- Travis Hunter excels in any scheme: Colorado’s two-way star posted top coverage grades in both man (83.0) and zone (86.8) schemes, allowing just one touchdown across 39 total targets in 2024.
- Jahdae Barron dominates in zone: The versatile cornerback allowed no touchdowns and recorded 10 combined pass breakups and interceptions while giving up just a 46.6 passer rating in zone coverage.
Few positions are more dependent on scheme fit than cornerback, where success often hinges on technique and anticipation within specific coverage calls.
In the lead-up to the 2025 NFL Draft, PFF’s advanced charting and coverage grades provide insight into which prospects thrived in man and zone coverages. Here’s a breakdown of the top-performing cornerbacks in this year’s class, sorted by the coverage schemes they executed best.
For more information on the draft’s top cornerback prospects, check out PFF Premium Stats, the 2025 NFL Draft Guide, the PFF Big Board and the PFF Mock Draft Simulator.
Highest-graded cornerbacks in man coverage
BJ ADAMS, UCF
Man-coverage grade: 86.4
Adams missed three games in 2024 with a back injury, which helps explain the smaller sample size, but he still stood out when tasked with man coverage. On 80 man-coverage snaps, he was targeted 12 times and allowed just three catches for 45 yards without surrendering a single touchdown. He also forced six incompletions, including three pass breakups and one interception.
JAYLIN SMITH, USC
Man-coverage grade: 83.9
USC leaned heavily on man coverage in 2024, and Jaylin Smith was a key part of that approach on the outside. He lined up in man on 38.2% of his coverage snaps and was targeted 24 times, allowing 13 catches for just 117 yards and zero touchdowns. Smith also added one pass breakup and two interceptions, helping hold opposing quarterbacks to a 32.8 passer rating when targeting him in man coverage.
TRAVIS HUNTER, COLORADO
Man-coverage grade: 83.0
Colorado leaned heavily on man coverage in 2024, and with Travis Hunter locking down one side of the field, it’s easy to see why. Hunter played man on 51.4% of his coverage snaps, a remarkably high rate for a college corner. Across 220 man coverage snaps, he was targeted 24 times and allowed just 11 catches for 94 yards with no touchdowns. He also forced an incompletion on 21% of those targets, finishing with five pass breakups, two interceptions and an absurdly low 21.9 passer rating allowed.
O’DONNELL FORTUNE, SOUTH CAROLINA
Man-coverage grade: 79.5
While South Carolina primarily ran zone coverage in 2024, they mixed in man looks often enough to evaluate their corners in both settings. Fortune played man coverage on 29.2% of his snaps and held his own when tested. On 13 targets in man, he allowed eight catches for 178 yards but also came away with a pass breakup and an interception. The passer rating into his man coverage was a modest 73.4.
TREY AMOS, MISSISSIPPI
Man-coverage grade: 75.4
While Mississippi leaned heavily on zone concepts in 2024, they still ran Cover-1 often enough to showcase Trey Amos’ man coverage ability. Amos lined up in man on 35.5% of his coverage snaps and impressed when tested. On 25 targets, he allowed just nine receptions for 87 yards and one touchdown while forcing incompletions on 20% of those attempts. He notched three pass breakups, an interception and held opposing quarterbacks to a 43.2 passer rating when throwing his way in man coverage.
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Highest-graded cornerbacks in zone coverage
JAHDAE BARRON, TEXAS
Zone-coverage grade: 91.5
Texas leaned on zone coverage in 2024, particularly Cover-3, and Jahdae Barron thrived in that role. Aligned mostly as a wide cornerback, Barron played zone on 75% of his coverage snaps and was targeted 52 times, allowing just 31 catches for 235 yards and no touchdowns. He forced incompletions on 15% of those targets, finishing with seven pass breakups and three interceptions. Quarterbacks throwing into his zone managed just a 46.6 passer rating.
DARIEN PORTER, IOWA STATE
Zone-coverage grade: 91.1
The Cyclones heavily relied on zone coverage in 2024, with Cover-4 (32.6%) and Cover-3 (24.3%) as their preferred coverages. Porter lined up almost exclusively at wide corner and was in zone coverage on 45.3% of his coverage snaps. He was targeted just 10 times in zone, allowing two receptions for 13 yards and no touchdowns. He also forced incompletions on 30% of his zone targets, and quarterbacks posted an NFL passer rating of 0.0 when throwing his way.
O’DONNELL FORTUNE, SOUTH CAROLINA
Zone-coverage grade: 87.5
Fortune had a strong year in coverage, showing up on this list for both man and zone. South Carolina’s preferred coverages in 2024 were Cover-4 (26.8%) and Cover-3 (23.0%), with Fortune in zone coverage on 59% of his snaps, mostly at right outside cornerback. He was targeted 34 times in zone, allowing 19 receptions for 146 yards and no touchdowns. He added one pass breakup and two interceptions, with quarterbacks posting just a 42.0 passer rating when targeting him in zone coverage.
TRAVIS HUNTER, COLORADO
Zone-coverage grade: 86.8
Hunter was elite in both man and zone coverage in 2024, posting an 83.0 grade in man and an 86.8 grade in zone. He played zone coverage on 44.6% of his snaps and was targeted 15 times, allowing 11 receptions for 113 yards and one touchdown. The four incompletions included two pass breakups and two interceptions, showcasing his ability to make game-changing plays regardless of scheme.
DENZEL BURKE, OHIO STATE
Zone-coverage grade: 81.0
Ohio State’s defense employed a balanced approach in coverage, mixing man and zone without leaning heavily on any one scheme. Burke played zone on 53.9% of his coverage snaps in 2024 and was targeted 18 times, allowing 12 catches for 132 yards and no touchdowns. He also tallied two pass breakups, two interceptions, and held opposing quarterbacks to just a 48.6 NFL passer rating when targeted in zone.
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