Finding Broncos: Five Cornerbacks for Added Depth

Finding Broncos scouts the 2023 NFL Draft with a group of cornerbacks who would improve the depth.

The Denver Broncos have made multiple additions that help the offense, and understandably so. However, they still need help on the defensive side of the ball, and finding a cornerback or two to improve their depth should be on the priority list. This is an excellent class for cornerbacks, and the Broncos are in a position to take advantage of it. 

Myles Brooks | CB | Louisiana Tech

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Pros

• He has good size and frame. 
• There are great ball skills, with seven interceptions and 14 passes broken up over the last two years. 
• He transferred to Louisiana Tech and picked things up quickly. 
• He allowed only 46% of targets to be caught during his career, with 37.7% in 2022. 
• He is patient with his backpedal and doesn't open up too quickly. 
• There is excellent timing when challenging the catch point, leading to the interceptions and passes broken up. 
• There is a well-rounded skill set to play in man or zone coverage and in press or off. 
• He has a good explosion to get up and challenge the catch point at the highest point. 

Cons

• He is a boom-or-bust corner who has given up five touchdowns in the last two seasons. 
• There are issues with his tackling that need to be cleaned up, with a 21.1 and 22.2 missed tackle percentage in the last two seasons. 
• He has a bad habit of biting on fakes from the quarterback and receiver. 
• He has a bad habit of being too loose in coverage, which gives receivers extra space in man coverage. 

Fit with Broncos

Brooks fits with what the Broncos do, as he can play in either scheme. While he has too much to work to start as a rookie, unless it is out of necessity, he can improve the depth. The Broncos don't have to find another starter, but they have to improve their depth, which Brooks can do. 

Emmanuel Forbes | CB | Mississippi State

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Pros

• He is a good athlete with plenty of speed. 
• His ball skills are excellent, with 14 interceptions and 17 passes broken up over the last three years. 
• He did exceptionally well turning interceptions directly into points, with six pick-sixes.
• There is a solid ability to recover and catch up to receivers. 
• He is competitive and aggressive when attacking the catch point. 
• He has excellent instincts that he trusts. 
• There is a good football IQ to read and diagnose the play. 
• He has good press technique to make up for his lack of strength. 

Cons

• While he has good height, he is extremely slim. 
• Missed tackles are an issue with his slim frame, making him easy to break through. 
• He can be extremely easy for receivers to box out from the catch point. 
• He lacks strength in his game, which shows up in his tackling. Sometimes, he can be over-aggressive when attacking the ball, leaving himself open, which resulted in 14 touchdowns allowed. 
• He bites on fakes due to his over-aggressive nature. 
• There isn't much there in run support on the boundary. 
• He has discipline issues when it comes to sticking with his coverage. 

Fit with Broncos

Forbes is a talented prospect with exceptional ball skills, but his slim frame will make teams think hard. If it weren't an issue, it wouldn't be a big deal, but it was a significant issue in college, which doesn't translate well to the NFL. 

He fits with what the Broncos do, but there is a question as to if he will fall to the third down. If he did, would the Broncos, a team with a minimum threshold for size and weight, be willing to take a risk on him for his ball skills? 

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Lance Boykin | CB | Coastal Carolina

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Pros

• He has a good size and build on his frame.
• He is a strong tackler who kept the missed tackles to a minimum. 
• He has solid ball skills, with five interceptions and nine passes broken up. 
• He was a team captain and a leader on and off the field. 
• He has the tools and traits to be scheme versatile. 
• There are all the tools there to work with and develop. 
• He has great length that he uses well to attack the catch point, and he can get up to attack the ball at the high point. 
• He is a physical defender and will stick his nose in it when it comes to run support. 

Cons

• He tested out poorly with all of the athletic testing. 
• There was an issue of locking his receivers down, where he allowed 54% of targets to be caught for 14 touchdowns. 
• Penalties were an issue, with 12 in his career and seven in the last two years. 
• He can be attacked vertically with success for the offense. 
• The ball tracking isn't there, which can help the receiver. 
• He struggles to change direction, with wasted steps to gather and cut. 

Fit with Broncos

Boykin has great versatility in the coverage scheme and all the tools coaches want to work with. If the Broncos found another corner to be the third guy on the boundary, Boykin would make sense as a later developmental option to try and stash on the practice squad or keep as a special teams guy and the fifth or sixth corner. 

Cory Trice | CB | Purdue

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Pros

• He had an excellent Scouting Combine, showing good speed, agility, and explosion with a Relative Athletic Score of 9.66. 
• He has good size, standing 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds. 
• He has a high number of passes broken up, with 16 over four seasons, including nine in 2022. 
• He does have great footwork to help ease his issues with his change of direction. 
• There is good technique to play in press coverage, and he has plenty of strength. 
• He uses his size to cut off the inside and squeeze the receivers against the boundary. 
• He has good awareness and instincts when working in zone coverage. 

Cons

• He gets his hands on a lot of passes but doesn't turn them into interceptions, with five in his five-year career and only one in the last two seasons. 
• There isn't enough speed to consistently carry receivers vertically without help over the top. 
• He has to play with a better bend in his backpedal, which will be difficult for his height. 
• Despite having the size and power, he seems unwilling in run support. 
• There isn't great recovery athleticism, and he isn't overly fluid or smooth in the lower half. 
• He doesn't have a lot of versatility in scheme, likely limited to zone coverages. 

Fit with Broncos

Trice had an exceptional showing at the NFL Scouting Combine. He did well in all the drills and showed off with the athletic testing. There is a questionable fit with the Broncos, as Vance Joseph was heavy-man coverage in Arizona. However, if he wants to go to more zone, where his roots are, then Trice can make sense. 

He could compete with Damarri Mathis or back him up. If he develops into a starter opposite Patrick Surtain II, the Broncos could have two great press corners. 

Cameron Mitchell | CB | Northwestern

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Pros

• There is good athleticism with Mitchell, who has excellent speed and agility. 
• His ball skills are solid, with 11 passes broken up over the last two seasons. 
• He did well to make sure tackles were secured and finished. 
• He has excellent technique and offers up scheme versatility. 
• His ability to mirror in coverage is quite good, and he has good technique and solid press strength. 
• There is no doubting his toughness, physicality, and reliability in run support. 
• While he lacks ideal length, he does well with his positioning to attack the catch point. 

Cons

• He is a little undersized and could be limited as a nickel corner in the NFL. 
• The ball skills are solid, but he struggles to secure takeaways, with only two in his career. 
• There isn't great length, which could create issues with his tackling in the NFL. 
• There are times he can be late to react to the play. 
• His recovery athleticism is lackluster. 

Fit with Broncos

Mitchell is another corner with an impressive Scouting Combine with the drills and athletic testing. There is good scheme versatility, which can help his fit with any NFL team. While he will likely be a nickel corner, he can still fit with the Broncos. Their starting nickel, K'Waun Williams, has struggled to stay on the field in his career and is entering the final year of his deal. 

Essang Bassey is his current backup, but the Broncos could do with an upgrade over him. Mitchell would be an upgrade while giving them someone to develop to replace Williams for the 2024 season. 

With how strong the draft class is, the Broncos should be able to snag a talented prospect who happened to fall to them. It may not be one of these five, but there are plenty of other options. 

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