After the unfortunate situation around Cameron Sutton that led to his release, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes set aside the idea that cornerback took on any greater urgency as a need.
The run of cornerbacks coming to Allen Park for top-30 pre-draft visits contradicts that sentiment from Holmes.Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press ($) reported two more-Wake Forest's Caelen Carson and Auburn's Nehemiah Pritchett are making visits on Thursday. That makes a total of seven cornerbacks to make a top-30 visit to Detroit to this point, based on reports and/or social media activity.
As Birkett noted, the Lions have drafted four defensive backs during Holmes' tenure. Three of them-Ifeatu Melifonwu, Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch have been selected on Day 2. Pick No. 29 overall this year could yield a cornerback, perhaps a true outside corner for the first time since Jeff Okudah third overall in Bob Quinn's final draft as Lions' general manager (2020).
The idea of the Lions waiting to take a cornerback on Day 2 of the 2024 draft has merit, and it could very well come to fruition. With a nod to it being a very deep class at the position, here are some Day 2 cornerbacks who could be on their radar.
6 cornerbacks who could be on Detroit Lions' radar on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft
6. Caelen Carson, Wake Forest
Carson did not work out at the NFL Combine due to an injury, which makes his pre-draft visits (like the one with the Lions) take on more importance.
He was only a two-year starter at Wake Forest, and he only played eight games in the first of those (2022). But he is regarded as one of the more physical corners in this year's class, with ideal size (6-foot, 190 pounds) and 29 career pass breakups in college (three career interceptions; cue the jokes about "if he could catch, maybe he'd have been a wide receiver)". Last season he posted a 71.7 coverage grade and a 83.4 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus, with 36 receptions allowed on 64 targets in his direction.
Carson is considered somewhat raw, with the tools to develop the skills that match his traits. The Lions are getting a closer look at him before the draft, so
5. Andru Phillips, Kentucky
Phillips was another of the cornerbacks who made a top-30 visit to the Lions this week, as his personal itinerary has been pretty full.
Like Carson, Phillips was only a two-year starter in college. But he showed the versatility and physicality the Lions like in cornerbacks, seeing time outside and in the slot with 78 total tackles, 10 pass breakups (zero interceptions) over those two season. Last season he got a 71.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, with a 72.9 coverage grade.
At 5-foot-10, Phillips is likely better-suited to being a slot corner at the next level. But he should not necessarily be pigeonholed as that, with a physical style that should help him against bigger receivers on the perimeter.
4. Cam Hart, Notre Dame
Hart's size stands out (6-foot-3, 202 pounds, and he posted good athletic testing numbers at the combine (4.5 40; 39.5-inch vertical; 10-foot-10 inch broad jump) that backed up what evaluators see on tape as a unique blend of size and athleticism.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com noted how Hart's best game last season came against Marvin Harrison, the consensus No. 1 wide receiver in this draft class. Overall last season he posted top-30 PFF grades overall (83.3) and in coverage (84.2), with a 67.1 passer rating allowed.
A big knock on Hart is a lack of ball production in college, despite the traits and skills he has. He had surgery on both shoulders during his college career as well. But overall, there's a whole lot to like here and the Lions should see a lot to like.
3. Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri
For all the hype that's been around his college teammate Ennis Rakestraw, there's something to the notion that Abrams-Draine will end up being the better NFL player.
Abrams-Draine missed just 11 tackles during his college career, which fits right into what Holmes and new defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend have conveyed will be essential for them.
Abrams-Draine played both in the slot and outside in college, and in man and zone coverage. Last season, he got the seventh-best coverage grade among qualified cornerbacks from Pro Football Focus (89.9) on the 25th-most total coverage snaps (472) playing opposite Rakestraw, who opponents avoided (28 targets his direction last season). His man coverage grade from PFF (82.1) was top-25 at the position.
Abrams-Draine started his career at Missouri as a wide receiver, before moving to cornerback and becoming a starter for his last three seasons. Over his final two seasons, he had 27 pass breakups and 98 total tackles. Opponents wanting to avoid Rakestraw went the other direction and Abrams-Draine was up to the task, earning First Team All-SEC honors last season.
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.