Tag: Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson

2023 NFL Draft: The top 11 cornerbacks

From Devon Witherspoon to Julius Brents, here are Doug Farrar’s top 11 cornerbacks in the 2023 NFL draft class.

The 2023 NFL draft presents one of the strongest cornerback classes in recent memory, to the point where some lucky NFL teams are going to get players at the position with a ton of starter traits all the way into the third day of the draft.

That isn’t always the case, and the thing about this class that seems particularly interesting is the number of bigger (over six feet tall) cornerbacks with positive traits and intriguing ball skills. Most classes tend to be more of a grab-bag in terms of the NFL’s preferred size profile, but in our Top 11, nine of the cornerbacks are at least 5-foot-11, and only two (Utah’s Clark Phillips III and TCU’s Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson) are obviously under the “You must be this tall to ride this ride” limit.

From there, it’s all about the traits you need. This class of cornerbacks has everything from press-man monsters with ridiculous wingspans to zone and match detectives who have perfected the art of working receivers into frustrations they didn’t quite expect.

So, it’s time to separate the skill sets for our Top 11 cornerbacks of the 2023 NFL draft class.

You can also read our list of the top nine safeties in the 2023 class right here.

2023 NFL Draft: The top 9 safeties

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus, Sports Info Solutions, and Football Outsiders unless otherwise indicated).

(All prospect measurement percentiles courtesy of MockDraftable.com). 

Podcast: Who should the Browns target at slot cornerback in the draft?

Which slot options should the Browns target?

One question still looms over the defensive side of the football for the Cleveland Browns: who will play slot cornerback this year? Greg Newsome has already expressed that he no longer wants to play inside and the Browns may look to the 2023 NFL Draft to find a replacement. Even if Newsome does play some inside they lack depth at the position.

In this week’s podcast, I break down my top four options for slot defenders in April’s draft and how they fit with the Browns. You can watch this week’s episode here and comment on who you think the team should take at the position to help round out the roster.

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4 nickel cornerback options for the Browns in the 2023 NFL Draft

Could the Browns find a slot cornerback in the draft?

Last season former first-round pick Greg Newsome II was the primary slot player for the Cleveland Browns with mixed results. He has, however, expressed that he no longer wishes to play inside so if the team is looking for a new starter or just slot depth the draft has some intriguing options.

General manager Andrew Berry loves players with versatility, and this class has a lot of slot players that also play deep safety as well as an outside corner. Though the team has invested a lot in the position, in the modern NFL you can never have enough cornerbacks. Especially when Newsome and Denzel Ward are likely to miss time with an injury.

2023 NFL draft big board: Cornerbacks

Ranking the prospects in a very good cornerback class in the 2023 NFL draft

Up next in the 2023 NFL positional big boards is the cornerback group.

It’s a very good year to need a cornerback. This is a deep class with all sorts of athletic prowess and stylistic diversity. College football’s heavy emphasis on passing offense has developed many of these corners into more NFL-ready contributors right away than in the past, too.

2023 NFL draft big board: Running backs

As was the case with the running backs, different corners will have stronger appeal for some teams but less for other schemes. As an example, Devon Witherspoon will rank much higher for press-man coverage defenses but won’t have nearly as high of a ranking for zone-heavy schemes. These are broader rankings based on overall ability; adjust for scheme accordingly.

Post-free agency mock draft as Browns add tantalizing youngsters

How does free agency shift the draft plans of the Browns?

Step one of the off-season is well underway as the Cleveland Browns have added talent to their roster this week during NFL free agency. What better time for a 2023 NFL Mock Draft? The Browns needed to rebuild their defensive line for Jim Schwartz and have added an impressive young pass rusher as well as three defensive tackles including Dalvin Tomlinson.

After adding Juan Thornhill on Thursday the 2023 NFL Draft for the Browns will likely be with an eye past 2023. Having filled most of the starting roster holes in free agency the team won’t need rookies to have major roles barring injuries. Let’s look ahead at some young players that could develop into important role players in Cleveland.

One NFL Scouting Combine standout per position for the Browns to target

Which combine standouts should the Browns have their eyes on?

The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine has come to an end, and plenty of valuable information has been sprinkled onto the field and in interviews for the Cleveland Browns to pull from. From Cincinnati wide receiver Tyler Scott to others, there were quite a bit of fits for the Browns that stood out during their time in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Who were they and how did they perform at the combine? Some old, some young as the Browns have proven to expand their age guardrail in the later rounds, here is one combine standout per position who the Browns should have on their radar as they look to get their roster back into playoff contention.

LaDainian Tomlinson’s nephew going through drills at the combine is sure to make you feel old

Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson beat his uncle by .01 seconds with his unofficial 40-yard dash.

It may not seem like that long ago that LaDainian Tomlinson, who retired from the league in 2011, was the most dominant running back in the NFL.

But try this one on for size: LT’s nephew, TCU cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, is about to be drafted into the league. Feel old yet?

Hodges-Tomlinson went through drills with the rest of the defensive backs on Friday, and it’s clear he’s got some of his uncle’s speed. He impressed with a solid 40-yard dash time of 4.42 seconds, beating his uncle’s time from back in 2001 by just .01 seconds.

How’s that for some Thanksgiving trash-talk fodder?

Hodges-Tomlinson is coming off a fantastic senior season in which he was named a First Team All-American and won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back.

His 5-foot-9 frame may work against the three-time First Team All-Big 12 selection, but athletic testing results like this are sure to help his cause.

A bit of name recognition probably won’t hurt, either.

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Hunting for the Browns’ next nickel at the NFL Scouting Combine

The Browns need a nickel cornerback, so I went hunting for one at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.

The Cleveland Browns are going to look for a new nickel cornerback this offseason after third-year player Greg Newsome II stated he wants to stay outside this season after spending a year in the slot. They could certainly find a new one in free agency, but they could also turn their sights toward the 2023 NFL Draft. As corners and safeties spoke to the media today, I set out to find the Browns’ next nickel corner at the NFL Scouting Combine.

The catch to the nickel role in Cleveland, however, is that these guys have to tackle as they are on the field over 70 percent of the time. Undersized, but with an oversized chip on his shoulder, who could fill that role for the Browns?

While Jay Ward of LSU did not get a chance to talk to the media and is also a candidate for the role, I did get a chance to speak to Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, Jammie Robinson, and Kei’Trel Clark.

You can find day-one coverage of prospect interviews here.

Texans can wait until Round 3 to address cornerback in 2023 NFL draft

The Houston Texans can afford to wait until the third round to address cornerback in the 2023 NFL draft.

The Houston Texans have a dominant cornerback for the foreseeable future in Derek Stingley.

The Texans added the former LSU Tiger No. 3 overall in Round 1 of the 2022 NFL draft. Pairing Stingley with Steven Nelson gave the Texans a cornerback duo that gave opposing quarterbacks something to consider for nine games last season.

One approach to upgrading the Texans’ roster is to use another first-round pick on a cornerback to play opposite of Stingley, which would give the Texans a true no-fly zone with Jalen Pitre on the backend. However, Houston may not need to use their first-round or even second-round selections to find a partner for Stingley.

NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah claimed on a Feb. 24 conference call that he has as many as 20 cornerbacks listed that could go in the first three rounds.

“I think I’ve got 20 guys with top three round grades,” Jeremiah said. “I think it’s a really good group.”

As deep as the group is, there isn’t as sure of a blue-chip prospect as there was last season with Cincinnati’s Ahmad Gardner, according to Jeremiah.

“I was a big Sauce Gardner fan, so, I don’t put anybody in his class in this one,” said Jeremiah. “I don’t think there’s a Patrick Surtain in this class.”

The Texans could get burned on value if they use their No. 12 overall pick in Round 1 or their No. 33 overall pick in Round 2 on a cornerback, but they may not if they wait until the third round.

“Depth-wise, I think there’s a sweet spot, and I think you can look at different positions and find sweet spots,” Jeremiah said. “Again, I think I would love to have third round picks and need corners, running backs, tight ends. I think there’s — it’s just a really, really good group to choose from there. I think this is a good group of guys in that area.”

Looking at Pro Football Focus’ cornerback rankings, the sixth-best is Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes with a big board rank of 42. Team need factors into every draft, and teams don’t go strictly best player available, which would push Forbes further back into the draft. Houston’s initial Round 3 selection is at No. 65 overall, and Forbes may not make it that far.

Another consideration could be Syracuse’s Garrett Williams, who is listed at 49 on their big board. It still may be a little outside of Houston’s reach, but if general manager Nick Caserio is confident this is the player the organization needs, he would build a trade package to grab him.

One player that Houston may be able to get at both of their third-round spots would be TCU’s Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson, who is listed at No. 60 on PFF’s big board.

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2023 NFL Draft: Tyler Forness’ top 12 cornerbacks

The 2023 NFL Draft is fast approaching and the cornerback class is loaded. @TheRealForno has his top 12 cornerbacks in this class

The 2023 NFL draft is approaching and there is one thing that’s clear.

This cornerback class is insanely deep.

In my initial study, I have written up full scouting reports on 12 cornerbacks and they all received grades of at least 79.0. That is a high third-round grade and 10 of those 12 got second-round grades.

Here is how I have the class currently graded before the NFL combine and athletic testing.