Who are the top 10 cornerbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft? We give our preliminary list ahead of the 2022 season, with Kelee Ringo leading the way.

The 2022 cornerback class was good. Very good. But could the 2023 NFL Draft CB class be even better? There’s still settling left to be done at the top, but this much is already clear: We’re dealing with a very talented crop, with dozens of prospects worth keeping an eye on. Entering the season, these are the best on the board.

The SEC dominates our preliminary top 10 CBs list with six entrants, but several other Power Five conferences also make appearances.

Stanford clearly has a mold in mind when it comes to cornerbacks. Not long ago, the Cardinal sent Paulson Adebo to the NFL draft, where he earned Round 3 capital on account of his size, length, and playmaking ability.

A couple cycles later, Kyu Blu Kelly comes to the fold with similar defining traits. Blu Kelly has been productive since his first season, with that production culminating in a two-interception, 11-deflection 2021 campaign.

At 6’1″, 190 pounds, Kelly has the size and length that made Adebo such an appealing prospect. He also has natural playmaking ability, as evidenced by his ball production. On tape, Kelly is explosive, impressively twitchy. Beyond that, he’s shown he can play low in his stance — sometimes a challenge for taller corners.

He’s still not the most fluid athlete, and he can improve his tackling, but Kelly’s size, instincts, and competitive toughness serve as stable developmental supports.

The WR-CB showdown is a ruthless gridiron, wherein natural talent can shine, or a lack of natural talent can be exposed. So when you see players like Kris Abrams-Draine produce early in their collegiate careers, you have to take notice. Abrams-Draine switched over from WR to CB in 2021 and responded to the move by picking up three interceptions and seven deflections. A year later, he has his sights set on moving farther up the board.

Of all the cornerbacks on this 2023 NFL Draft ranking, Abrams-Draine might be hurt the most by size. He’s visibly light — listed under 180 pounds — and doesn’t have great length or span. But with Abrams-Draine, you have the natural athleticism necessary to cover wide receivers in phase, snap into pursuit mode, and close ground on passes with dangerous efficiency. Abrams-Draine can be a sticky cover man, so long as he keeps improving his technique.

The Texas A&M defense is a treasure trove of future NFL talent. That’s even more so the case after the team’s legendary 2022 recruiting haul. But in truth, it was that way in 2021 as well.

In the secondary alone, the Aggies return four NFL draft prospects. Antonio Johnson is a potential blue-chip prospect in the slot, while safety Demani Richardson and boundary CB Myles Jones also demand attention. But on the opposite side, Jaylon Jones may be the one who accompanies Johnson in the early rounds.

The latter Jones is by no means an unknown. He was a five-star recruit coming out of high school. At the time, he came with a documented 37.4″ vertical and drew comparisons to high-level NFL starters.

Now, the 6’2″, 205-pound CB is a budding NFL draft prospect, with all the tools to be an eventual starter. With his length and physicality coming downhill, Jones also brings eye-catching agility and twitch, and can transition with WRs upfield. Even in a strong CB class, he’s a riser candidate.

Interestingly enough, Tyrique Stevenson was at Georgia in 2020, one year before the Bulldogs broke out as a dominant defensive force. At the time, Stevenson played the hybrid slot — or STAR — for Georgia. He’d eventually transfer to Miami, however, in search of a more traditional boundary CB role. Stevenson’s production didn’t pop in 2021, but he quietly put together impressive tape in his first year with the Hurricanes.

At 6’0″, 214 pounds, with arms over 32″ long, Stevenson feels like he should be more than a boundary CB. Theoretically, you can move him around and mix and match with his physical traits.

On top of his size, Stevenson is extremely explosive and has enough fluidity and discipline to mirror receivers out of his stance. But in spite of his unique mold, Stevenson can lock down WRs near the sideline. He offers upside, both within and beyond his current sphere.

It’s important not to jump the gun with high-level recruits. Recruiting billing is important to consider and often presents a correlation with eventual NFL production. When you see initial production on the collegiate stage, it only reinforces the hype surrounding certain prospects.

Eli Ricks no doubt has tremendous potential at the next level, and he’s a worthy early-round candidate. But as his 2021 tape showed, Ricks still has a ways to go before he’s close to the CB1 conversation.

With Ricks, you’re getting a CB potentially tailor-made for zone-heavy Cover 3 defenses. His long, overwhelming frame allows him to hawk on passes in space, and he has the explosiveness to quickly close downhill on routes and convert at the catch point.

All this being said, Ricks isn’t the most fluid at his size, and his man coverage technique still needs more refinement. Until we see how his transition at Alabama plays out, this is as far as we can take him up the board.

Keep your eyes on the Syracuse secondary. The Orange has produced NFL talents in recent past, with players like Trill Williams and Ifeatu Melifonwu making the leap to the NFL.

They could very well have two more NFL prospects on the boundary at CB, in Darian Chestnut and Garrett Williams. Chestnut isn’t eligible yet, but Williams is — and he could be vying for a top spot at CB before the cycle is over.

Williams wasted no time proving he was legit. As a redshirt freshman, he led his team with 10 pass deflections to go along with two picks. The following season, he added an additional nine deflections, once again taking home All-ACC honors.

Williams’ game revolves around a dual-sided strength in both playmaking and run support. He’s relentless coming downhill and seeking out stops, but he can also elevate and make plays in 50-50 situations. And he has the athletic tools to match WRs along the way.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs had a cornerback selected in Round 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft when Martin Emerson went 68th overall to the Cleveland Browns. There’s a chance they could have a CB go even higher in the 2023 cycle. Emmanuel Forbes played alongside Emerson for two seasons and managed to share just as much of the spotlight in that time. Eligible for the first time in 2022, it’s Forbes’ chance to take that spotlight for himself.

In his two years as a starter for the Bulldogs, Forbes has logged eight interceptions, 11 pass deflections, and three pick-sixes. His ability to generate game-changing plays with such consistency is impressive, and it speaks to the potential that he provides on the boundary. Forbes may be a bit lighter at 180 pounds, but he has a long 6’0″ frame and carries high-end explosiveness, twitch, fluidity, and agility within that frame.

Clark Phillips III gained notoriety when he went toe-to-toe with Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the Rose Bowl last season. But in truth, he’s been a sleeping giant at the cornerback position for a while.

Phillips isn’t a giant in stature — listed at 5’10”, 184 pounds, with subpar length on tape. But he is a former Ohio State commit with the pedigree of an NFL player and the production of a future professional. After securing two picks and 13 deflections in 2021, he’s back for more in 2022.

Phillips’ size will undoubtedly impact his stock in the 2023 NFL Draft cycle. He already plays in the slot often and could be completely relegated to that role in the NFL. But while Phillips’ future position might be somewhat confined, it’s not brash to say that he has the tools to be an elite slot CB.

His athleticism jolts off the screen, as he brings high levels of explosiveness, twitch, and short-area agility. Add in his natural playmaking ability and size-defying physicality, and Phillips can be invaluable for a defense inside.

There’s something to be said for cornerbacks who don’t have glaring flaws to exploit. The WR-CB battle is a fight to force the first mistake on every rep. Whether it’s not matching the WR effectively, not jamming properly, or not tracking the ball at the catch point, one small error can turn a successful rep into a loss. Receivers prey on weaknesses, so when a CB prospect like Cam Smith comes around, he naturally gains early-round consideration.

One could argue that Smith doesn’t have a quantifiably elite trait. He has good size, but not an overwhelming frame. He’s most certainly explosive, fluid, and agile, but he doesn’t win on athletic traits alone.

Smith is also technically sound and disciplined at the line, and he’s visibly physical and tenacious in all phases. He’ll jar wide receivers at the line, disrupt at the catch point, and actively obstruct the catch process with his steely aggression. If you want a reliable all-around CB with that “dawg” mentality, Smith is that.

At the end of the day, being an NFL cornerback is a test of tools. Beyond all the necessary technical and mental qualities, do you have what it takes to match up against an NFL receiver on an island?

The best cornerbacks — the best of the best — check all the boxes. Size, speed, fluidity, physicality. It’s all there. You can’t always say that for every prospect, but you can say it for Kelee Ringo.

You want size? Ringo is a rocked-up 6’2″, 205 pounds, with visible length. You want speed? Ringo is a former track star with a 10.43 100-meter dash to his name. How about fluidity? Fire up Ringo’s tape and watch him throttle down effortlessly and stay in phase with uncanny consistency against receivers at least two inches shorter.

Ringo can still refine his technique and improve as a playmaker at the catch point, but he has all the physical tools to be this year’s CB1 and a matchup nightmare at the next level.

Dorian Strong, Virginia Tech Joey Porter Jr., Penn State DJ Turner, Michigan Nehemiah Pritchett, Auburn Julius Brents, Kansas State Cam Hart, Notre Dame Mekhi Garner, LSU Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU Kei’Trel Clark, Louisville Christian Gonzalez, Oregon

Ian Cummings is a Draft Analyst for Pro Football Network. You can find his writing here and follow him on Twitter: @IC_Draft.

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