If the Falcons want a cornerback in the NFL Draft, they’ll have plenty of options

Dane Brugler released The Beast on Monday, which means the NFL Draft can’t be far away. It also means we’ve all got a lot of reading to do between now and then to make sure we are ready when it gets here.

Considering The Beast is 307 pages of the most in-depth draft information you’ll find anywhere, it feels like a public service to give Falcons fans a good starting point.

May I suggest cornerbacks? Here’s why: The Falcons need to add a cornerback, and the depth of this cornerback class offers them a lot of options. Brugler has 11 cornerbacks ranked among his top 69 prospects. That’s important because Atlanta has three draft picks in the top 75.

“He’s got a chance to be the best corner in the draft,” an AFC general manager says. “He’s the most complete of all of them.” He also is the scrappiest and loudest. And almost indisputably, he is the one with the best story. My look at Devon Witherspoon. https://t.co/VOb27EeJ0G

— Dan Pompei (@danpompei) April 5, 2023

Before we look at who the Falcons might draft at cornerback, let’s take a quick look at their current group of cornerbacks.

A.J. Terrell: The No. 16 pick in the 2020 draft, Terrell is the star of Atlanta’s secondary. Signing him to an extension before the start of next season and finding a player to pair with him into the future at the position should be the Falcons’ top secondary goals.

Casey Hayward: An 11-year veteran with 123 NFL starts and 25 career interceptions coming off a torn pectoral muscle, Hayward has to be considered the starting outside cornerback opposite Terrell at the moment.

Mike Hughes: A free-agent addition in March, Hughes was a first-round draft pick by the Vikings in 2018 whose career in Minnesota was marred by injury. He started six games for the Lions last season and enters this season as the presumptive starter at nickel.

Dee Alford: Added on a reserve/futures contract in 2022, Alford played in 16 games mostly as the Falcons’ nickelback last season. He had one interception and seven pass deflections.

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Cornell Armstrong: A sixth-round selection by the Dolphins in 2018, Armstrong joined Atlanta last season and plugged some holes, starting four games, recording 33 tackles and breaking up seven passes.

Darren Hall: A fourth-round draft pick in 2021, Hall started nine games in 2022 after a season-ending injury to Casey Hayward, but he didn’t do enough in that time to make the Falcons believe he’s a future solid starter.

Javelin Guidry: A practice squad member the last four weeks of 2022, Guidry has played in 32 NFL games but none for the Falcons.

Dylan Mabin: The Fordham product, an undrafted free agent for the Raiders in 2019, spent most of last season on the Atlanta practice squad.

Matt Hankins: An undrafted free agent out of Iowa last year, Hankins spent 2022 on the practice squad.

John Reid: A fringe practice squad player last season, Reid has appeared in three NFL games in three seasons.

Jamal Peters: A UDFA in 2019 by the Colts, Peters has yet to appear in an NFL game.

The Falcons had six cornerbacks on their initial 53-man roster last season, and that feels like a good target number to work with this year. Of the above group, three (Terrell, Hayward and Hughes) can be considered locks for spots heading into 2023. Assuming there are three other spots to be had, Alford, Armstrong and Hall look like the most likely candidates, but no one in that trio is irreplaceable, which brings the discussion back to this year’s prospects.

Ryan Nielsen’s addition as defensive coordinator doesn’t give us many clues about how the Falcons might value cornerback in the draft. During Nielsen’s six years with the Saints (a time in which he was focused on the defensive line and likely not making many final calls on draft picks), New Orleans drafted three cornerbacks — Marshon Lattimore in the first round (No. 11) in 2017, Paulson Adebo in the third round (No. 76) in 2021 and Alontae Taylor in the second round (No. 49) in 2022.

The Falcons have picks at Nos. 8, 44 and 75 this year, and they could be in the market for a corner at any of those spots, so let’s look at the best options based on Brugler’s rankings.

Cornerback options at No. 8

Christian Gonazlez, Oregon
Devon Witherspoon, Illinois
Joey Porter Jr., Penn State

Gonzalez is Brugler’s top-ranked cornerback (No. 5 overall) and there are three traits in his scouting report that make me think he’d be an ideal fit in Atlanta. He’s 6-foot-1 3/8, 197 pounds. He’s great in man coverage. And as one NFL scout told Brugler: “He’s a coach pleaser. … Puts his head down and works.”

Witherspoon is Brugler’s No. 9 prospect and “competes with the tenacity of a junkyard dog.” He’s probably a step ahead of Gonzalez in zone coverage and as a tackler.

The biggest of the top three, Porter is 6-2 1/2 and 193 pounds and has 34-inch arms. He’s No. 16 on Brugler’s list but “has clear bust potential” due to poor technique. It will be a surprise if he is Atlanta’s choice.

Cornerback options at No. 44

Deonte Banks, Maryland
Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State
Kelee Ringo, Georgia
D.J. Turner, Michigan

Banks was a late bloomer (No. 77 cornerback in his high school class and only four pass breakups in his first three college seasons), but he had a breakout senior season and a great combine. He had nine pass breakups in his final season and then ran a 4.35 40-yard dash and had a 42-inch vertical jump (best among cornerbacks) at the combine. He might not be around at No. 44, but if he is and the Falcons still need a cornerback, they would take a hard look. Brugler rates him as the No. 27 player in the draft.

Forbes is Brugler’s No. 35 player and is a great example of testing versus tape. He didn’t have stellar combine workouts, but he had 35 pass breakups in three collegiate seasons. Size (166 pounds) is a concern.

Ringo, Brugler’s No. 36 prospect, has the pedigree. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in his high school class, and he played collegiately at Georgia, which is as good in terms of preparation as a defensive back can get for the NFL outside of maybe Alabama. Turner, No. 42 according to Brugler, is a Suwanee native who ran the fastest 40 at this year’s combine (4.26).

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Cornerback options at No. 75

Clark Phillips III, Utah
Darius Rush, South Carolina
Cam Smith, South Carolina
Tyrique Stevenson, Miami

If Phillips wasn’t 5-9 with arms that are under 30 inches long, he might be a first-round pick. As it stands, he is Brugler’s No. 53 prospect after picking off six passes in his final collegiate season.

Rush came out of nowhere to end up No. 63 on Brugler’s list. After starting his college career at wide receiver, he didn’t earn much name recognition at South Carolina, but a good Senior Bowl week followed by smooth drill work at the combine got him noticed. Smith was Rush’s college teammate. He is the more talented of the pair, but his inconsistent technique puts him No. 66 on Brugler’s list.

Stevenson (No. 69) started his career at Georgia before clashing with coaches and ending up at Miami. He has the physical traits (Over 6-foot tall, long arms, fast enough) to be an early starter if he finds the right home.

If the Falcons want a cornerback in the NFL Draft, they’ll have plenty of options

Cornerback options at No. 8

Cornerback options at No. 44

Cornerback options at No. 75

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