Why the Broncos should go Cornerback in the first round
By Gustavo Kury
First round options
If the Broncos decide to address the cornerback position first, there are only two realistic prospects that can fall to Denver: Kristian Fulton and C.J. Henderson.
Kristian Fulton, LSU
The LSU defensive back was a human highlight reel on his junior and senior campaigns. Fulton is one of the best, if not the best cornerback in sticking with his man, and is just mongoose at the catch point.
NFL scouts normally worry about a prospect when he relies heavily on his physical abilities because it´s something that does not translate as smoothly as hoped to the NFL, as wide receivers get bigger, quicker and stronger. This is not the case for Fulton, as he uses his incredible vision and ball skills to stick with his man just enough to force a contested target.
His most incredible stat is that he forced incompletions at a whopping 30.5 percent of his total targets, and he did it against elite competition. When covering Tee Higgins, Jerry Jeudy, and Henry Ruggs, Fulton allowed 39 combined yards and forced three incompletions on 11 targets.
C.J. Henderson, Florida
Henderson had the bad fortune of competing in the SEC, which can be considered as the hardest college conference for defenses. But even with this, Henderson excelled at man coverage. He did not allow more than 20 completions in any of his three seasons as a Gator.
The baggage that NFL scouts see Henderson carrying is the fact that an injury at the start of his Junior campaign slowed him down, only to finish with the most allowed yards per target and zero interceptions to his name during his final year.
But, the Broncos should not worry about this, as Henderson showed game-in and game-out that he is a playmaker deserving a spot on the low-mid first round of the draft. His athleticism is going to fit well on the NFL from week one and on.
Special mentions go to Jeff Gladney, Jaylon Johnson, A.J. Terrell, and Trevon Diggs. They make up the group of rookie cornerbacks that should go late in the first round or early in the second. Their talent should make them starters on the NFL from the go-to, and it would be a bargain for the Broncos if any of them reaches the 46th overall, but that seems to be very unrealistic.