By Michael Stewart @TheTruthNYG
This will be part 12 in a series of 13 as we examine the cornerback position in the 2022 NFL draft. The Giants invested heavily last off season at the CB spot by signing Adoree Jackson and drafting two corners in the draft (Rodarius Williams and Aaron Robinson). The 2022 class has talent throughout the three days, and it wouldn’t be a total surprise to me if the Giants add another corner into the mix for 2022. Here are my top 5 cornerbacks in the upcoming NFL draft.
- Ahmad Gardner (Cincinnati) 6’2/190: Gardner has good length and utilizes it well as a defender. Gardner didn’t allow a single touchdown against him in 2021 and is regarded as one of the best cornerbacks in man to man coverage in this draft. In my opinion, he should be ranked higher than Derek Stingley.
- Derek Stingley Jr (LSU) 6’1/200:, Stingley was projected to be the 1st cornerback on the board by many experts, but has slipped down to the second spot on my top 5 list due to his injury. This is not a knock on Stingley, but more of a higher praise for Gardner. Stingley could still be the first cornerback off the board, but I would rather take Gardner over him.
- Trent McDuffie (Washington) 5’11/195: McDuffie has leapfrogged his way up my top 5 board and could at the very least remain in the top 3 before the draft. McDuffie combination of speed and quickness to go along with great anticipation should enable him to be taken within the first 20 picks of the draft.
- Kaiir Elam (Florida) 6’2/192: Elam is a solid cornerback who should be one of the first five cornerbacks off the board. Elam is a ball hawk and will play a physical game and handle man to man coverage on the outside.
- Andrew Booth (Clemson) 6’0/195: Booth edges out Kyler Gordon and Roger McCreay in my top 5, but an argument can be made for any of these three cornerbacks to be in the top 5. I gave Booth the slight edge due to his elite speed (4.38), physicality and the ability to play both man and zone coverage.
This is a pretty solid group of cornerbacks as we should see at least five taken in round 1. With new defensive coordinator (Martindale) on board, the Giants could be in the market of drafting a cornerback; but the million-dollar question is when? The Giants currently have five picks within the first two days of the draft, so it’s possible they use one of those picks for a cornerback; especially if James Bradberry is traded before the draft.