Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah
Johnson not going in the first round was a real stunner to me. Over three seasons with the Utes, he never allowed an opponent passer rating higher than 57.6, and he was targeted a lot in his three collegiate seasons. Moreover, he’s proven to be an excellent diagnostician based on comprehensive film study. Cornerback is the ultimate boom-or-bust position, and Johnson is a player who just doesn’t get it wrong very often.
Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU
Fulton can lose coverage when his leverage isn’t right, but he’s been almost uniformly excellent against some of the best receivers in the country. Perhaps teams were scared off by the number of times Fulton had to recover in coverage, but he has the recovery speed to handle that.
Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama
Stefon Diggs’ little brother showed himself to be one of the most impressive — and aggressive — press cornerbacks in the NCAA last season. Last season, he allowed just 22 catches on 52 targets for 309 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 44.5. You don’t want to compare a cornerback to Richard Sherman right out of the box, but Diggs has a lot of the same characteristics.
Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Minnesota
Injuries limited Winfield to just eight total games in 2017 and 2018, and perhaps concerns about that sank McKinney’s first-round potential in the eyes of the NFL. Or, perhaps he was seen as undersized at 5-foot-9 and 203 pounds, but that’s not too different from Earl Thomas’ measurements, and Winfield echoed Thomas’ playing style with seven interceptions and a rare ability to patrol the field in 2019.
Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama
This was a real surprise, as Minkah Fitzpatrick, McKinney’s predecessor as the multi-position defensive back in Nick Saban’s defense, was taken 11th overall by the Dolphins in the 2018 draft, and traded to the Steelers in 2019 for another first-round pick. And given the value of positionless players in today’s NFL, it’s shocking that no team thought McKinney had first-round value.
Grant Delpit, S, LSU
I’m sure NFL teams are quite impressed with Delpit’s coverage abilities at several positions — everything from free safety to the box to the slot. But Delpit’s tackling issues may have been too much for the league to handle. He’s a real work in progress when it comes to that, but the coverage ability is worth the investment.
Ashtyn Davis, S, Cal
Davis was a track walk-on who had to nag his way onto Cal’s defense, but he became one of the best deep safeties in the NCAA over time. Not only can he patrol the deep third down after down, but he can also hang in the slot and make big plays there. He’s not a thumper for the most part, but if your defense needs an uptick in coverage, Davis will be a valuable addition somewhere.