2012 NFL Draft Cornerback Board: Ranking Dre Kirkpatrick and Rest of Top 20

I have a few cool new articles coming out soon at the Times, USA Today, and a couple other publications, so I will post links to those once they are live.

For now, take a gander at my initial cornerback rankings. I imagine they will cause some conversation.

Click on players with links for my scouting reports. I will make a point to assess the cornerbacks I have higher or lower than the consensus.

Notes

The round listed after each prospect’s name is the grade I have provided him, NOT where I think he will get selected. I view players with two rounds listed as on the border of each.

Players with the *** designation are higher than consensus rankings, while those with ^^^ after their names are lower than the consensus.

1. Morris Claiborne, LSU (First Round)

2. Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama (First Round)

3. Jamell Fleming, Oklahoma (First Round) ***

4. Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina (First/Second Round)

5. Janoris Jenkins, Florida/North Alabama (First/Second Round)

6. Jayron Hosley, Virginia Tech (Second Round) ***

7. Alfonzo Dennard, Nebraska (Second Round)

8. Josh Robinson, UCF (Second Round)

9. Josh Norman, Coastal Carolina (Second Round) ***

10. Chase Minnifield, Virginia (Second Round)

11. Brandon Boykin, Georgia (Fourth Round) ^^^

12. Ryan Steed, Furman (Fourth Round) ***

13. Trumaine Johnson, Montana (Fourth Round) ^^^

14. Coryell Judie, Texas A&M (Fourth/Fifth Round)

15. Dwight Bentley, UL Lafayette (Fifth Round)

16. DeQuan Menzie, Alabama (Fifth/Sixth Round)

17. Casey Hayward, Vanderbilt (Fifth/Sixth Round) ^^^

18. Asa Jackson, Cal Poly (Sixth Round)

19. Leonard Johnson, Iowa State (Sixth Round) ^^^

20. Omar Bolden, Arizona State (Sixth Round)

Some Thoughts

These are simply the cornerbacks I have reviewed. I’m sure I will look at a few more who will jump into the Top 20.

I debated placing Jamell Fleming ahead of Dre Kirkpatrick. I love Fleming, and I think he’s perhaps the top pure-cover guy in this class. His game against Iowa was the best I saw this year.

I placed Stephen Gilmore ahead of Janoris Jenkins simply because of character. I think they are interchangeable on the field.

Josh Norman from Coastal Carolina is my “sleeper” for 2012. I think he has a chance to be something special, but most people have a late-round grade on him.

You all know I don’t think much of Brandon Boykin, but most of you probably wouldn’t give him a fourth-round grade. The decline from the top-10 cornerbacks to him, in my view, is dramatic. I don’t have a single player with a third-round grade at this position.