Defensive Back Rankings 2027 NFL Draft

71 defensive backs ranked

DEFENSIVE BACK RANKINGS 2027 NFL DRAFT

The secondary is one of the strongest parts of this class. Three defensive backs sit inside our top fifteen and five inside the top thirty-two, in line with the stronger years we have graded, and corner and safety are both well stocked.

Notre Dame's Leonard Moore leads it, a corner who took five interceptions and added seven pass breakups in ten games. Georgia safety KJ Bolden is immediately behind him, the top-ranked safety of his recruiting class who posted 78 tackles with only four misses across single-high, box and slot alignments. Ellis Robinson IV tied for the SEC lead among defensive players with four interceptions in his first year of starts, and Alabama's Zabien Brown, a five-star who started all thirteen games as a true freshman, has returned takeaways for scores in both his seasons.

Between corner and safety this is the largest group in the class, and the one where a team can wait longest and still find a starter.
LAST UPDATED: 08/03/2026

Player Rankings - Defensive Back

# Player Pos H/W/S Team Weight Height 40YD AVG POS RANK AVG OVR RANK Rating Summary
68

CB
Cam
Calhoun

6-0 180lbs 4.55
CB
Alabama   Mascot
Alabama Mascot
180lbs 6-0 4.55 70 332
67.1
Calhoun is a developmental depth corner whose 2025 was almost entirely lost to a backup role, a much-traveled defender who flashed sticky...
63

CB
DJ
McKinney

6-2 180lbs 4.41
CB
Notre Dame   Mascot
Notre Dame Mascot
180lbs 6-2 4.41 49 193
72.5
McKinney is a long, fast boundary corner who pairs elite timed speed with 74-inch length and a willing run defense, snaring interceptions...
58

CB
OJ
Frederique J...

6-0 180lbs 4.42
CB
Miami   Mascot
Miami Mascot
180lbs 6-0 4.42 27 98
76.2
Frederique is a lean, fast boundary corner who earned freshman All-America honors with a low catch rate in 2024 before a quieter sophomore...
56

CB
Smith
Snowden

5-10 180lbs 4.41
CB
Michigan   Mascot
Michigan Mascot
180lbs 5-10 4.41 39 163.5
76.8
Snowden is a fast, quick-twitch slot defender whose elite timed speed lets him drive on throws underneath, and he flashed ball skills with...
54

CB
Antonio
Kite

6-0 180lbs 4.48
CB
Ole Miss   Mascot
Ole Miss Mascot
180lbs 6-0 4.48 59 236
77.4
Kite is a zone-coverage corner with solid eyes and instincts, a full-season starter at Ole Miss who reads and drives on throws and held...
39

CB
Kayin
Lee

5-11 180lbs 4.30
CB
Tennessee   Mascot
Tennessee Mascot
180lbs 5-11 4.30 32 123.5
80.9
Lee is a burner, a corner with rare timed speed whose mirrors routes step for step in man thanks to the burst to match releases off the...
35

CB
Jayden
Bellamy

5-11 180lbs 4.45
CB
UCF   Mascot
UCF Mascot
180lbs 5-11 4.45 41 166
81.2
Bellamy is a zone-coverage corner with strong eyes and instincts, a well-traveled veteran who started a full season at UCF as his team's...
3

CB
Ellis
Robinson IV

6-0 180lbs 4.48
CB
Georgia   Mascot
Georgia Mascot
180lbs 6-0 4.48 4 21.7
87.9
Robinson is a ball-hawking corner who turned his first year as a starter into four interceptions, including a pick-six against Tennessee on...
30

CB
Eli
Bowen

5-9 183lbs 4.38
CB
Oklahoma   Mascot
Oklahoma Mascot
183lbs 5-9 4.38 35 143
82.2
Bowen is an undersized, fast cover corner whose rare timed speed and ball skills produced two interceptions in nine games, including an...
45

CB
Emmanuel
Karnley

6-3 184lbs 4.55
CB
Virginia   Mascot
Virginia Mascot
184lbs 6-3 4.55 50 200
79.7
Karnley is a long, physical boundary corner whose 75-inch frame lets him press, reroute receivers, and contest throws downfield, and he...
67

CB
JK
Johnson

6-0 185lbs 4.45
CB
Florida Atlantic   Mascot
Florida Atlantic Mascot
185lbs 6-0 4.45 68 311
70.7
Johnson is a well-traveled veteran corner with good timed speed and length, a former blue-chip recruit who has passed through Ohio State...
2

S
KJ
Bolden

6-0 185lbs 4.33
S
Georgia   Mascot
Georgia Mascot
185lbs 6-0 4.33 3 19.7
88.3
Bolden stepped into Georgia's deep middle for a departed first-rounder and looked the part, a rare athlete whose run-defense and tacklings...

2027 NFL Draft Athleticism Chart - Defensive Back

We've compared players post combine 40 times and weight and charted them on the scatter chart below. You'll find the 40 time on the Y-axis and on the X-axis the weight in pounds.
The exceptional athletic freaks (determined by the combination of speed vs weight) will be found at the top right of the chart while the less impressive athletes will be sitting towards the bottom left.

For a much improved viewing experience (with more players) please view on a larger screen.

2027 NFL Draft Athleticism Chart - Defensive Back

We've compared players 40 times and weight and charted them on the scatter chart below. You'll find the 40 time on the Y-axis and on the X-axis the weight in pounds.
The exceptional athletic freaks (determined by the combination of speed vs weight) will be found at the top right of the chart while the less impressive athletes will be sitting towards the bottom left.