Top 10 cornerbacks in NFL draft

Here are the top 10 cornerback prospects (with projected round) for the NFL draft, which is set for April 28-30:

1. Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, Cincinnati, 6 feet 3, 190 pounds (first): He was the American Athletic Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and didn’t allow a touchdown over 1,059 career coverage snaps.

2. Derek Stingley, LSU, 6-1, 195, (first): Injuries held him back the past two seasons, but in 2019 he led the SEC with six interceptions.

3. Andrew Booth, Clemson, 6-0, 193 (first): He had 75 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 10 pass breakups and five interceptions in his career. He played 981 defensive snaps over 35 career games and made 15 starts. He was a first-team ALL-ACC selection in 2021 and an AJC Super 11 member as a high school player in 2018.

4. Trent Mcduffie, Washington, 5-11, 195 (first): He became a starter early in his freshman season. The Huskies played a lot of zone coverage, so his man-to-man skills must be developed at the next level.

5. Kaiir Elam, Florida, 6-2, 200 (second): He was second-team ALL-SEC. He led the conference in passes defensed with 11 last season.

6. Roger Mccreary, Auburn, 6-0, 187 (second): Has experience in the SEC, where he defended Ja’marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Treylon Burks and

Devonta Smith. Mccreary had 14 pass breakups last season.

7. Kyler Gordon, Washington, 6-0, 190 (second): Late bloomer didn’t start until his fourth season but was named All-pac 12 in 2021.

8. Marcus Jones, Houston, 5-9, 185 (third): He was an All-american at Troy before transferring to Houston. He had five interceptions, second-most in the FBS last season.

9. Coby Bryant, Cincinnati, 6-1, 191 (third): He won the Jim Thorpe Award as the top defensive back in the nation, even though he was playing opposite of Gardner. He had nine interceptions and 35 pass breakups over his career.

10. Martin Emerson, Mississippi State, 6-1, 202 (third/fourth): He played in 36 games over three seasons and led the SEC in pass breakups with 11 in 2020.

Best of the rest: Fayetteville State’s Joshua Williams, South Carolina State’s Cobie Durant, Texas-san Antonio’s Tariq Woolen, Alabama’s Jalyn Armour-davis, Georgia’s Derion Kendrick, Oregon’s Mykael Wright and Nebraska’s Cam Taylor-britt.

Teams in need: Giants, Jets, Patriots, Bucs and Lions.

Need area for Falcons: Yes. The Falcons signed veteran Casey Hayward to play right corner and re-signed nickel back Isaiah Oliver. Hayward is 32 and could help train the corners to eventually take over. They are set at left cornerback with A.J. Terrell.

HYOSUB SHIN/AJC 2019 Former LSU cornerback Derek Stingley, covering UGA receiver Tyler Simmons in the SEC Championship game in 2019, has struggled with injuries.