NFL Draft preview: Elite cornerbacks are hard to find

With the evolution of the game to a wide-open philosophy and rules that favor receivers, it has become harder to find a shutdown cornerback than a franchise quarterback.

In fact, there are fewer of those who come into the league every year. So when one does, he is drafted early.

In 2016, Jalen Ramsey was picked No. 5 overall; in 2018, Denzel Ward was taken No. 4.

But when there isn’t one, then that position gets passed over. Last year, the first cornerback taken was Deandre Baker by the Giants at No. 30.

This year, you might have one — Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah — who could be picked as high as No. 3, which would tie for the earliest selection of a cornerback. Yes, even Deion Sanders in 1989 wasn’t drafted that high. He was picked No. 5, behind Hall of Famers Troy Aikman, Barry Sanders and Derrick Thomas.

Okudah has the size (6-1, 205), speed (4.48), athletic ability (41-inch vertical) and competitiveness for the ball.

He has been projected to be as high as third overall to the Detroit Lions, who traded star corner Darius Slay.

Ironically, Okudah said he’s watched Slay since high school and reached out to him to “use him as a resource.”

When asked during the combine — before Slay was traded — what it would be like to team up with Slay, Okudah said, it would be “magical … it would be really tough for the conference.”

Okudah also might be one of the more knowledgeable cornerbacks. He could name the defensive backs from the top five teams on the draft board, watched all the combine videos of his contemporaries and has studied the current standouts.

“I like watching how Richard Sherman understands route concepts, Patrick Peterson’s consistency and technique, Jalen Ramsey’s physicality and aggressiveness and watching Stephone Gilmore switch up his leverage every time to break the quarterback,” Okudah said during the combine. “So I just take bits and pieces and try to emulate all that.”