5 Day 2 cornerbacks to keep an eye on

Keep tabs on these corners during the NFL Draft

Especially if the Las Vegas Raiders prioritize quarterback or offensive line during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Day 2 could be the sweet spot for the Raiders to target one of the team’s other big needs, cornerback.

Below is a look at five draft prospects to keep an eye on all of whom are ranked with the top 33 to 100 players on NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board. Also included are a few notes from each corner’s scouting reports, their RAS and some numbers from Pro Football Focus.

Mike Sainristil, Michigan

Rank: 51st overall

RAS: 8.45

Sainristil primarily held down the slot corner responsibilities for the National Champions last season and while the Raiders have a quality nickelback in Nate Hobbs, Hobbs is about to enter a contract year. The Michigan product could be a good long-term solution as he logged 12 defensive stops in coverage during the 2023 campaign, which was tied for the third-most among Big 10 corners. Also, he showed some impressive ball skills with six interceptions (second-most in FBS) and six pass breakups.

Scouting report via NFL.com (full report):

Reliable and tough with the athleticism and upside to keep getting better as a nickel corner. Sainristil is a former receiver who plays with surprising field awareness and attention to detail as a zone defender. He has the twitch and footwork to stay connected with routes in man coverage but needs more experience at the position to operate with better recognition and feel for the routes. He showed off top-notch ball skills with six interceptions (two for scores) in 2023 and has no problem stepping up and doing his part as a run defender. Sainristil isn’t there yet but should keep improving and has a chance to become a starting nickel in time.

Max Melton, Rutgers

Rank: 63rd overall

RAS: 9.09

Melton’s older brother, Bo, was a deep-threat receiver in the 2022 draft class who ended up getting drafted by the Green Bay Packers. So, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Max is a similar type of player, just on the other side of the ball. The younger Melton clocked a 4.39-second 40-yard-dash at the NFL Combine and rarely gets beat deep as the longest reception he surrendered last season was 26 yards, the third-lowest among Big 10 corners. Also, his 65.7 passer rating allowed when targeted ranked seventh.

Scouting report via NFL.com (full report):

Versatile inside/outside cornerback who displayed improvement every year at Rutgers. Melton carries good size and did a nice job staying with some of the better receiving options from the Big Ten. He’s adequate from press and has the burst to make up ground when he gets behind early. He’s at his best, however, when playing with his eyes forward from zone and searching for clues to jump in and make plays on the football. The ball skills can flip the field, and he’s very aggressive in collapsing the catch point. He’s capable in run support but needs to work on his angles of pursuit. His versatility, traits, instincts and ball skills could make him an eventual starter and an early CB3/4.

Khyree Jackson, Oregon

Photo by Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Rank: 92nd overall

RAS: 7.86

In the past, general manager Tom Telesco hasn’t prioritized tall or long cornerbacks during the draft. However, Jackson’s nearly 6-foot-4 frame with 32 3/4-inch arms is hard to ignore. That’s a big reason why he ranked tied for third among Pac-12 cornerbacks with eight pass breakups and tied for second with three interceptions. Also, his 41.6 passer rating when targeted was second-best in the conference.

Scouting report via Bleacher Report (full report):

While playing in coverage, Jackson shows a range of coverages and techniques. Press man coverage is the one he plays the most. He opts to mostly mirror receivers at the line of scrimmage and get hands-on as he rides them downfield. At times, he can fall behind when facing shiftier athletes, and without true recovery speed, he can panic at times and grab for a jersey to keep within range. When he’s able to get his head around, he does a great job of locating and tracking the ball. One of the biggest keys to Jackson’s success in coverage is how well he’s able to keep his pad level down.

Cam Hart, Notre Dame

Rank: 98th overall

RAS: 9.00

Cut from a similar cloth as Jackson, Hart is a tall corner at 6-foot-3 and has good arm length (33 inches). The biggest difference between the two is the Notre Dame product’s frame didn’t lead to impressive ball production with just four PBUs over the last two seasons. The former Golden Domer is more of a shut-down corner. His 10.1 coverage snaps per reception allowed and 19.0 coverage snaps per target were 14th and tied for 23rd among all FBS corners in 2023.

Scouting report via Bleacher Report (full report):

As a bigger cornerback, Hart has great movement skills. He plays with the instincts needed in zone and the short-area quickness desired to play underneath routes. He has the skills to be a contributor early on in his NFL career, with plenty of roles that he can fill into. Hart will go through an adjustment period for the first few years of his NFL career, though.

Andru Phillips, Kentucky

Rank: 97th overall

RAS: 8.13

Phillips is a smaller corner at just under 5-foot-11. Versatility is one of his better traits after logging 228 snaps as a left outside corner, 198 on the right and 223 over the slot last fall. Also, his 23 defensive stops were the most of any SEC cornerback, two more than Alabama’s Terrion Arnold despite playing in 130 fewer snaps.

Scouting report via NFL.com (full report):

Phillips’ tape features a high number of both completions and drops that should have been completions, but that could change in a different scheme and with additional experience. He’s still green, with just two years of real game experience, and often played too loose in Kentucky’s zone cover schemes. Phillips lacks the anticipation to contest catches at a high enough rate from zone but does have the athleticism to play more man coverage, with the tools to stay sticky on routes. He’s an ardent run supporter with excellent toughness but needs to finish tackles at a higher rate. Scheme fit might be critical, along with proving he can play from the slot, but his best football could be ahead of him.