Ronde Barber is aware of a factor or two about being a high cornerback, so when the Bucs legend and Corridor of Famer takes time to debate a number of the high cornerback prospects within the 2024 NFL Draft, you cease and listen to what he has to say about them.
Lately for The thirty third Crew, Barber ranked his high 5 cornerbacks on this yr’s class in addition to two honorable mentions.
Bucs Might Use One other CB, Will It Be One That Ronde Barber Names?
To preface Ronde Barber’s checklist, it’s price noting that getting into the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bucs may use one other cornerback within the room. It’s a group that has undergone some modifications this offseason because the staff traded Carlton Davis III to the Lions whereas including Bryce Corridor and Tavierre Thomas in free company.
Bucs HC Todd Bowles And CB Zyon McCollum – Picture by: USA At this time
Even with these additions to assist the secondary, the 2 exterior cornerbacks at present penciled in are Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum. Each have the scale and pace to carry down these spots, however there are additionally query marks about how productive – and wholesome – they are going to be by a 17-game season.
The place might not be probably the most urgent want, but when the best participant is on the board, Tampa Bay will take a protracted take a look at deciding on one other defensive again.
Might or not it’s one which Barber names?
Earlier than he listed his Prime 5, the lifelong Buccaneer went over two honorable mentions – Missouri’s Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Michigan’s Mike Sainristil. In mentioning Rakestraw, Barber talked about that “he’s very slight of body and he has an harm historical past, however I like his ball expertise, I like his toes.” Nonetheless, what saved him off the checklist is that to him, there are “hints of — I’m unsure what he’s going to be within the NFL.”
Sainristil gained the nationwide championship with Michigan final season and he was an enormous a part of it. He had six interceptions and two pick-sixes throughout the season, together with an 81-yard interception towards the Huskies to assist the Wolverines pull off a convincing 34-13 win. The largest knock on him getting into the league is his measurement, however there isn’t a query that he generally is a playmaker.
“This man Mike Sainristil is superb,” Barber added. “I like the child, he’s a confirmed winner, and he’s a gamer even if he’s solely 5-9. In at this time’s NFL, that doesn’t match into their algorithm, however rattling, this child can play.”
Ronde Barber Lists His Prime 5 CBs In The 2024 NFL Draft
Beneath are the 5 cornerbacks Ronde Barber considers to be the most effective on this yr’s NFL Draft class in addition to the positives and negatives that he sees in every participant after watching their school movie.
Alabama CB Kool-Help McKinstry – Picture by: USA At this time
5. Kool-Help McKinstry, Alabama
“Kool-Help is a perfect prospect for the place as a result of look, he’s going to be a right away contributor. He’s clearly proficient. He has admirable motion and he’s very in keeping with it. The one factor that scares me, he isn’t an excellent tackler.
“Aside from that, some issues that stand out about Kool-Help, he’s excellent on the line of scrimmage together with his toes so he can play man protection. He’s excellent man-to-man, the one factor is he’s in place quite a lot of occasions and doesn’t make very many performs on the soccer. That has to vary if he’s going to be productive within the NFL.”
4. Cooper DeJean, Iowa
“He’s most likely probably the most well-rounded athlete on this yr’s class. That being mentioned, he can play nook, he can play security, and he was a punt returner at Iowa, there’s nothing this man can’t do.
“He’s a disciplined participant, he’s an excellent zone nook, however he additionally has quite a lot of quick area motion and he doesn’t actually waste steps which I like. There’s positively some stiffness in his recreation… however his straight-line pace makes up for a number of the deficiencies in his motion potential. I feel he instantly makes any secondary higher when he will get to the NFL as a result of he’s going to have the ability to play a bunch of various roles.”
3. Terrion Arnold, Alabama
“He’s a fairly good run defender, he’s lengthy, quick, can play at pace of the sport. There may be one catch – he’s the one 4.5 man on my checklist, however his measurement agility part is fairly insane regardless of that. He was a security at one time, and you’ll see how easy he makes the sport look. I wrote down in my notes he’s all the time unpanicked as a participant. I like his footwork, I like that he can get by off protection after which transfer as much as the road of scrimmage and there may be actually no distinction in the way in which that he’s matching receivers.
“His bodily instruments are rather more than Kool-Help McKinstry, and that’s one of many causes I’ve him up a little bit bit increased. The shortage of his lengthy pace will present up in time. There are occasions when guys are simply going by him on the high of the stem and that he doesn’t have the pace to catch up and he’s not exceptionally fast. Of all the highest defensive again prospects on this yr’s draft, he took the ball away probably the most, plus he had double-digit go breakups. The dude is aware of how one can discover the soccer. He’s going to be a superb soccer participant within the NFL.”
2. Nate Wiggins, Clemson
Clemson CB Nate Wiggins – Picture by: USA At this time
“The moment knock on this child is that he’s too slight and never a keen tackler. Don’t purchase it. Simply put the movie on with this man. He’s keen to hit you, it’s simply not violent. He had some excellent, and after I say excellent, excellent hustle performs in 2023. He has ultimate top clearly at 6-1 and his 4.3 pace makes him very fascinating to me.
“What he does greatest, and it’s one thing that I discuss fairly often with corners, he’s very quiet and nonetheless in his higher physique so he has no wasted motion. He has nice toes, actually silky motion, and he’s all the time in part together with his huge receiver. To me, he appears to be like like a pure in protection. He’s assured as hell. Nate Wiggins goes to be a fairly thrilling participant within the NFL fairly shortly.”
1. Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
“He can simply be the most effective participant of the bunch. He’s a very, actually good soccer participant. Dimension, he has size, excellent pace at 4.33, checks all of the containers for me. Groups in school attacked his method, however he was largely in solo protection his complete school profession if you happen to return and watch the movie. His play pace is excellent, he appears to be like like a bull in a China store typically when he’s enjoying on the market. He lacks some ball expertise, however clearly, he can take that away due to a number of the different issues that he does.
“There may very well be a stage of competitors argument towards him. While you put the movie on there are quite a lot of empty stands and a few actually small stadiums, however that’s what it’s. What I favored about him and what stands out, he’s probably the most related cornerback to final yr’s No. 1 nook choose Devon Witherspoon. He appears to be like and acts like a professional. If I’m taking a cornerback, it’s positively Quinyon Mitchell even if he performed at a small college.”
Of all of the gamers that Barber named, Mike Sainristil (Prime 30 go to), Kool-Help McKinstry (Prime 30 go to), and Nate Wiggins (formal assembly at NFL Scouting Mix) have every met with the Bucs.
Time will inform if any of those gamers are chosen by Tampa Bay, however to listen to Barber’s full ideas and see highlights of every participant, take a look at the total video under.
