These NFL Rookie Cornerbacks Might Be Up Next
Being a Cornerback in the NFL has to be one of the most challenging positions in sports. The NFL is currently home to a handful of truly lockdown cornerbacks who can put a seatbelt on the league’s most talented receivers regularly. Some of the corners drafted this year have the potential to lock down the league for years to come.
5. Nate Wiggins
Like they always do, the Ravens landed an absolute stud out of Clemson in Nate Wiggins. Standing at six foot one and 173 pounds, he isn’t the biggest guy, but his 4.28 40-yard dash time makes up for it. Last season at Clemson, he received First Team All-ACC honors when he led the conference in pick sixes and ninth in forced fumbles. He and Marlon Humphrey should get along great over there in Baltimore.
4. Terrion Arnold
Potentially an early candidate to be the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, Terrion Arnold was one of the top cornerbacks available at the draft. He’s coming off a season that saw him capture First Team All-American honors at Alabama last season when he had five interceptions, leading the SEC. He’s only 20 and now gets to join an already stout Lions defense. He could be in the mix for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
3. Kamari Lassiter
Getting dropped on the Houston Texans will benefit any young defensive player. They’ve built a pretty good defense down there in Houston with DeMeco Ryans, and Kamari Lassiter might be a nice running mate with Derek Stingley and Jeff Okudah. Lassiter won two National Championships at Georgia and put together a Second-Team All-SEC season last year, finishing sixth in the conference in passes defended.
2. Quinyon Mitchell
Right when it looked like the Eagles’ cornerback room was too old and too slow, they injected an electrifying athlete like Quinyon Mitchell into their already solid defense. Luckily for the Eagles, Mitchell fell right into their laps in the draft, and now he has a chance to become a cornerstone on that defense for years to come.
Last season at Toledo, he had just a 49.0 quarterback rating when targeted. He might be raw right now, but he ends up as the best corner in the class.
1. Mike Sainristil
Another raw player, Mike Sairistil, has a chance to be a real player in an awkward cornerback room in Washington. Coming from Michigan, the 23-year-old was a huge part of last year’s National Championship victory for the Wolverines and was named a First Team All-American. He finished the season third in the NCAA with six interceptions, including two pick-sixes and his 26 solo tackles.
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