Cowboys draft: Best weapon & biggest weakness of the Top 10 cornerbacks
The Cowboys are very surely going to walk away with some cornerback help this draft.
We continue to dive in our top positional series for the Dallas Cowboys, this time looking at the top cornerbacks in the draft. We’ll describe their best and worst attributes.
Travis Hunter (Colorado)
Best - Ball Skills
Hunters ability to track, high-point, and secure the football is unparalleled, making him a natural playmaker on both the defense and offense. Hunter’s instincts and vision allow him to excel in both man and zone coverage, often baiting quarterbacks into throws before using his elite burst to break on passes and create turnovers. His prowess in contested situations, combined with his agility and body control, enables him to dominate 50/50 balls, effectively turning him into a the best two-way player we’ve seen in the draft in a long time.
Worst - Durability
Hunter’s extensive playing time on both offense and defense in college raises questions about his durability at the professional level. Managing his workload will be crucial to ensure he remains effective and avoids injury over the course of an NFL season. During his time in college, Hunter missed time and suffered some bad injuries in all three seasons playing at both Jackson State and Colorado.
Will Johnson (Michigan)
Best - Off Man/Zone coverage
Johnson has exceptional mirror-and-match skills for a corner his size (6’2”, 194 lbs), showing fluid hips and excellent footwork. He presents the versatility to play different schemes, but his play in zone with his eyes to the quarterback is when he seems to be at his best. His ability to read the routes, bait quarterbacks into throws, and break on the ball is top-tier.
Worst - Suddenness
While he mirrors well downfield, there are occasional tightness issues when he has to make sudden stops and starts, especially against twitchy, quick-cut slot receivers or in off-man coverage against sharp-breaking routes. His change-of-direction isn’t bad by any means, but it’s not as elite as the rest of his game. Against top-level NFL route runners who can snap off routes in a blink, that slight stiffness could be exposed more often.
Jahdae Barron (Texas)
Best - Processing Speed
Barron is elite when it comes to his football intelligence and instincts, particularly in zone coverage. His exceptional ability to read quarterbacks, anticipate route combinations, and position himself to disrupt plays sets him apart. This high football IQ enables him to make impactful plays, as evidenced by him winning the Jim Thorpe Award in 2024.
Worst - Length
At around 5’11” and a measured arm length of just 29 5/8” (13th percentile), he doesn’t have the prototypical frame teams often want in outside corners or hybrid safeties. That lack of size can show up in contested catch situations especially against bigger, more physical receivers or tight ends. He competes hard, but he can be outmuscled or boxed out at the catch point. This size limitation caps his versatility a bit and leaves him best suited for a nickel/slot role.
Azareye’h Thomas (Florida State)
Best - Agility
Despite his size, Thomas moves like a much smaller, twitchier athlete. His ability to flip his hips, sink and drive out of breaks, and mirror receivers through sharp cuts is rare for a longer corner. This fluidity shows up in both man and zone coverage, where he can recover quickly if initially beaten and close windows in a flash.
Worst - Tackling
While he has the size to be a force against the ball carrier, he doesn’t consistently play to that frame. He often takes passive angles, hesitates when coming downhill, and struggles to wrap up ball carriers cleanly. At times, he’ll go for ankle tackles or dive rather than square up and drive through the opponent, which leads to missed tackles or extra yards after contact.
Maxwell Hairston (Kentucky)
Best - Playmaking Ability
Over his last 20 games at Kentucky, he recorded eight pass breakups, six interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns, tying a school record. His standout performance at the scouting combine, including a 4.28s 40-yard dash (99th percentile), further highlights his athleticism and ability to make game-changing plays.
Worst - Play Strength
Hairston possesses both a very lean frame a lack of upper body strength. This makes it a challenge when he faces bigger, more physical receivers. This strength limitation hinders his ability to contest catches against larger opponents and impacts his effectiveness in press coverage situations. His lack of size and strength is also seen in run support where he has difficulty shedding blocks and bring down ball carriers.
Trey Amos (Ole Miss)
Best - Press Man
Amos utilizes his size and strength to excel in press coverage. His quick feet and lateral agility allow him to mirror receivers’ movements, while his strong hand usage disrupts timing and controls routes from the outset. This skill set enables him to match up effectively against bigger receivers and maintain tight coverage throughout the route.
Worst - Tackling
Amos’ tackling technique can best be described as inconsistent and sloppy. He often comes in too high or tries to throw his body instead of wrapping up properly, which leads to missed tackles, especially against elusive or powerful ball carriers. He can also take poor angles in space, which compromises his ability to finish plays cleanly.
Shavon Revel (East Carolina)
Best - Length
At 6’2” with 32 5/8” arms, Revel possesses the elite size and reach for a boundary cornerback. He utilizes his length and hands to disrupt receivers’ routes from the outset, employing accurate jams with consistency. His disciplined footwork and hips allow him to mirror receivers effectively, using the sideline as an additional defender to squeeze routes and limit separation.
Worst - Durability
Revel’s history of injuries raise massive red flags about his ability to stay on the field consistently in the NFL. During his college career (particularly in his final season at East Carolina), Revel battled nagging lower-body injuries, including a recurring hamstring issue that caused him to miss considerable time and limited his explosiveness when on the field. These injuries affected his fluidity in coverage and prevented him from playing a full season at peak performance. His availability for training camp in 2025 for any team drafting him is even in question.
Darien Porter (Iowa State)
Best - Speed
Porter boasts a rare combination of explosiveness and speed. His track background is evident, having been a two-time state champion in the 400-meter dash during high school. This translates to the football field, where he recorded a 4.30-second 40-yard dash and achieved a near-perfect 9.99 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) at the combine. His speed allows him to excel in press-man coverage, effectively carrying receivers on vertical routes and preventing separation.
Worst - Experience
Originally recruited as a wide receiver, Porter only transitioned to cornerback in the latter part of his college career at Iowa State. While he has elite athletic tools in speed, size, explosiveness , his technique in coverage is still raw. He can be inconsistent with his footwork, late to read routes, and occasionally relies too much on athleticism rather than sound positioning or anticipation.
Denzel Burke (Ohio State)
Best - Press Coverage
Burke combines size with great agility, enabling him to mirror receivers consistently. His nimble feet and oily hips allow for smooth transitions and effective stickiness to opposing receivers. His ability to stay in phase with receiver in press man is a testament to his technical proficiency. His recovery speed is also impressive, allowing him to get back in position to make a play on the ball.
Worst - Man Coverage
Burke’s most notable weakness is his inconsistent man coverage skills, particularly at the top of receivers’ routes. This is a technique issue more than physical issue, but he gets caught flat footed or caught gambling which leaves receivers wide open, notably against the faster twitch players.
Benjamin Morrison (Notre Dame)
Best - Short Area Quickness
Morrison shows explosive click-and-close ability, allowing him to drive downhill on underneath routes with precision. That sudden burst, especially in off-man or zone, helps him stay sticky on breaks and contest throws that many DBs wouldn’t reach in time. It’s also key to how he jumps routes for picks or pass breakups, his nine interceptions and 14 pass breakups in two seasons was far from a fluke.
Worst - Hip Injury
Morrison’s biggest concern is his hip injury and subsequent surgery he had in 2024. The injury casts uncertainty over his agility and fluidity, the very thing mentioned above as his best trait. Morrison’s game thrives on short-area quickness, twitch, and the ability to transition cleanly in and out of breaks. But his hip injury, especially one that required surgery, directly threatens those strengths. If he doesn’t fully recover, it could limit his lateral mobility, affect his ability to sink and redirect, and ultimately compromise his man coverage effectiveness.
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