Led by Colorado Buffaloes standout Travis Hunter, the 2025 NFL Draft cornerback class features multiple prospects who could develop into top-tier ball-hawks at the NFL level. Our 2025 NFL Draft CB Rankings explore the professional possibilities for the playmakers in the secondary.
10) Jacob Parrish, Kansas State
Jacob Parrish has slightly below-average size and length. He is a three-year starter who saw playing time early as a true freshman. He is a good tackler who takes good angles to the ball and has good tackling technique. Parrish has above-average on-ball production with 13 career pass breakups and five interceptions.
He is an effective blitzer who can put pressure on the QB. A willing run defender who makes plays around the line of scrimmage but can sometimes get outmatched. Parrish is a good man corner who has clean footwork and a nice backpedal. He does a nice job of reading route combinations and reacting to what’s in front of him in zone. Parrish has elite top end speed and explosion.
9) Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
Benjamin Morrison primarily aligned outside for the Fighting Irish and was often tasked with shadowing the opposing team’s No. 1 option — a challenge he never backed down from. He broke out as a true freshman and boasted elite ball production when healthy, but an injury-riddled 2024 campaign sullied his NFL Draft stock for teams.
How Morrison recovers from his hip injury will be key for evaluators, as hip injuries can be tricky for redirection and coverage mobility. That said, Morrison is trending up, and when he’s fresh, he’s one of the best man coverage defenders in the class.
With his effervescent quickness, competitive mentality, and short-area twitch, he can function as a gnat in press, and that same disruptive imprint shows up at the catch point. At his best in 2022 and 2023, Morrison looked like a first-round talent. With any luck, he can get back to that level.
8) Trey Amos, Ole Miss
Trey Amos excelled against SEC competition, showing he can hang physically and mentally with the best in college football. The combination of size, length and athleticism makes Amos a prototypical boundary cornerback from a physical perspective. He naturally has a larger catch radius and can make impressive plays on the ball with his proactivity, but also moves as fast as a cornerback who’s a few inches shorter.
As a tackler in space, Amos’ form isn’t incredibly consistent yet. But as a coverage CB, he’s one of the more well-rounded in the class. He’s quick, fluid, and malleable in man coverage, a smooth mover and stellar processor in zone, and the type of athlete who can match laterally and limit vertical separation in the same rep. A productive career as a starter should be in his future.
7) Darien Porter, Iowa State
Darien Porter is as boom-or-bust of a CB prospect as you can get in 2025. By drafting him, you’re getting a moldable ball of clay with elite height, length, and speed. He has inspiring ball skills, with his background as a receiver showing up in his coordination and ball-tracking capabilities. Porter’s elite physical attributes grant him a fairly high floor in coverage.
His ability to process off the line of scrimmage in off-man and zone is very encouraging, and his long-strider range allows him to close space and limit separation post-breaks. The concerns on tape are about what you would expect given Porter’s profile. He’s lanky, not as fluid, and lacks consistency in run support. But for zone-heavy schemes, he’s a great fit, and he has special teams value as well.
6) Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
- Selected by the Buffalo Bills
- 30th overall selection
- Third cornerback taken
Armed with tremendous speed and a playmaking mentality, Maxwell Hairston is one of the most exciting CBs to watch in the 2025 NFL Draft. His interception numbers (5 INTs in 2023) speak for themselves, but he’s an aggressive playmaker.
He thrives in hook-curl zones and flat zones that allow him to shoot downhill and make plays on the ball. Hairston’s testing athleticism reflects what you see from him on tape. He has the deep speed to defend vertical route concepts and can match some of the fastest receivers in the game stride-for-stride. His instincts in coverage have grown considerably since he began his collegiate career.
The big concern with Hairston is his skinnier frame and lack of top-notch play strength. He won’t amaze you with his physicality, whether it’s as a tackler, in press coverage, or at the catch point. But in spite of that limitation, he can be a solid, scheme-versatile defender in coverage.
5) Shavon Revel, East Carolina
Shavon Revel Jr. has a combination of height, length, and speed that you just can’t teach at the cornerback position. His physical tools alone would get him on the radar of NFL teams, but he maximizes well with a high football IQ. Revel can read and mirror route concepts well, and he’s able to process and act on break angles in zone.
His ball-tracking skills and long arms amount to exemplary playmaking chops, just as his length, along with his physicality, enables him to dictate in press-man coverage. Revel wasn’t always tested to the highest degree by his competition in college, and he’s also coming off a torn ACL.
Those two factors muddy his projection somewhat. That said, Revel is reported to be on track for a full recovery, and assuming he is, he’s one of the highest-ceiling CB prospects in the class.
4) Azareye’h Thomas, Florida State
Azareye’h Thomas won’t be for every team, but for defenses that run an abundance of press-man looks, Thomas can be one of the best in the class. Thomas’ average long speed turns some people away on the surface, but turn on the tape, and you’ll see one of the most complete, physically imposing players in the CB group.
At around 6’2″, 197 pounds, with over 32″ arms, Thomas uses his length to proactivity disrupt and dictate releases at the line, and he’s incredibly competitive at the catch point. While Thomas doesn’t have high-end vertical speed, he’s explosive accelerating up to stems, and uncannily agile and fluid for his size.
That mobility failsafe allows him to smother WRs with his length. Giving shades of Martin Emerson Jr., Thomas can be a quality NFL starter.
3) Jahdae Barron, Texas
- Selected by the Denver Broncos
- 20th overall selection
- Second cornerback taken
An extremely versatile defensive back, Jahdae Barron is flexible enough to play any position in the secondary. His leadership and intelligence shine through on tape, where his controlled athleticism, incredible instincts, and high motor have rocketed him into early first-round discussion.
Barron led the SEC with five interceptions in 2024, taking his play to a new level. His reactive athleticism to the ball and clean ball-hawking technique was outstanding in the zone, where the Texas Longhorn could also attack runners, locking them up with his secure tackling.
2) Will Johnson, Michigan
Will Johnson is an intelligent cornerback with all the physical tools needed to thrive at the NFL level. He’s tall and lean, and moves with impressive pace and fluidity in coverage. The physical tools are obvious, but the playmaking mentality and route recognition make him a top-12 prospect. He gets the most out of his tools because of his swift processing speed and aggression in coverage.
That proactivity jumping routes can come back to bite him sometimes, but more often than not, it helps Johnson make plays other cornerbacks simply can’t, and that same proactivity shows up in run support. With his size, athleticism, mental game, and turnover-generating chops, he’s a difference-maker on the boundary with legitimate CB1 potential in the NFL.
1) Travis Hunter, Colorado
- Selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars (trade)
- Second overall pick
- First cornerback taken
No superlatives are enough to sum up Travis Hunter. He is both the CB1 and WR1 in this class. The Colorado Buffaloes’ two-way player has some of the most impressive instincts, awareness, and ball skills to be evaluated in recent memory.
At 6’0” and 188 pounds, Hunter is an elite athlete with incredible stamina. He made 53 tackles, three TFLs, six interceptions, and 19 pass deflections in 2024, alongside his elite production as a receiver. Simply, the Buffalo prospect is special. His elite ball-hawking tendencies can turn the game on its head on any down.
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The two-way player just does everything right as a corner. His twitchy movement allows him to track routes, while his intelligence allows him to spot what a receiver will do before they do it themselves. Hunter is mentally one step ahead at all times and is a testament to his uniqueness as a prospect.
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