Renner's 2027 NFL Draft scouting series: Is Leonard Moore the best CB prospect since Jalen Ramsey?

If you are in need of a big corner, this is the class for you. The top three prospects on this list all have wingspans that look like they belong in the NBA. That's not all this class has, though, with some very impressive athletes coming in after them. 

This is a much better class a year out than what we had at this time last year, especially considering CB1 Jermod McCoy's injury concerns.

We haven't seen more than three corners go in Round 1 since 2023, but my guess is that will change with the 2027 class.

Positional rankings:  IOL • S • LB • DT • TE • OT • RB • CB • EDGE • WR • QB

Note: ⭐️ represents each player's 247Sports star rating as a high school recruit

Class strength rating: 9/10

Leonard Moore

ND • CB • #15

6-2, 197 | Junior | ⭐⭐⭐

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• Player type: Island corner
• Early grade: Top-5

What Jeremiah Smith is to wide receiver prospects, Leonard Moore is almost that for cornerback prospects. There's a very good chance he ends up as at least the best cornerback prospect since Jalen Ramsey in 2016, and we may even have to go all the way back to Patrick Peterson in 2011 to find a comparable corner prospect by the time Moore's career is through.

He truly has it all physically, with the production as a press-man corner to boot. Last season, he allowed only 201 yards on 48 targets and just nine first downs. You don't have to watch much more than the USC tape, where he shut down first-round receiver Makai Lemon last season, to understand what Moore is all about. 

Ashton Hampton

CLEM • CB • #2

6-2, 205 | Junior | ⭐⭐⭐

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• Player type: Versatile press corner
• Early grade: Round 1

While Moore looks like a lock to be a top-10 pick, Ashton Hampton could easily join him in that realm of prospect. At a shade over 6-foot-3, Hampton has some of the best movement skills you'll ever see for a tall corner. The only contemporary I've scouted in that regard is Sauce Gardner, and he went fourth overall. While Hampton doesn't have the sheer lockdown production of the former Cincinnati cornerback, who famously allowed zero touchdowns in three years as a starter, he isn't too far off with only one score allowed in two seasons as a starter.

In addition to being able to cover at that size, Hampton is also a terrific tackler. He engulfs ball carriers around the line of scrimmage, stopping them in their tracks. That's the skill set of a cornerback who will fit into every defense in the NFL nowadays.

Kelley Jones

MISSST • CB • #1

6-4, 195 | Redshirt junior | ⭐⭐⭐

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• Player type: Press corner
• Early grade: Late Round 1/early Day 2

While Leonard Moore gets all the headlines in this class, and rightfully so, you might be surprised to find out that Kelley Jones was actually the hardest cornerback in the country to complete a pass against last season. In 13 games, he allowed a grand total of 11 completions. That's 0.85 per game!

It doesn't take more than a few snaps of watching Jones to see what makes him unique. The nearly 6-foot-4 corner is a press-man eliminator. He even took out top-10 pick Jordyn Tyson last season, allowing one catch on six targets for 21 yards with two pass breakups in their Week 2 matchup. 

His combination of an egregiously long wingspan and legit top-end speed is difficult to exploit in an outside corner. While he's never going to be particularly versatile or great in off coverage, his ability in press is going to thrive in certain schemes.

Vicari Swain

SC • CB • #4

6-0, 193 | Redshirt junior | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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• Player type: Man corner
• Early grade: Early Day 2

South Carolina had one heck of a cornerback duo last fall, with Swain lining up across from second-rounder Brandon Cisse. While Cisse was a touch more explosive and active around the line of scrimmage, Vicari Swain was the better of the two in pure man coverage. 

He's got a steady and patient game with the length to disrupt routes. Swain can be patient because he's a terrific athlete with the long speed to keep up swimmingly with the speedy LSU receiving corps.

My biggest issues with his game come in the physicality department. He's a fine form tackler, but there's a hesitance to get involved that won't be for every scheme. He's much more of a coverage-first player. 

It should also be noted that Swain is an electric returner. He took three of his 19 punt returns to the house last season. 

Romanas Frederique Jr.

MIAMI • CB • #29

6-0, 195 | Junior | ⭐⭐⭐

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• Player type: Man corner
• Early grade: Early Day 2

I'm throwing out his banged-up sophomore campaign and relying on what I saw from OJ Frederique Jr. as a true freshman in 2024 for this ranking. A litany of injuries hampered him down the stretch and caused him to miss the better part of seven games in 2025.

In the national title game, though, he showed up big with four forced incompletions in man coverage. He's at his best one-on-one. That's where his competitiveness and ability to read receivers' route cues really shine.

Ellis Robinson IV

UGA • DB • #1

6-0, 180 | Redshirt sophomore | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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• Player type: Versatile corner
• Early grade: Early Day 2

Ellis Robinson IV was the No. 1 cornerback recruit in the 2024 cycle and even the No. 1 overall prospect, according to ESPN. 

While he sat as a true freshman, he took over as a starter early last fall and had one of the stingier seasons among SEC corners. He allowed only a 42.9% completion rate with four interceptions. He's a feisty corner who's very competitive at the catch point. 

There's one big thing missing from his game, though, and that's play strength. At only 180 pounds, Robinson can get jostled by stronger receivers. While it's not a big concern given how athletic he is, it's what is keeping him from a first-round grade at the moment.

Jalen Mayo

HOU • CB • #2

6-2, 190 | Redshirt senior | Zero stars

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• Player type: Press corner
• Early grade: Day 2

Jalen Mayo's tape last fall at Stephen F. Austin was about as impressive as you'll ever see at that level of football. It helped that in his lone game against FBS competition, he blanked Houston in a dominant performance, allowing no catches on four targets. He is a flat-out dog at the line of scrimmage with long arms that he deploys as weapons in press coverage.

Houston was so impressed with that outing that it brought him aboard this fall. While it's obviously a sizable jump in competition, especially from Virginia Union, where he spent his first three seasons, there's nothing on tape that makes me think Mayo will struggle in the Big 12.

Kayin Lee

TENN • CB • #14

5-11, 191 | Senior | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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• Player type: Man corner
• Early grade: Day 2

There are two traits for cornerbacks I care far more about than anything else: ease of movement and competitiveness. Kayin Lee is exceptional in both regards. The fluidity he shows when changing directions out of a pedal is as good as it gets in the class, and his speed is enough to consistently make up ground downfield. 

While those two traits give him a high floor, there are still some things I worry about with his game. The biggest are his size (5-foot-10, 186 pounds) and playmaking instincts. It's rare to see him really sniff out routes and intercept a pass. He's had only three career picks in three years as a starter. If that can improve in Year 4 as a starter, he's within striking distance of a top-50 pick.

Zabien Brown

BAMA • DB • #2

6-0, 196 | Junior | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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• Player type: Press-zone corner
• Early grade: Late Day 2

Zabien Brown's talent has been obvious since high school, when he was one of the top recruits in the 2024 cycle. He's a long, well-put-together corner with a muscular lower half he uses to box out receivers. Those traits also play as a tackler, where he's effective around the line of scrimmage.

The more I watched Brown's tape, though, the more I couldn't help but think he'd be even higher on this list if Nick Saban were still at the helm for the Crimson Tide. There's a looseness to his game that wouldn't fly in the Saban era. His press technique is far more inconsistent than I would like for a longer corner. He should be thriving at the line of scrimmage, but unfortunately wasn't even asked to do it that much last fall.

I worry about how he'll translate in pure off coverage because his top-end speed is average from a chase position. At the end of the day, he's still only a rising junior, so he has plenty of time to realize his potential.

Jyaire Hill

MICH • CB

6-2, 190 | Senior | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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• Player type: Versatile corner
• Early grade: Late Day 2

Jyaire Hill has the kind of talent that shows up very quickly on tape. His long arms, smooth hips and easy acceleration jump off the screen immediately. It's what you want a cornerback to look like. He also has the honor of being the only cornerback to pick off a pass intended for Jeremiah Smith last season.

Why he didn't make the jump despite that glowing praise is because he's still rough around the edges. He's not nearly as physically imposing as he should be. Hill missed 22% of his tackles last season and isn't the enforcer at the line of scrimmage you'd expect with his length.

The NFL is going to give someone with his physical traits plenty of chances to develop, though.

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Mike Renner

Three names to watch

Note: These aren't necessarily the next three players in my rankings, but rather three prospects who caught my eye for one reason or another.

John Nestor (Minnesota)

John Nestor sticks out at cornerback for one big reason: You don't see 210-pound cornerbacks very often. I don't believe he's long for outside cornerback at that size, but he's got an NFL game nonetheless.

Whether that ends up in the slot or at safety will depend on scheme and personal preference because he brings a lot of skills to the table at both positions. He's an extremely willing and physical tackler. 

The fact that he won the Team Hustle Award for special teams at Iowa in both his freshman and sophomore years before transferring tells you exactly how he plays the game. While Jeremiah Smith took him to the cleaners, the rest of his tape showed a skilled zone corner.

Jay'Vion Cole (Arizona)

I like highlighting backups who caught my eye in this section when I can, and Jay'Vion Cole was that and then some for the Wildcats last year. Targeted 31 times in limited action, Cole still managed four picks and five forced incompletions. 

He's a well-traveled corner who went from Cal Poly in 2022 to San Jose State in 2023 to Texas in 2024 to Arizona in 2025. At every stop along the way, he's found the football, with 12 picks on 122 career targets. His lightning-quick flat-foot breaks are a big reason why. He can come back downhill on underneath targets in a hurry, leaving quarterbacks wondering why they thought their receivers were open in the first place.

Ja'Bril Rawls (Florida State)

Ja'Bril Rawls is another prospect who will be high on my draft board but doesn't crack the top 10. That's because I see him as more of a slot corner than an outside corner, even though he hasn't played inside. That's a skill set I often rank with safeties instead, but I'm not moving prospects in my rankings this far out from the draft. 

No corner relishes the opportunity to fill in the run game more than the Florida State defender. His 11 stops against the run were the most of anyone on this list and the second-most among outside corners in the Power Four last year. And he did it all while hampered by injury last season, playing only seven games. While he needs more reps in man coverage, he's going to be active in a zone-heavy scheme.

Superlatives

• Most NFL-ready: Leonard Moore (Notre Dame)
• Most versatile: Leonard Moore (Notre Dame)
• Best tackler: Xavier Scott (Illinois)
• Biggest hitter: John Nestor (Minnesota)
• Strongest: Zashon Rich (Kansas State)
• Most athletic: Kayin Lee (Tennessee)
• Top non-Power Four: Tre'Quon Fegans (Jacksonville State)
• If only they were bigger: Smith Snowden (Michigan) (5-foot-9, 185 pounds)
• Most experienced: Deuce Blades II (Wake Forest) (2,340 snaps)