FlurrySports has its official 2026 NFL Draft CB Rankings, which include Chris Johnson dropping and Keith Abney II rising.
Add us as a preferred source on Google searches!
Every year, one of the more intriguing positions in the NFL Draft is cornerback. It’s arguably the hardest position to play on the field, and it’s not as easy to watch film on the position as it is for others. Most of the time, fans and self-proclaimed analysts just look at a prospect’s highlight reels and use that to judge what kind of player the prospect is. Anybody can look good on a mix tape, especially when they’re in college for four years.
For the last few years, I’ve done my own private NFL Draft cornerback rankings, but felt it was time to actually publish them with the lack of rankings based on actual film and judged by the eye test. Like with any draft rankings, I’m sure there will be some misses, but if the past few years are any indication, I have been on the money more than I have been off target. Without further ado, here are my 2026 NFL Draft CB rankings.
Want more draft analysis? Check out our final 2026 NFL Mock Draft here!
Elite Options | 2026 NFL Draft CB Rankings
1) Mansoor Delane (LSU)
Starting out as just a three-star recruit at Virginia Tech, Mansoor Delane has improved a ton in each of his four years in college. He’s one of the most complete cornerbacks who have come into the draft in the last few years. He possesses blazing fast speed combined with good anticipation, good reading of the quarterback, and incredible timing on when to break on routes. He rarely loses his man, even when his eyes are in the back field, and his hits pack quite a punch, too. He smothers ball carriers and ends plays immediately, rarely allowing any yards after the catch or after contact.
The most impressive thing about Delane is just how much he’s improved since entering college. He won honorable mention All-ACC with Virginia Tech as a freshman and Third-team All-ACC as a junior before truly establishing himself as an elite talent. Delane was named to the First-team All-SEC as well as being a Unanimous All-American in 2025. While some may say he has some slight issues with grabbing and tracking deep balls, virtually every prospect struggles in those areas before the NFL. Delane feels as close to the perfect prospect as you can have at the cornerback position out of college, topping our 2026 NFL Draft CB Rankings.
2) Avieon Terrell (Clemson)
Not many players can start at outside corner for Clemson as a sophomore and look good while doing it. Even fewer can do it against perennial powerhouse Georgia and make it look relatively easy. I included his film from that game below. Watch it and again, keep in mind that he was just in the first game of his sophomore season at the time. The brother of Atlanta Falcons cornerback AJ Terrell, Avieon Terrell, looks to be one of the next great cornerbacks in the league. He does a great job in run support and is extremely impressive in open field tackling. When there is a play to be made, he makes it and makes it quick, all without coming in too hot and running himself out of the play.
Terrell is also an absolute pest in man coverage. He has incredibly smooth hips and has great fluid movements. He mirrors receivers with ease and knows exactly when to break on the ball. Terrell does a good job tracking the ball downfield, and if there isn’t an interception to be had, he still does a good job getting his hands in and trying to rip the ball out, which makes it extremely difficult for receivers to bring the ball in. While Terrell is on the smaller side, his physicality and overall play style make him a pest even when he’s outsized. He could use some work in zone coverage, but overall is one of the more complete cornerbacks you’ll come across.
Day-One Starters | 2026 NFL Draft CB Rankings
3) Jermod McCoy (Tennessee)
There are a lot of successful cornerbacks in this class, and Jermod McCoy has the accolades to go toe-to-toe with all of them. In 2024, his play earned him First-Team All-SEC and Second-Team All-American nods. He is one of the best pure athletes in this draft class as a former track star in both the triple and long jump. The biggest difference between McCoy and a lot of other corners coming out of college is that he racked up some pretty nice interception numbers. In just 25 games, McCoy nabbed six interceptions. Not only does he have great athleticism and can shift gears quickly, but he also has tremendous instincts. On top of all that, he’s also patient when he needs to be and doesn’t panic.
The main knock on McCoy is his injury history. McCoy missed all of the 2025 season due to a torn ACL. Such a big injury so early on in a player’s career is a cause for concern for plenty of franchises, which could easily result in him falling down draft boards more than he should. The flipside of that argument is that he came into his pro day and still put up absurd numbers, including a 4.38-second 40-yard dash and a 38-inch vertical jump.
Outside of the torn ACL, there aren’t many issues with his game, outside of him being less of a hard hitter and more of a dragging tackler in the open field. If he can stay healthy, nothing is stopping McCoy from being a solid starting cornerback in the NFL for years to come.
4) Colton Hood (Tennessee)
Make no mistake, Colton Hood could start Week 1 as an outside corner for a team. He looked good against great SEC competition playing press coverage all season last year. He makes the receiver work as he is good at jamming them early at the line, while also being patient to react and not get caught in no man’s land on either quick or complex routes. Even against bigger running backs, he has little trouble corralling them in the running game. Overall, his play is textbook for what you want to see from a cornerback in the NFL.
Like most other corners coming into the league, he gets caught out grabbing on more than he should. For as smart a player as he is, he falls into the trap of playing the receiver instead of the ball in jump ball scenarios, which limits what he can do in terms of interceptions and pass breakups. Shiftier receivers could give him some trouble at the next level if they can make sure Hood can’t put his hands on them at the line of scrimmage.
Few Years Out | 2026 NFL Draft CB Rankings
5) Brandon Cisse (South Carolina)
Brandon Cisse is one of the bigger question marks when it comes to cornerback prospects, but also when looking at the entire draft pool. His athleticism is incredible and he has plenty of traits that NFL teams long for at the position. He plays the run hard and efficiently. He deserves more credit for how he’s able to bend around blocks on the outside to make plays on the ball carrier. He also does a great job continuing to use his hands effectively through the play as he is constantly trying to punch the ball out while the receiver tries to bring the ball in.
Cisse has a high ceiling, but also an incredibly low floor due to a variety of factors. For starters, he has only played 34 games in college and was a reserve for 22 of those games. He also lacks the ability to track the ball downfield, which can sometimes result in him not being able to make a play that was there to be made. His instincts are lacking, and he struggles with recognizing routes and where to be positioned at times. While he sits at five in my rankings due to his absurdly high ceiling should he figure the position out, his lack of feel for the position at times, combined with his lack of games at the position, is reminiscent of Caleb Farley back in 2021.
6) Keith Abney II (Arizona State)
Depending on which game you watch film from, Keith Abney II can look very different. Against Texas Tech last year, he had one of his better games, which was a big reason Arizona State pulled off the 26-21 upset against the Red Raiders. Against Baylor earlier in the year, he struggled at times, although he was able to secure a crucial interception at the end of the third quarter. Regular reps against Jordan Tyson in practice will certainly help him in the NFL, and he is a sticky corner. He’s physical when he needs to be and goes to make plays on the ball when it is anywhere in the vicinity. He is physical in press coverage and never gives up on making a play on the ball when in coverage.
The biggest issue Abney will need to work out immediately is his ability in run support. Too often, he gets caught up on blocks. At times, it can look like he isn’t even trying to get off the blocker. While he isn’t the slowest or lightest corner in this class, he doesn’t have the top-end speed or strength you’d like to see from a prospect.
7) Chris Johnson (San Diego State)
Many NFL analysts and draft experts are falling in love with Chris Johnson. Graded by PFF as the highest-rated cornerback in their 2026 NFL Draft CB rankings at a non-power five school, the stats are all there. He has decent size, which should allow him to play nickel or outside at the next level. He has good footwork and does a good job with open-field tackling. When he blitzes, he does a good job of watching the quarterback and doesn’t run into blocks like other cornerbacks do. He does a great job not only tracking balls downfield, but also making plays on them as well.
As solid as Chris Johnson may look in some highlight reels you’ll find online, I have some serious questions, namely surrounding the competition he faced. Several of his interceptions or breakups were on either incredibly poorly thrown balls or just awful decisions from the quarterback. Even at a smaller school like San Diego State, he struggled against bigger receivers and tackling bigger running backs. He got beaten more than you’d like to see in college, and when he did, he did not have the recovery speed that would be needed to prevent house calls in the NFL.
The only reason I have him above players like Keionte Scott is due to the fact that he can play corner at multiple spots, whereas Scott is a player more pigeonholed into the nickel or strong safety positions.
8) Keionte Scott (Miami)
Keionte Scott is one of my favorite cornerbacks in the NFL Draft CB Rankings. Realistically, he is not, and should not ever be an outside cornerback at the NFL level. If he’s going to see success, it has to be either at the nickel corner position. It’s likely he could also be picked by a team to serve as their strong safety as well, depending on where he goes. If a team tries to play him on the outside, it’ll go poorly, and he’ll be out of the league within a few years. He struggles to mirror the receiver and is late at reading and responding to developing routes.
His strength comes in the nickel corner position, and he looks like a small linebacker at times when he’s flying around the edge. He’s an incredibly talented tackler and is an absolute pest when blitzing off the edge. He has good play awareness and instincts and is a true asset in run support. He’s a hard hitter and a high-character person as well. Scott is an older prospect, which may scare some teams off of him, but what he loses in youth, he makes up for in experience.
He has some growing to do before he can be an everyday starter at the nickel position, but if he’s put in the right situation, he’ll be able to contribute as one of the better nickel corners in the league.
9) Malik Muhammed (Texas)
One of the more underrated abilities for a cornerback is consistency and the ability to be “forgotten” about, for lack of a better term. Malik Muhammed is a perfect example of both. While he does possess the height for an outside corner and he is an athletic freak, his frame and slender build aren’t big enough to stick there. He’s a good cornerback both in press coverage and off, and he clearly has a good understanding of what’s expected from him in zone coverage. His size did result in him getting outmuscled at times, but he does deserve credit for holding his own overall.
At the NFL level, he’s going to struggle, at least initially, with the physicality of bigger receivers on the outside, which may lead teams to move him to the nickel. He is solid overall at making tackles in open space, although his lack of aforementioned strength can result in more broken tackles you’d like to see. One of the biggest feathers in his cap was his performance last season against top 2027 wide receiver prospect Jeremiah Smith and the Ohio State Buckeyes. While he wasn’t matched up against Smith the entire game, he played a big part in Smith being limited to 43 yards on six receptions.
10) D’Angelo Ponds (Indiana)
What D’Angelo Ponds may not have in size and speed, he certainly makes up for it in confidence. At just 5’8″ and 182 pounds, there is no doubt that putting Ponds anywhere outside of the nickel corner spot is a mistake. Ponds does deserve credit for playing bigger than he is, making plays that corners his size shouldn’t be making. He is a tenacious defender who does a great job with play recognition and zone coverage. He’ll be tested in the NFL against much bigger and faster receivers, and he’ll need some time to get accustomed to that. With that being said, he’s better in press coverage than he gets credit for.
The biggest indication that Ponds won’t be able to play outside cornerback came in last year’s Big Ten Championship game, where Jeremiah Smith exploded for 144 yards on just eight receptions. While not all of that damage was done against Ponds, there were several plays where it was clear that he didn’t have the physical capability of sticking with Smith. Ponds has his limitations, but with his high physicality and motor, he could eventually become a solid nickel corner with the right franchise.
Just Missed: Will Lee III, Julian Neal, Davison Igbinosun, Chandler Rivers
