NFL Draft
2/26/25
6 min read
2025 NFL Draft: Superlatives For This Year's CB Class
With the 2025 NFL Draft approaching, I’ve started a superlatives series to preview each position group.
This series will cover a wide range of prospects and highlight the players who stand out the most in specific categories. Today, we’re breaking down the cornerback class.
QB Superlatives | RB Superlatives | WR Superlatives | TE Superlatives | OL Superlatives | EDGE Superlatives | DL Superlatives | LB Superlatives
2025 NFL Draft DL Superlatives
BEST ZONE CB
Travis Hunter, Colorado 
Travis Hunter was built in a lab to play zone coverage. His explosiveness and catch radius allow him to play multiple routes simultaneously, and he reads intermediate route concepts like he drew up the play.
I’ve never evaluated a college cornerback who was this instinctive as a flat/shallow zone defender. It’s usually a backhanded complement to say a cornerback is “best fit for a zone scheme”, but if you don’t play cover-2 with Travis Hunter, you’re just leaving interceptions on the field.
Hunter’s anticipation and play recognition have led him to seven interceptions and twelve pass breakups over the last two seasons. In addition to his playmaking prowess, Hunter also has very few coverage busts and missed assignments.
Honorable Mention: Will Johnson, Michigan
BEST MAN CB
Azareye’h Thomas, Florida State 
Azareye’h Thomas is a prototypical boundary cornerback for a press-man system. He has the size and length to stonewall receivers in press coverage and can physically overwhelm smaller opponents. He’s capable of imposing his will and driving outside releases to the sideline or completely shutting down a receiver’s vertical push, ending the rep before he even crosses the line of scrimmage.
While it doesn’t result in as many dominant, decisive wins, Thomas is even more effective playing soft-shoe press, where he mirrors the release without making contact.
He has rare hip fluidity at 6014, 191 pounds to transition and stick with sudden route breaks in man coverage. His high-cut build is a bit of a drawback if he’s forced to sharply decelerate from max speed to mirror a comeback, but his overall blend of size, speed, and agility is hard to find.
Thomas’ production is somewhat modest, with just eleven pass breakups and one interception over the last two seasons. But opposing quarterbacks avoided his side of the field, and he was one of the least targeted quarterbacks last year on a per-snap basis.
He didn’t get enough targets to fill up the box score, but he was still able to prove his ability at the catch point in limited opportunities. He’s comfortable turning and locating the ball downfield, and he weaponizes his length to high-point the ball.
Honorable Mention: Dorian Strong, Virginia Tech
BEST ATHLETE
Darien Porter, Iowa State
Darien Porter is a sixth-year senior who alternated between receiver and cornerback for most of his career, struggling to secure a full-time role until 2024.
He’s recorded 970 special teams snaps during the course of his career but only played 269 defensive snaps in his first five seasons. He broke out in his final year and did enough to establish himself as a potential Day 2 pick.
Porter is one of the best linear athletes in this class. At 6023, 197 pounds, 33.25-inch arms, he has a chance to run the fastest 40-yard dash among cornerbacks at the combine. In high school, he set the Iowa State record with a 46.99 in the 400 meters.
According to Zebra tracking at the Senior Bowl, Porter had the second-fastest max speed in the last eight years, only eclipsed by Riq Woolen in 2022. He’s somewhat limited in terms of change of direction ability, but his explosiveness and top speed are the best in this class.
Honorable Mention: Azareye’h Thomas, Florida State
BEST BALL SKILLS
Jahdae Barron, Texas
Hunter, who is literally a receiver, has the best ball skills in this class. However, I try to cover a unique player for each superlative, so I’ll highlight Jahdae Barron here.
Barron had an extremely productive fifth year, recording five interceptions and nine pass breakups. He isn’t the biggest or most athletic defensive back, but his composure, hand-eye coordination, and body control made him absolutely dominant at the catch point. He strikes and rakes with precision to dislodge the ball, consistently playing the ball and not the receiver to avoid unnecessary contact.
Barron is a difficult projection, as his role within Texas’s defense was not very demanding relative to other cornerbacks in this class. He played mostly zone coverage and was rarely asked to press receivers at the line of scrimmage.
Due to his average athletic traits and his experience playing multiple positions across the defensive backfield, there’s a good chance he will end up at nickel or safety in the NFL. Regardless of where he ends up, his ball skills and instincts will make him a productive player.
Honorable Mention: Travis Hunter, Colorado
BEST RUN DEFENDER
Cobee Bryant, Kansas
It feels weird to say that the lightest cornerback in the class is also the best run defender, but at 171 pounds, Cobee Bryant is a tone-setter. He’s very slippery, avoiding contact on the perimeter, and despite his lack of size, he has long arms to punch and separate from blocks.
He’s also a reliable tackler and has forced a fumble in all four of his seasons as a starter. When a blocker is able to latch on and secure contact, Bryant’s anchor is limited, and he can get driven out of his gap. But his technique and tenacity were enough to offset that at the college level.
Honorable Mention: Jaylin Smith, USC
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