NFL draft preview: It will take digging to find corner who's perfect fit for Bills
This year’s cornerback draft class presents an interesting challenge. There are nine or 10 cornerbacks who could land in the top 60 on some NFL teams’ boards. But not many of them could be considered A-plus tacklers.
This is 10th in a series of position previews for the 2025 NFL draft. Today: Cornerbacks.
NFL draft fanatics may want to rethink the idea they can get a good handle on the 2025 cornerback class by watching a bunch of highlights of prospects.
Good tackling is an important prerequisite for the Buffalo Bills in evaluating cornerback prospects. It’s hard to get a good feel for a cornerback’s toughness in defending the run unless you’re watching video of full games.
This year’s cornerback draft class presents an interesting challenge. There are nine or 10 cornerbacks who could land in the top 60 on some NFL teams’ boards. But not many of them could be considered A-plus tacklers.
Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron, celebrating an interception against Arkansas in November, likely would check all the boxes for the Bills
but probably will be selected well before the 30th overall pick. Associated Press file photo
“We want our guys to be able to tackle as well,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said at the NFL owners meetings. “Sometimes you see this guy that is an athletic freak and turns the ball over but comes down and is a pile inspector, as we call them. Those guys are kind of non-fits for us. Is the guy our DNA − the type of physicality that we want?”
Which corners clear the bar as run defenders? The Bills’ scouts no doubt have dug deep into the video to determine the answer.
“I was thinking along the lines of which defensive backs are kind of tone setters as run defenders in this year’s class,” ESPN draft analyst Field Yates said on a conference call with NFL reporters. “It’s actually a pretty low number.”
Last year’s corner class had some fierce run enforcers on the corner, Yates said.
“Terrion Arnold last year coming out of Alabama, had an edge to him,” Yates said. “Ennis Rakestraw, both of those guys ended up going to the Lions, but Rakestraw was another guy who you said he has a real edge and a nastiness to him.”
“It’s a fair point about the lack of clear sort of edge-setter, tone-setter corners,” Yates said. “There’s not a ton of names that come to mind who if I were building the first three traits on their chart that I like the most, it’d be on there.”
Overall position grade: 5/10.
Bills view. Cornerback is the biggest need for the Bills because it’s the lone position where there is an open starter position. The Bills need to draft a rookie to fill the spot opposite Christian Benford, where free agent Rasul Douglas played last year. If a corner isn’t taken in the first round, then the Bills will have to take one in the second round (they own picks 56 and 62). It would be a good idea for the Bills to double up and take another corner on Day 3, like they did in 2022 when they selected Kaiir Elam and Benford.
Bills need ranking. 10/10.
The best. Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter of Colorado could be the No. 2 overall pick. Michigan’s Will Johnson and Texas’ Jahdae Barron both are top-20 talents.
Names to know. Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston is a strong candidate to be the No. 4 corner in the class and would be a logical pick for the Bills at No. 30. ESPN’s Mel Kiper mocks Hairston to Buffalo.
Hairston ran a time of 4.28 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine, fastest of any player in the draft. He’s feisty, opportunistic and can play man or zone coverage. He improved his tackling in 2024 and he’s willing to defend the run, but he has a lean frame at 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds. He played only seven games in 2024 due to a shoulder injury.
Other corners who arguably could rank between 30 and 50 are Florida State’s Azareye’h Thomas, Ole Miss’ Trey Amos, Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison and East Carolina’s Shavon Revel Jr.
The 6-1, 197-pound Thomas (whose first name is pronounced uh-ZAR-ee-yay) is long, athletic and has good character. He brings strength and desire to run defense. His speed is not elite (4.56) and he hasn’t made a lot of plays on the ball. The 6-0 Amos has good size, length and light feet. He can play press or zone. He’s a willing tackler but can be a tad up and down in the run game.
Morrison suffered a major hip injury last year and isn’t a good tackler. The 6-2 Revel is supersized and plays physical in coverage. He tackles. But he tore knee ligaments on Sept. 18. Odds are he’s not going to be 100% as a rookie. A lot of mock drafters expect him to go to Seattle at 50 or 52 in the second round.
Late second round. Who will be there late in the second round if the Bills don’t go corner in the first round? ESPN’s Kiper has a run on corners early in the second, with Thomas at 40, Amos at 44, Morrison at 46 and Revel at 50.
That likely would leave a group of three in California’s Nohl Williams, Kansas State’s Jacob Parrish and perhaps Iowa State’s Darien Porter. Williams, 6-0, 190, is a ball-hawk, with 14 career interceptions, including seven pickoffs with eight pass breakups in 2024. Williams has good strength, tackles well and he’s durable. He gets a little handsy in coverage and he’s not an A-plus speedster (4.50). Parrish is a blazer with 4.35 speed. He’s a more fluid athlete than Williams although he’s not tall (5-10). He can play outside or in the slot. He’s a decent tackler. Porter is a projection. He spent six years at Iowa State, the first three at wide receiver, and he started only one year at corner. He’s a blazer (4.30) with elite length at 6-3 and 33¼-inch arms (31 is good). He gets high grades for character. He could be a more consistent tackler and his play strength is suspect, but he blocked four punts in his career.
Intriguing. If the Bills want to double dip, Tulane’s Caleb Ransaw ran 4.33 and is a good tackler. He may last to the fifth round. Ditto for sure-tackling Upton Stout of Western Kentucky and LSU’s Zy Alexander, a tough tackler with size but not great speed. Some see Alexander as a safety. Ohio State’s Denzel Burke is a tough, zone-coverage corner who’s a fourth- or fifth-rounder. Zah Frazier of Texas-San Antonio is a long, slender, developmental corner with speed (4.36). Kansas’ Cobee Bryant is an aggressive zone corner. They’re all later-round picks.
Sleepers. Benford’s alma mater, Villanova, has another good cornerback with size in 6-1 Isas Waxter. His speed isn’t as good as that of Benford, but like Benford, he’s physical and smart. He’s probably a seventh-rounder or an undrafted signee. ... Kendall Paul of East Texas A&M is a diminutive 5-7, 161, but ran a reported 4.38 at his pro day.
TOP 10 CORNERBACKS
Rank Player, school Ht. Wt.
1 Travis Hunter*, Colorado 6-0 188
2 Will Johnson*, Michigan 6-2 194
3 Jahdae Barron, Texas 5-11 194
4 Maxwell Hairston*, Kentucky 5-11 183
5 Trey Amos, Ole Miss 6-1 195
6 Azareye’h Thomas*, Florida State 6-1 197
7 Shavon Revel Jr., East Carolina 6-2 194
8 Nohl Williams, California 6-0 190
9 Jacob Parrish*, Kansas State 5-10 191
10 Benjamin Morrison*, Notre Dame 6-0 193
* − Underclassman