Outside of quarterback, cornerback is quite possibly the hardest position for players to transition from college to the NFL. They have to adjust to the way the NFL calls penalties and quickly become technically proficient in numerous area that they weren’t used to do in college.

When you play cornerback, even the slightest misstep is the difference from being in a position to make a play and getting beat for a touchdown. There is almost no room for error, which is the reason that cornerbacks must be the most technically proficient players on the field.

With that being said, this year’s crop of cornerbacks in quietly one of the deepest positions in the draft. There are numerous players who appear to be destined for starting positions in the NFL. Nevertheless, there is not the slam-dunk top prospect amongst this year’s cornerback class.

However, that won’t stop us from building the perfect cornerback prospect, as we will carefully select certain aspects of a few cornerbacks in hopes to build that perfect prospect who will be shutting down the likes of Dez Bryant and Antonio Brown for years to come.

Size: Jalen Collins, LSU

With the big cornerbacks such as Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner making a huge impact, the NFL as a whole has started to put an emphasis on size and length for its cornerbacks. The idea is that the bigger the cornerback is, the better he can physically matchup with the physical freaks at the wide receiver position like Calvin Johnson.

This year, LSU’s Jalen Collins has that type of size the general managers and scouting director will covet. At 6-foot-1 and 203 pounds with 32-inch arms, Collins has the length to battle receivers at the catch point and the size to matchup with the physicality of certain receivers. Also, Collins isn’t so big that inhibits his ability to sink his hips and change direction. Collins perfectly walks the tight rope of just big enough to compete, but not big enough to hinder his own technique.

Athleticism: Byron Jones, Connecticut

Athleticism is a prerequisite that every cornerback must have. The nature of the cornerback position is extremely reactive, which in turn means that they aren’t controlling the speed of the game. While a wide receiver can speed up and slow down their routes, a cornerback can’t speed up or slow down if the wide receiver is going full speed or they will end up getting beat.

As it was proved at the NFL Scouting Combine, there may not be a more athletic player in this class or even in the NFL than Connecticut’s Byron Jones. In combine tests, he tested at or above the 93rd percentile in everything except three-cone drill, which he tested into the 79th percentile. This translates to Jones being able to athletically match any receiver in the NFL. While he may get beaten a lot in the NFL, it would not be due to a lack of athleticism.

Man Coverage: Marcus Peters, Washington

The cornerback’s ability to play in man coverage is vitally important in the NFL. It is also the trait that gets cornerback’s the most publicity, which was epitomized the phenomenon of “Revis Island.” Cornerbacks who have the ability to play press-man coverage give their defense a ton of flexibility to utilize a variety of different schemes.

In this year’s draft class, Washington’s Marcus Peters may have a ton of off-field issues, but no one can question his ability to play in man coverage. Peters is extremely patient at the line of scrimmage and displays a unique understanding of how to press and reroute receivers. Furthermore, Peters sticks to a receiver’s inside hip and rarely gives much space. He is physical and competes on every snap in coverage. If your team needs a cornerback who thrives in man coverage, Peters is your guy.

Zone Coverage: Trae Waynes, Michigan State

A usually overlooked trait in cornerbacks is their ability to play in zone coverage. With the proliferation of Cover-2 and Cover-3 defenses, cornerbacks have to show a comfort with playing in space. Zone coverage requires a great deal of intelligence and instincts, rather than athleticism and size.

Michigan State’s Trae Waynes showcases all the traits necessary to thrive in zone coverage in the NFL. At Michigan State, Waynes was given difficult concepts for a college football player and he still thrived. He showcased the ability to pattern match, pass of routes in between zones and play with great spatial awareness. Waynes trusts his eyes and doesn’t give the offense any easy passes when they look to his area.

Ball Skills: Senquez Golson, Ole Miss

A common storyline about defensive backs is that they play on defense because they lack the ball skills to play on offense. In spite of that, having a cornerback who has the ball skills to make the offense pay when they make a mistake is a huge plus for the defense.

Ole Miss’ Senquez Golson has the type of ball skills to not only make the offense pay when they make a mistake, but to also make them pay in other scenarios as well. Golson has soft hands and an incredible ability to track the ball in the air. When most cornerbacks aren’t sniffing the ball, Golson seems to always to be in a position to make the play. If you find that hard to believe, look no further than the 10 interceptions that Golson snagged as evidence to his incredible ball skills.