NFL Draft: Cornerbacks New York Giants should target if James Bradberry traded

Kyler Gordon, Washington

There is a case to be made that Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon is one of the most athletic players in this year’s draft class. Coming in at 6’0 and 200 pounds with a near 6’3 wingspan, Gordon has solid size for the position. His elite speed when on the field, and pure ability help him keep up against nearly anyone lined up across from him.

Outside of just being known as an athlete, Gordon built a solid reputation for himself while playing at Washington. Both he and his partner in the secondary, Trent McDuffie could be top-40 picks in April’s draft.

Gordon developed at a quality rate in all four of his years at Washington. 2021 served as the best season of his career. He played nearly 800 snaps on defense, almost doubling his previous high for a season.

This larger sample size showed both improvements and substantially as Gordon was put into different positions along the secondary. He spent the majority of his time as the outside corner, but also logged 144 snaps in the slot.

In the 29 games that Gordon appeared in, he recorded 97 tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, and 12 broken-up passes.

https://twitter.com/UW_Football/status/1441942690422149121?s=20&t=YVmAqkwDB6qqE-gUlDxahw

Gordon was targeted just 40 total times last season, even with being the CB2 on the Washington defense. There was just one game where he was targeted double-digit times.

According to PFF, Gordon finished the season with a coverage grade of 89.6 and a defensive grade of 87.2. Both totals were the best of his career.

Apart from a few technical issues, Gordon is a sound corner. He has been critiqued for his ability to keep up with some of the game’s faster receivers. But overall, he is a solid player who should be able to make an impact early in his career.