San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
SAUCE ON TOP OF ELITE LIST
Welcome to draft season! This is the eighth of 11 positional breakdowns leading up to the NFL Draft (Thursday-saturday). Here are my top 10 cornerbacks:
1. Ahmad Gardner (Jr., Cincinnati, 6-foot-2, 190 pounds)
Gardner made it through the playoff loss to Alabama unscathed. He played 1,100plus snaps in his collegiate career and produced nine interceptions (two pick-sixes) with zero touchdowns allowed. “Sauce” will be the first Bearcats prospect selected in the first round since 1971 (Bob Bell). Projected: Top 10
2. Derek Stingley Jr. (Jr., LSU, 6-0, 190)
Stingley features rare ball-tracking skills that make him a threat to take the ball away anytime it’s in his vicinity. In 2019, as an 18-year-old, he produced one of the most impressive true freshman seasons in college football history. Durability has been a concern ever since. Projected: Top 10
3. Trent Mcduffie (Jr., Washington, 5-10, 193)
Mcduffie plays bigger than his 5-10 frame. He’s one of the surest tacklers at the position in this draft class and his instincts are elite.
Projected: Round 1
4. Kaiir Elam (Jr., Florida, 6-1, 191)
Elam is a big corner with elite ball skills who fine-tuned his technique after an underwhelming sophomore season. His game is built on speed and physicality, which you normally don’t see in the same toolkit. His father (Abe) played eight seasons in the NFL. Projected: Rounds 1-2
5. Roger Mccreary (Sr., Auburn, 5-11, 190)
Mccreary simply doesn’t allow much separation and he’s battle-tested out of the SEC — he led the conference with 16 passes defended in 2021. His 287⁄8-inch arms would be the shortest of a starting outside cornerback in the NFL, which will likely pigeonhole him into the slot, and likely off some draft boards entirely. Projected:
Round 2
6. Kyler Gordon Washington, 5-11, 194)
Gordon is an aggressive uber-athlete who showed significant development in his technique this season, but there’s still a ways to go. He features inside/outside versatility while his martial arts and dance background shows up in his fluid footwork. Gordon was named the Huskies’ most outstanding special teams player his (Jr., freshman and sophomore seasons. Projected: Rounds 1-2
7. Coby Bryant (Sr., Cincinnati, 6-1, 193)
The 2021 Jim Thorpe Award winner (best defensive back) gets overshadowed by Gardner, but he held his own against Alabama, too. Bryant is an average athlete, but his ball production is impressive — 15 forced turnovers in his career (10 interceptions and five forced fumbles). He was also a four-year starter and two-time team captain. Projected: Rounds 2-3
8. Andrew Booth Jr. (Jr., Clemson, 6-0, 194)
Booth’s ball skills enable him to thrive while playing in press or off coverage. He exhibits physicality in defending the run, but needs to sharpen his tackling technique. There are durability concerns with multiple surgeries during his collegiate career. Projected: Rounds 1-2
9. Cam Taylor-britt (Sr.,
Nebraska, 5-10, 196)
Taylor-britt was a threeyear starter and team captain with experience at both cornerback and safety. His speed and physicality translates to any scheme. Projected: Rounds 2-3
10. Marcus Jones (Sr., Houston, 5-8, 174)
Sure, Jones is undersized, but the ball has an affinity for him (10 career interceptions) and he knows what to do with it when he gets his hands on it. The 2021 Paul Hornung Award winner (most versatile player) scored a touchdown four ways in college (reception, interception, kick return and punt return) and tied the NCAA record with nine career special teams touchdowns. Jones is a slotonly corner who will be a starting kick and punt returner from Day One. Projected: Rounds 2-3
BONUS: Tariq Woolen (Sr., UTSA, 6-4, 205)
Woolen is sashimi raw — he switched to corner his sophomore season after playing wide receiver most of his life — but his blend of size and speed (4.26 40-yard dash at the combine) make him a worthy investment. Projected: Rounds 2-3
BONUS: Zyon Mccollum (Sr., Sam Houston St., 6-2, 199)
Mccollum is a five-year starter (extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19) who produced a historic combine performance. The two-time team captain led the Bearkats in interceptions four of his five years while logging time at both cornerback and safety. Projected: Rounds 3-4
eddie.brown@sduniontribune.com
Lightning 6, Predators 2: Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov scored first-period power-play goals, and host Tampa Bay defeated Nashville. Hedman became only the second defenseman in franchise history to score 20 goals in a season, joining Dan Boyle, who did it in 2006-07. Kucherov finished with a goal and two assists, Steve Stamkos had a goal and an assist, and Anthony Cirelli and Ross Colton also scored for the Lightning.
Panthers 3, Maple Leafs 2 (OT): Brandon Montour scored 2:26 into overtime and Nhl-leading Florida extended its winning streak to a franchise-record 13 games by beating Toronto at home. The 13game winning streak matches the seventh-longest in NHL history and is the league’s longest such run since Columbus won 16 consecutive games in the 2016-17 season.
Penguins 7, Red Wings 2: Evgeni Malkin scored two goals, leading Pittsburgh to the road win over Detroit. Kris Letang had a goal and two assists for the playoff-bound Penguins, who won for the third time in four games.
Hurricanes 3, Devils 2 (OT):
Rookie Seth Jarvis scored 1:39 into overtime, and visiting Carolina beat New Jersey for its third straight win.
Bruins 3, Rangers 1: David Pastrnak scored his team-leading 39th goal after missing the previous eight games with an undisclosed injury, helping host Boston beat New York.
Sabres 5, Islanders 3: Tage Thompson scored his team-leading 37th goal, and host Buffalo beat New York in a matchup of nonplayoff teams.
Senators 6, Canadiens 4: Mark Kastelic scored his first NHL goal and his second ended up being the game-winner for Ottawa, which beat visiting Montreal. Austin Watson, Josh Norris, Parker Kelly and Alex Formenton also scored for the Senators, while Anton Forsberg made 44 saves.
Sharks 4, Blackhawks 1: Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 27 shots, and San Jose beat Chicago on the road. Timo Meier had a goal and an assist for the Sharks, who won for just the second time in 13 games. Tomas Hertl, Jasper Weatherby and Nick Bonino also scored.
Stars 3, Kraken 2: Roope Hintz scored two goals in a span of about two minutes and Vladislav Namestnikov got the game-winner as playoff-contending Dallas got a much-needed victory over visiting Seattle.
Blues 5, Coyotes 4 (OT): Justin Faulk scored his second goal 30 seconds into overtime and St. Louis stretched its franchise-record points streak to 15 games with a win over host Arizona after blowing a three-goal lead.
Flames 6, Canucks 3: Dillon Dube scored two goals as host Calgary edged Vancouver in a wild game that saw six goals in the third period.
Kings 4, Ducks 2:
Alexander Edler broke a 2-2 tie in the third period and Los Angeles beat visiting Anaheim. Friday’s late result
Capitals 2, Coyotes 0: Conor Sheary scored in the first period and Vitek Vanecek got his fourth shutout of the season as visiting Washington beat Arizona for its seventh win in nine games.
Notable
With four games left in the regular season and the Golden Knights locked in a down-to-the-wire playoff push, the last thing they need is another goalie controversy. But after starting goaltender Robin Lehner missed practices Friday and Saturday, the team said he was taking maintenance days, and coach Peter Deboer denied any knowledge of his veteran netminder agreeing to season-ending surgery. Rookie Logan Thompson could get the nod. Since March 17, Thompson is 8-3-0 with a .2.25 goals-against average.