The Indianapolis Colts need a cornerback despite drafting three last season. There are many reasons why. First, GM Chris Ballard and the front office decided to go young at the position. Second, the team sustained a lot of turmoil in the secondary due to injuries and suspension.
The injuries were incredibly detrimental to the team. Starting cornerback Dallis Flowers was lost in Week 5 due to an Achilles injury. Meanwhile, rookie Julius Brents appeared in only nine games, starting eight, because of various injuries. While the Colts did get valuable play from their seventh-round selection Jaylon Jones, even he needs more development and improvement.
This has led to a split among the Colts’ fan base. Some want the team to sign a veteran cornerback to help, both on and off the field. They want the player to be a mentor to the younger players, and many wanted that guy to be L’Jarius Sneed. Then there is a strong contingent of fans adamant that the team should select a cornerback with the 15th overall pick.
Here are five cornerback prospects the Indianapolis Colts could draft.
Cam Hart, Notre Dame
- 6-foot-3, 202 lbs
Cam Hart is another high-profile player from Notre Dame’s secondary to enter the NFL. Two years ago, it was safety Kyle Hamilton who was selected by Baltimore and earned both a Pro Bowl and All-Pro in his rookie season. Despite both Hamilton and Hart testing similarly at the combine, Hamilton was viewed as a Day 1 starter, whereas Hart is viewed as a backup that can become a starter. He also profiles someone more likely to succeed in zone rather than man coverage early on in his career.
Hart tested well, with a 9.82 RAS, but he does have stiff hips at times which leads to challenges when changing direction in coverage. And unfortunately, if he falls behind in coverage, he lacks catch-up speed despite running a 4.5 40-yard dash. Another area of concern is the lack of turnovers he created in college. Generating a total of five turnovers in four years, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles, leads to the conclusion that he doesn’t trust his instincts enough.
The lack of turnover production is concerning, considering the talent Hart possesses. He does a good job of shadowing the route of the receiver and flipping his hips to stick with them. He takes advantage of his size and strength to re-route the receiver with his press coverage. And when he’s tasked with taking on a high-profile player, he rises to the occasion. An example of this is his performance against Marvin Harrison Jr. Hart will take some time to develop into an NFL starter and he’s drawing comparisons to Benjamin St-Juste, who was a third-round selection by Washington 2021.
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Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
- 6 feet, 195 lbs
Quinyon Mitchell is going to get knocked for ‘playing at a small school’ and ‘playing against lesser competition‘. Regardless, he showed to be an above-average cornerback while in college. His final two seasons in college saw him assert himself as a disruptive force in the secondary, as he combined for 37 pass deflections and six interceptions. His 18 pass deflections ranked second in the NCAA last season.
A lot of Mitchell’s weaknesses are ones that NFL coaching and play should correct. For example, his transitions and flipping of his hips can use some refinement. This is something of concern, as is his feel for the receiver when he’s playing in man coverage. His ability to read the quarterback and wide receiver is another area that needs improvement. And his route anticipation is another item that needs more coaching.
Mitchell has high-end speed as evidenced by his 4.3 40-yard dash and is agile too. And because of his speed and tackling ability, he could have some additional value on special teams in his rookie season. He is a strong tackler against wide receivers but against running backs, it is inconsistent. Mitchell’s vision in coverage is strong as he can interrupt both the quarterback’s and wide receiver’s timing and route. An admirable trait of his is that he never gives up on the pass, whether it’s a last-second deflection or punching the ball out.
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Khyree Jackson, Oregon
- 6-foot-4, 194 lbs
Khyree Jackson started just 14 games in college and subsequently, he is still raw. However, he has a lot of desirable traits. His 32 3/4” arms rank in the 80th percentile, his height in the 99th percentile, his broad jump 11’ 1” in the 97th percentile, and his 10-yard split of 1.5 seconds rank in the 87th percentile. Not to mention he is a bonus in run support too.
Unfortunately, his 4.5 40-yard dash time means he can struggle to keep pace with faster wide receivers. Considering he is raw, it’s not surprising that his transitions and hip-flips can lag. And because he doesn’t have the recovery speed he needs to refine his technique, along with his route recognition. Jackson is an aggressive corner which is beneficial when playing press coverage and jamming at the line of scrimmage.
However, if he falls behind he can be grabby which leads to penalties. Some of his falling behind is because of his lack of experience. But with better NFL coaching and playing time, this should lead to more consistent play. Jackson showed well when playing man coverage in college, along with a strong football IQ to be effective in zone coverages. This versatility, plus physicality and size will have defensive coordinators extremely intrigued with this prospect.
Decamerion Richardson, Mississippi St.
- 6-foot-2, 188 lbs
Decamerion Richardson is a name that is not being talked about a lot as we near the draft. And it’s not surprising as he is very raw but he is someone who can be a perfect scheme fit for the Colts. In the past few years, they’ve selected cornerbacks who needed a couple of years of seasoning before being ready to play in an NFL game, Isaiah Rodgers and Dallis Flowers. Richardson fits in the same bucket.
He has a higher RAS (9.7) than Flowers (9.5) and is graded a little bit lower (5.84) than Rodgers (5.92) by NFL.com. Richardson needs work on his technique, as his ability to track both the quarterback and wide receiver is lacking; he’s too upright in his backpedal and seems stiff when trying to cover a receiver.
However, he faced off against LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers, and Brian Thomas. In that game, he allowed a combined three catches on the four times he was targeted with only one pass interference call against him. Because of Richardson’s size and length, he makes the 50/50 throws incredibly tough to catch. He has 4.3 speed as evidenced by his 40-yard dash and is strong in bump and run coverage. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him playing this type of coverage in his rookie year, as he has a quick and powerful punch.
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Elijah Jones, Boston College
- 6-foot-1 1/2”, 185 lbs
Elijah Jones is another prospect that isn’t being talked about and is considered, by experts, to be a Day 3 draft pick. A reason for this thinking is that he doesn’t offer much in man-to-man coverage and is much better in a zone-heavy defense. Considering the Colts run a lot of zone and Cover-3 defense this makes him a good fit. One area he excels is undercutting routes to either intercept or break up the pass.
He is a very slender player and isn’t good in run defense. His small frame is also a concern when covering bigger receivers. He can be overly aggressive in covering routes, so pump fakes or double moves can cause Jones to bite on the play. There are a lot of times when he tends to stand right up on his backpedal, which can inhibit his transitions.
He does a good job of utilizing his height and size in successfully winning contested catches. He is considered a ball-hawking corner as he likes undercutting routes and quickly closing the gaps. As previously mentioned, Jones is strong in zone coverage as he’s adept at reading the quarterback’s eyes to disrupt and bait throws. At the combine, he ran a 4.4 40-yard dash. This was in the top 10 for cornerbacks and his 42.5-inch vertical jump ranks in the 99th percentile.
The Indianapolis Colts could look to add another cornerback in the draft. And this class has intriguing prospects to consider in every round. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them take a player who might need some development, as their top five, when healthy, can play now.
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