Way Too Early Top-5 Cornerbacks for the 2026 NFL Draft
Tennessee's Jermod McCoy is a BEAST.
Howdy folks, we are BACK with the AndyNFL summer scouting series, wrapping up the defensive side of the ball today. We take a look at CBs, a very fun position to monitor year after year and this year is no different, there are about 10+ guys I could make an argument for being discussed in the Top-5, but of course we must cut it down to solely 5.
This is a really fun class, and one I envision will have a lot of big risers over the course of the 2025 CFB season. As a result, of course these rankings are always subject to change as we get into the CFB season, and all the way through the draft process.
Wrapping up the defensive side of the ball today, then later this week we will begin with the offensive side of the ball—beginning with the Quarterbacks. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, without further ado here are my early Top-5 CBs for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Before we get into it: South Carolina DB Jalon Kilgore was graded as a Safety for me, and would’ve been included in the earlier Top-5 Safeties article if I had registered him earlier. He’s currently ranked as my #3 Safety in the class.
#1: Jermod McCoy · CB · Tennessee
6’0 · 193 · JR
As the sub-title said, Jermod McCoy is a beast, and a prospect who I could very well see in the Top-10 of my Big Board sooner rather than later. He has a phenomenal blend of speed, length and quickness—traits you love to see in a CB prospect. He’s fantastic at reading and reacting to routes, subsequently mirroring routes with great movement skills to be able to change direction on the fly. Routinely displays good ball skills due to a great blend of hands and overall hand-eye coordination. His leaping ability combined with his length allow him to high-point the ball and make huge plays while contesting catches. However, in January McCoy tore his ACL during a training session, marking a major injury red flag on his draft profile. But if he can come back healthy sometime this year and produce even more great tape, I consider him a shoe-in to be CB1 just based on the elite traits and elite tape we’ve seen from him so far.
#2: Avieon Terrell · CB · Clemson
5’11 · 180 · JR
With very good ball skills and explosive movement skills, there is an argument to be had that Avieon Terrell is the best CB in this class, and it’s been a discussion for myself for weeks into this draft process. Terrell’s overall athletic profile on the field is legit. Like I mentioned, explosive movement skills—he has a great change-of-direction ability and the willingness to go step-for-step with any opposing receiver. He has a fantastic backpedal, exploding out of it to stay close and break up any passes when need be. He shows outstanding timing to come away with huge turnovers, and overall will translate well to the NFL. He has drawn pass interference flags due to an aggressive playstyle, but as a whole his skillset is very intriguing and makes him an early 1st-round player for me and one I’m excited to monitor all year long.
#3: Keith Abney II · CB · Arizona State
5’11 · 185 · JR
A name that’s unfamiliar in these top rankings for most, but Keith Abney II is a slept on stud. He’s a natural press-man CB with elite technique and a great feel for the position. He showcases very good recovery speed through reps, and has the natural stickiness to go step-for-step with any receiver. Had an elite showing against Texas in the CFP just locking down his side of the field. With only one year of starting experience under his belt, Abney has the tools of a seasoned veteran. He has elite tracking skills to make plays and he’s efficient processing matchup switches. Composure is apparent with Abney, he stays within himself and is just a pure lockdown corner. He reads, reacts, and takes efficient angles to the ball to be such a productive corner. Like I said, for only one starting season under his belt Abney looked very seasoned and had the tape to in my eyes assert himself as one of the best corners in college football. I can’t wait to see the steps Keith Abney II is able to take this year, and treat this as my official flag plant for him.
#4: DJ McKinney · CB · Colorado
6’2 · 190 · JR
After transferring from Oklahoma State to Colorado, DJ McKinney took a huge step under Deion Sanders’ guidance. McKinney is an electric athlete, with elite length and legitimate 4.4 speed that shows up on tape—DJ has a ton to like when scouting him for the NFL draft. McKinney creates a lot of turnover chances, capitalizing for 3 INTs in 2024 and now primed for the CB1 role with Travis Hunter off to the Jacksonville Jaguars. I believe the production will take a big step for McKinney this year, and we could be talking about him as a 1st round guy come April of 2026. But to do so he needs to refine his skillset a bit, turning his head quicker to limit big plays or unnecessary flags will be huge. But with a high motor, strong intellectual showing from the secondary, and the ability to consistently jam WRs at the LOS—McKinney checks many boxes for me. He’s also well-rounded in both man and zone, the code to his defensive game was forcing WRs out of the play, messing up their route or simply locking them up for just enough time so the defense could get to the QB. DJ McKinney produced strong showings in 2024, and I believe he will produce strong showings in 2025.
#5: A.J. Harris · CB · Penn State
6’1 · 191 · JR
A.J. Harris is a fun study, he has ideal NFL length with elite press technique. He reads and reacts to routes very well with great overall recognition, and is able to utilize his movement skills to attack downhill. He is exceptional at transitioning from his backpedal to an all-out sprint. A.J. Harris really embodies a veteran at CB, he’s such a nuanced player with the technical skill to succeed for a long time at the NFL level. If he can improve his ball skills this year to turn his PBU’s into INTs, sky is the limit for A.J. Harris’ growth. He’s very smart for the position and it’s noticeable, with great feel, technique and timing A.J. Harris is set for a big year at Penn State and an easy transition to the NFL with such noticeable, and valuable traits.
In Summary:
Jermod McCoy · CB · Tennessee
Avieon Terrell · CB · Clemson
Keith Abney II · CB · Arizona State
DJ McKinney · CB · Colorado
A.J. Harris · CB · Penn State
HM: Malik Muhammad · Texas | Will Lee III · Texas A&M
This is a really fun CB class, and I even through in some major flag plants with Keith Abney II and DJ McKinney. Jermod McCoy and Avieon Terrell are CBs I’m really excited for, possessing some elite traits and the overall capability to translate to the NFL at a very high level they look to be very intriguing options for NFL GMs this year. A.J. Harris has a lot of pro-ready skills that make him a high floor prospect and also a pretty high ceiling if he can improve his overall ball skills. Among names that almost made the cut, Malik Muhammad has showcased versatility all over the field and natural instincts with great anticipatory skills—and Texas A&M’s Will Lee III who possesses great length and very solid ball awareness with beyond capable tracking abilities.
At the moment; Jermod McCoy, Avieon Terrell, Keith Abney II, and DJ McKinney all reside in my early Top-32.
As always, these are very subject to change over the season and summer, and stay tuned for more content here on the substack and on my Twitter/X page @AndyyNFL covering the NFL draft all year long.