4.41
NFL Comp: Nickell Robey-Coleman
PFF Grade: 76.1

THT is a great all-around player that plays much bigger than his size. It may be a cliché but that is honestly the best way to describe what he does on a football field. His lack of height means he will be relegated to a slot only role. He is a very safe pick in the third round as teams know exactly what they are getting with him.

 

 

HONORABLE MENTION SORTED BY POSITION

 

Corners	HT	WT	PFF	40	Arm
Riley Moss-CB-Iowa	6'0''	192	81.4	4.45	30.38
Kyu Blue Kelly-CB-Stanford	6'0''	191	62.7	4.52	32.00
Mekhi Blackmon-CB-USC	5'10''	182	90.6	4.47	31.63
Jaylon Jones-DB-TX A&M	6'2''	205	71.5	4.57	30.75
Mekhi Garner-DB-LSU	6'1''	220	72.9	4.55	32.50
Terell Smith-CB-Minnesota	6'0"	207	80.9	4.41	32.75
Carrington Valentine-DB-UK	6'0"	195	66.1	4.44	32.25
Anthony Johnson-CB-Virginia	6'0"	207	82.5	4.63	32.88
Darrell Luter Jr.-CB-S. Alabama	5'11''	191	70.1	4.46	32.50
Rejzohn Wright-CB-Oregon St	6'2''	196	72.1		32.50
Alex Austin-CB-Oregon St	6'1"	191	72.5	4.55	31.88
Keidron Smith-CB-UK	6'2''	203	85.6		32.00
Cameron Mitchell-DB-Northwestern	6'0"	195	69.3	4.47	31.38
Lance Boykin-CB-Coastal Carolina	6'2''	202	72.6		32.38
Cameron Brown-CB-Ohio St	6'0"	196	67.4		31.13
Myles Brooks-CB-La Tech	6'0"	201	71.5		30.75

 

Safeties	HT	WT	PFF	40	Bench
Brandon Joseph-S-Notre Dame	6'0"	202	73.4	4.62	17
Jay Ward-S-LSU	6'2"	188	55.2	4.55	16
Ronnie Hickman-S-Ohio St	6'1''	209	84.8	4.46
Daniel Scott-S-CAL	6'0"	210	66.8	4.45	22
Anthony Johnson Jr-S-Iowa St	6'0"	205	73.2	4.54
Marte Mapu-S-Sacramento St	6'2''	217	80.1	4.75
Kaevon Merriweather-DB-Iowa	6'0"	207	88.1	4.62
Brandon Hill-S-Pittsburgh	5'11''	194	66.8	4.43	15
Trey Dean-S-Florida	6'2''	211	66.1	4.75	25
DeMarcco Hellams-S-Alabama	6'0"	213	73.4	4.57
Quindell Johnson-S-Memphis	6'1"	195	76.3	4.57
Chamarri Conner-S-VA Tech	6'0"	205	65.1	4.51	20
Gervarrius Owens-S-Houston	6'0"	200	82.5	4.52	15
Rashad Torrence-FS	6'0''	197	73.8	4.72	20
Tyreque Jones-S-Boise St	6'1''	194	64.9	4.52
Jason Taylor II-S-OK St	6'0"	195	72.2	4.5	14
Jordan Howden-S-Minnesota	5'11''	206	78.7	4.49	14

 

Slot Only	HT	WT	PFF	40
Kei’trel Clark-DB-Louisville	5'10''	179	57.2	4.42
Christian Braswell-DB-Rutgers	5'11''	185	86.3
Tiawan Mullen-DB-Indiana	5'10"	176	67.7
Nicholas Jones-DB-Ball St	6'0"	191	66.5	4.51
Arquon Bush-DB-Cincinnati	6'0"	198	57.3	4.54
Starling Thomas-DB-UAB	5'10''	194	79.7