2024 Draft Board: Defensive Backs
The below information I included in the QB draft board earlier in the week, I'm going to include it for every board, but it will be identical on each.
If you've ever read one of my draft board articles before then you have an idea of what you'll see below, but there is a slight change. If you haven't read them, quick explanation, I use stats, athletic testing, past performance from current pro players, and formulas to try and determine the chances a prospect in the current draft has at succeeding as a pro. In the past I used a "PSR", and an "A Met" and "S Met" to give every player a round grade. Now, it all comes down to a Score. The scores differ by position, so before each draft board I will put what the high score was between the 2020-2023 drafts at that position. And at the bottom you will see a small blurb I wrote up for each position.
High Score for CB: 61.79
My CB Draft Board
| Players | College | Score | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khyree Jackson | Oregon | 65.88 | Day 1 |
| Terrion Arnold | Alabama | 61.09 | Day 1 |
| Cooper DeJean | Iowa | 59.23 | Day 2 |
| Quinyon Mitchell | Toledo | 55.08 | Day 2 |
| Kris Abrams-Draine | Missouri | 54.95 | Day 2 |
| T.J. Tampa | Iowa State | 51.95 | Day 3 |
| Max Melton | Rutgers | 51.70 | Day 3 |
| Daequan Hardy | Penn State | 51.61 | Day 3 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | Alabama | 50.99 | Day 3 |
| Kamal Hadden | Tennessee | 50.41 | Day 3 |
| Chau Smith-Wade | Washington State | 50.01 | Day 3 |
| Myles Harden | South Dakota State | 49.57 | Day 3 |
| Nate Wiggins | Clemson | 49.52 | Day 3 |
| Jarvis Brownlee Jr. | Louisville | 49.20 | Day 3 |
| Tarheeb Still | Maryland | 48.89 | Day 3 |
| D.J. James | Auburn | 48.60 | Day 3 |
| Mike Sainristil | Michigan | 48.46 | Day 3 |
| Marcellas Dial | South Carolina | 48.19 | Day 3 |
| Josh Newton | TCU | 48.11 | Day 3 |
| M.J. Devonshire | Pittsburgh | 48.04 | Day 3 |
| Renardo Green | Florida State | 47.70 | Day 3 |
| Elijah Jones | Boston College | 47.62 | Day 3 |
| Christian Roland-Wallace | USC | 47.25 | Day 3 |
| Isaiah Johnson | Syracuse | 46.71 | Day 3 |
| Millard Bradford | TCU | 46.13 | Day 3 |
| Andru Phillips | Kentucky | 46.04 | Day 3 |
| Carlton Johnson | Fresno State | 45.82 | Day 3 |
| Kalen King | Penn State | 45.33 | Day 3 |
| Willie Drew | Virginia State | 45.04 | Day 3 |
| Ennis Rakestraw | Missouri | 45.03 | Day 3 |
| Kamari Lassiter | Georgia | 45.01 | Day 3 |
| Dwight McGlothern | Arkansas | 44.90 | Day 3 |
| Jarrian Jones | Florida State | 44.85 | Day 3 |
| Ryan Watts | Texas | 44.53 | Day 3 |
| Cam Hart | Notre Dame | 44.37 | Day 3 |
| Deantre Prince | Ole Miss | 43.63 | Day 3 |
| Nehemiah Pritchett | Auburn | 43.38 | Day 3 |
| Decamrion Richardson | Mississippi State | 42.60 | Day 3 |
| Johnny Dixon | Penn State | 33.00 | Undrafted |
| Caelen Carson | Wake Forest | 0.00 | Undrafted |
| Josh Wallace | Michigan | 0.00 | Undrafted |
| Ro Torrence | Arizona State | 0.00 | Undrafted |
| Ryan Cooper Jr. | Oregon State | 0.00 | Undrafted |
High Score for S: 99.88
My S Draft Board
| Players | College | Score | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malik Mustapha | Wake Forest | 68.57 | Day 2 |
| Javon Bullard | Georgia | 68.24 | Day 2 |
| Tykee Smith | Georgia | 67.67 | Day 2 |
| Daijahn Anthony | Ole Miss | 66.23 | Day 2 |
| Dadrion Taylor-Demerson | Texas Tech | 64.85 | Day 2 |
| Evan Williams | Oregon | 63.90 | Day 3 |
| Jaylin Simpson | Auburn | 63.64 | Day 3 |
| Kitan Oladapo | Oregon State | 63.50 | Day 3 |
| Andre' Sam | LSU | 63.25 | Day 3 |
| Tyler Owens | Texas Tech | 62.19 | Day 3 |
| Kamren Kinchens | Miami | 61.67 | Day 3 |
| Calen Bullock | USC | 61.39 | Day 3 |
| Jaden Hicks | Washington State | 61.15 | Day 3 |
| Dominique Hampton | Washington | 61.02 | Day 3 |
| Beau Brade | Maryland | 60.96 | Day 3 |
| Josh Proctor | Ohio State | 59.85 | Day 3 |
| Tyler Nubin | Minnesota | 59.29 | Day 3 |
| Jaylen Key | Alabama | 58.73 | Day 3 |
| James Williams | Miami | 53.54 | Day 3 |
| Sione Vaki | Utah | 53.09 | Day 3 |
| Patrick McMorris | Pittsburgh | 53.01 | Day 3 |
| Cole Bishop | Utah | 51.68 | Undrafted |
| Jaylon Carlies | Missouri | 48.73 | Undrafted |
| Demani Richardson | Texas A&M | 43.54 | Undrafted |
Things worth noting:
-With my O-Lineman draft board I mentioned a specific percentage breakdown of my Day 1 Tackles in 2020 and 21 that received an A-C grade through their first three seasons. I have a breakdown for every position. Cornerback is the only one that a) Doesn't have a percentage of 50.o% or higher for any of the round grades AND b) has a different round grade with a higher percentage than Day 1. What I mean by that is, the highest percentage of players with an A-C grade is Day 2 with a 31.8%, with Day 1 sitting at 25%, whereas for every other position it is Day 1 with the highest percentage and that percentage is 50% or higher. It's also the only position where the undrafted round grade has a A-C grade percentage above 4.5% (14.3% of the Corners in 2020 and 2021 that I listed as undrafted, received an A-C grade through their first three years). I have no idea why it's the only position I can't get working in a semi-straight forward manner, but I'm hoping the latest updates to the formula can get the ship on the right path.
-The Safeties don't give a lot of hope for a team needing an immediate difference maker in my opinion. Mustapha earned the highest score, but Bullard is my favorite player.
-Looking for a sleeper at each position? I really like Kitan Oladapo when it comes to my Day 3 Safeties. Daijahn Anthony is another one to keep an eye on, he earned a Day 2 grade, played mostly Slot in his final season at Ole Miss, and did pretty well in coverage. Corner was trickier to choose. I'd love to say Khyree Jackson and leave it at that. I mean he scored the highest and is getting late-third round buzz at the most right now, but he has a Day 1 grade here, so I decided to look elsewhere. Elijah Jones wins out from there. His production and athleticism scores are both above average, and he has good height and length (6'1.5", 31.5" arms).