6 cornerbacks Detroit Lions could target on Day 2 of 2024 NFL Draft

2. Renardo Green, Florida State

Green drew attention for his work against LSU wide receivers and potential first-round picks, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas, in a game last season. That alone, as Lance Zierlein of NFL.com hinted, can carry the weight of his evaluation for NFL teams, but he showed himself as a top-end all-around corner over his last two years in Tallahassee.

One concern for evaluators is Green's physical style being likely to draw more flags at the next level. But that kind of thing can be reeled in with good coaching, and it's better to have to reel it in than try to foster it the other direction.

Pro Football Focus has named Green as a Day 2 fit for the Lions, with a nod to how much man coverage they play (a top-10 rate in the league last season) and him being "arguably the premier man coverage corner in this class" (90.0 man coverage grade last season, seventh best).

1. Khyree Jackson, Oregon

Jackson has become a personal favorite on mine in the secondary tier(s) of cornerbacks in this draft. He had a quite a journey in college, from two community colleges (including the 2020 season cancelled at "Last Chance U") to hardly playing over two years at Alabama to finally landing at Oregon last season.

Jackson finally got his chance to play, and he played well last season. He had three interceptions and seven pass breakups, along with a 77.4 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus, a 41.6 passer rating allowed and two sacks. His worst PFF grade last season did come against Washington, and the three wide receivers they'll have drafted later this month.

The thing that most stands out about Jackson is his size (6-foot-4, 194 pounds, 32 and 3/4-inch arms at the NFL Combine). That makes him an automatic imposing presence as a press-man corner, where he is best-suited. Some of the knocks you see on him in scouting reports (lack of anticipation, giving up too much cushion) can be chalked up to simply not having played much college football, due to circumstances outside his control.

Jackson has simply not been able to full develop the most instinctual parts of playing cornerback via sheer game reps, but working with defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Townsend in Detroit would be a great situation for him to be drafted into.