RAS Roundup: How athletic are the top cornerback prospects for the Miami Dolphins in the 2023 NFL Draft?
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By: Marek Brave
Which cornerbacks should the Miami Dolphins be targeting in the 2023 NFL Draft?
The Miami Dolphins will be looking to fill many roster holes with their selections in the 2023 NFL Draft. To hone in on specific players, teams use various tools to determine who fits specific criteria they might be valuing over others. One such tool is RAS — or Relative Athletic Score.
What is RAS?
RAS was developed by Kent Lee Platte and is a score that is given to prospects based on that player’s athletic testing results from the NFL Combine and/or that player’s pro day. The 10-point sliding scale factors in things such as height, weight, vertical jump, 40-yard dash time, bench press reps and more. Once a player’s overall score is determined, one can easily compare how athletic that player is to his peers or even past draft prospects.
With this exercise, I’m aiming to give our readers the top 10 RAS scores for positions of need for our Miami Dolphins, while also using Pro Football Focus’ Mock Draft simulator to predict where the Dolphins will need to pick certain highlighted players if they don’t want to be left out in the cold.
Please note that not all players qualify for a RAS score due to skipping particular drills.
Today’s position group is one that Miami will surely be keeping an eye on — cornerbacks! Let’s dive in.
- Deonte Banks — Maryland — RAS: 9.99
- Christian Gonzalez — Oregon — 9.96
- Riley Moss — Iowa — 9.89
- Julius Brents — Kansas State — 9.82
- Cory Trice Jr. — Purdue — 9.78
- Darius Rush — South Carolina — 9.73
- Joey Porter Jr. — Penn State — 9.63
- Mekhi Garner — LSU — 9.62
- Kelee Ringo — Georgia — 9.61
- Jakorian Bennett — Maryland — 9.58
Riley Moss
Being an Iowa guy myself, Riley Moss holds a special place in my heart. His athletic testing at the 2023 NFL Combine only strengthened my affinity for the 6’0” corner. Moss scored the third highest RAS score out of all corners who tested in Indianapolis over the weekend, posting elite scores in the vertical jump, broad jump, and speed testing portions.
Pro Football Focus has initially projected Moss to be a fifth round pick, but with the way he tested at the Combine, his stock has most likely increased a significant amount. Don’t be surprised if he has worked himself into the third round conversation. The Dolphins have two third round selections, so if they’d like to bring Moss into the fold, they’ll have ample opportunity to do so.
Julius Brents
At 6’2” and nearly 200 lbs, Julius Brents is a big man at the cornerback position. Despite his size, he also tested as one of the most athletic corners at the NFL Combine over the weekend. He posted elite scores in vertical and broad jumps, while also testing at an elite level in the shuttle and 3-cone drills.
PFF initially had Brents as a late second round pick, but at his size and given the way he tested, don’t be surprised if Brents finds himself as an early second round selection, or even works himself into the conversation as a back-end first round option. Miami may be holding their collective breath if Brents is the target for their second round pick at #52.
Mekhi Garner
The NFL loves them some SEC boys, and Garner is just that, playing for LSU in college. He tested at an elite level in the vertical and broad jumps, yet his 40-yard dash time left a little more to be desired (4.55). At 6’2” and 212 lbs, he is one of the largest cornerbacks in this draft, so if it’s size that the Dolphins covet, Garner could be an option.
PFF rates Garner as a late-round selection, going in the 6th round of mock drafts, currently. The Miami Dolphins have a sixth round and seventh round selection, so if they fail to fill the cornerback hole early in the draft, Garner is a name to watch on day three.
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The Dolphins have plenty of work to do between now and the 2023 NFL Draft, which means so do we. Keep an eye out for another edition of the RAS Roundup later this week as we check in on another position group the Dolphins could be targeting!
Originally posted on The Phinsider
