In the land of the milk-eyes, skim is king
Thanks to the Brandon Carr signing, we are not married to a CB in the 1st round, and thus are free to find value in later rounds. This is a good year to double dip at CB. You want some insurance in case Jenkins should be replaced. There are technically 5 CBs on the roster at the moment, but number 4 and 5 belong to C.J. Yates and Teddy Williams, who is being converted from WR. Do you feel comfortable having those last two guys be our only depth at the position?
The Cowboys must leave this draft with a minimum of 1 CB picked.
Cornerback
I think the best player to compare these guys to would be Darrelle Revis. Can you think of someone better? No? Well, alright then. The question is, is there a Revis in this draft? Apparently so.
Darrelle Revis
| 40 Time | Vert | Jump | 3Cone | 20 YD S |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.38 | 38 | 10'5" | 6.56 |
4.08 |
For cornerbacks you want to see great speed combined with extreme agility, an ability to compete for jump-balls, and a good diving jump for tackles and INTs.
Who has elite speed? Looking for sub-4.45.
| Robinson | 4.33 |
| Brooks | 4.37 |
| Gilmore | 4.40 |
| Sensabaugh | 4.42 |
| Bentley | 4.43 |
Now we want to look at leg strength, jumping/diving ability. Vert at 36, Broad at 10'2".
| Vert | B.Jump | |
|---|---|---|
| Bethel | 39.5 | 10'11" |
| Robinson | 38.5 | 11'1" |
| White | 37.5 | 10'6" |
| Judie | 37 | 10'6" |
| Sensabaugh | 37 | 10'2" |
Who has unbelievable agility?. 3 Cone set at 6.8, Short Shuttle at 4.10.
| Cone | 20Yard | |
|---|---|---|
| Robinson | 6.55 | 3.97 |
| Frederick | 6.59 | 4.03 |
| Sensabaugh | 6.60 | 4.06 |
| Gilmore | 6.61 | 3.94 |
| Fleming | 6.71 | 3.97 |
| Blanton | 6.71 | 3.97 |
| Hayward | 6.76 | 3.90 |
Let's look at the overview of all the CB's benchmark hits. X = Benchmark hit, X+ = preferred benchmark hit, and D for a decent score.
| 40 Time | Vert | Broad | Cone | 20Yard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robinson | X+ | X+ | X+ | X+ | X+ |
| Presley | |||||
| Menzie | |||||
| Wade | D | D | X | ||
| Jackson | D | D | X | ||
| Sensabaugh | X | X | X | X+ | X |
| Norman | X | ||||
| C.Harris | X | X | |||
| Steed | D | D | |||
| Pellerin | |||||
| L.Johnson | D | D | |||
| Brooks | X+ | X+ | D | ||
| Kirkpatrick | D | D | D | ||
| Claiborne | D | D | D | ||
| Bentley | X | ||||
| T.Johnson | D | X | D | ||
| Dennard | D | X | D | ||
| Jenkins | D | D | D | ||
| Brown | D | X | |||
| Blanton | D | X+ | X | X+ | |
| Fleming | D | D | X | X | X+ |
| M.Harris | X | D | X | ||
| Powell | D | D | D | ||
| Reed | X | ||||
| White | D | X | X | X | |
| Gilmore | X | X | X | X+ | X+ |
| Judie | D | X | X | ||
| Frederick | D | D | D | X+ | X |
| Hayward | D | X | X+ | ||
| Fenelus | X |
Based on benchmarks hit, here is my ranking of this year's CB class. This is just my opinion based on the data range. Usually I like to heavily weigh production ratio as part of the combine ranking. Unfortunately there isn't a production ratio for DBs. So my ranking is solely based on metrics, and isn't as credible as the others which factor in production ratio. For instance, Claiborne isn't at the very top of my list. That doesn't mean he isn't possibly the best CB in this draft. This is more about finding value and potential throughout the rounds. Now, as far as some of my top rated guys vs. say Kirkpatrick for being the 2nd best CB, that is much more of an interesting debate. You won't find a ranking like this anywhere else.
*There are quite a few CBs who didn't participate at the combine, unfortunately they can't be included in this ranking. Minnifield and Boykin are two who I'd like to include but can't. Additionally, guys like Kirkpatrick didn't complete all of the drills.
- Josh Robinson
- Stephon Gilmore
- Coty Sensabaugh
- Jamell Fleming
- RJ Blanton
- Terence Frederick
- Casey Hayward
- Corey White
- Morris Claiborne
- Mike Harris
- Janoris Jenkins
- Dre Kirkpatrick
- Ron Brooks
- Coryell Judie
- Ace Jackson
- Trevin Wade
- Trumaine Johnson
- Alfonzo Dennard
- Cliff Harris
- Chaz Powell
- Leonard Johnson
- Charles Brown
- Ryan Steed
- Dwight Bentley
- Josh Norman
- Antwuan Reed
- Antonio Fenelus
- Micah Pellerin
- De'Quan Menzie
- De'Andre Presley
My preferred players would be the top 9. But, out of the top 14, lets look at where they are projected to go in the draft.
Round 1
- Morris Claiborne
- Dre Kirkpatrick
- Stephon Gilmore
- Janoris Jenkins
Round 2
- Josh Robinson
- Jamell Fleming
Round 4
- Casey Hayward
Round 5
- Coryell Judie
Round 6
- Mike Harris
- Ron Brooks
Round 7
- Coty Sensabaugh
- Terence Frederick
- RJ Blanton
- Corey White
Raise your hand if you'd take Gilmore over Kirkpatrick. I know I would. Now, here's the really interesting thing. Sensabaugh is being so under-valued he could be had in the 7th round. That is probably the safest pick in the whole draft at #213. As you can see, Robinson is a physical freak and absolutely crushed the combine. Josh Robinson posted better combine numbers than Derrelle Revis in every category. Does that mean he's a sure thing? No, but posting that combination of numbers is very significant. Unfortunately, he is now a lock to go no further than the 2nd round. About a month ago he could be had in the 4th. Now, as to why Gilmore and Robinson flew up the draft boards, but not Sensabaugh? I have no idea.
All in all, this is a 'deep' CB draft, but offers few spectacular talents.
