Cornerback Analysis

The NFL spends premium picks on corners regularly, more than any defensive position outside of Edge Defender. However, they have a low rate of conversion to regular starters and reliable contributors (both are at essentially 50%). Perhaps as a result, teams draft a lot of corners, with the position receiving more picks than any other defensive position.

It is also relatively easy to replace first-round corners in performance level, with roughly 2 corners per class being found on Day 2 that hit the median performance of Day 1 cornerbacks. The lack of decline in the position makes it difficult to justify as a premium position worthy of the resources the NFL invests, but it is also worth noting that the best corners frequently do not show up on a stat sheet because they force the ball to go elsewhere.