NFL Combine: Winners & Losers from Position Drills | CBs & Safeties

While the Denver Broncos may not be focused on the cornerback class in the 2025 NFL draft, they're examining the safeties, who closed out Day 2 of the on-field workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium.

As these prospects navigated their day of athletic testing and fieldwork at the NFL Combine, there were obvious winners and losers at cornerback and safety.

Let’s break down who was who from each group in the actual position drills, not counting the measurements and athletic testing.

Winners: Cornerbacks

Upton Stout | Western Kentucky

The group's best performer, with almost perfect technique in every drill. He kept things tight and clean with his change of direction and had loose hips to open up and run. Stout will end up as a nickel/safety in the NFL, but he showed he has the traits to hang outside, depending on the matchup. 

Caleb Ransaw | Tulane

Ransaw was among the best in the group. He was smooth and fluid throughout the drills, excelling in every one. He had only minor issues that can be addressed with NFL coaching. 

Mac McWilliams | UCF 

McWilliams's technique was clean and consistent. Although his change of direction wasn’t the smoothest, he didn’t waste steps or movement to gather into his breaks. His reactions to changes from the coaches running the drills were almost instantaneous and not delayed, like many others. 

Jaylin Smith | USC

Smith is a fluid and versatile athlete who showed it during the drills. While not everything was clean from a technical standpoint, his smooth athleticism made up for those minor hiccups in his technique. 

Losers: Cornerbacks

Jordan Hancock | Ohio State

Hancock will likely end up as a safety in the NFL, but there was a chance to show he can drop into the nickel for added versatility. With poor backpedal technique, tightness in his hips, and wasted movement in his change of direction, he all but cemented himself as a safety without nickel versatility. 

O’Donnell Fortune | South Carolina

There were multiple moments in the drill where Fortune wasn’t going 100%. The coaches and scouts wanted to see these players safely give maximum effort, but Fortune didn’t provide it. He entered with questions about his effort on tape and only confirmed those concerns. 

Robert Longerbeam | Rutgers

Longerbeam has length, but it hurts him with his backpedal and change of direction. When he gathers into breaks, he takes extra steps. He is also tight in the waist, making it difficult to open his hips to run. 

Azareye’h Thomas | Florida State

One of the top corners of the class, the drill work, exposed Thomas’s change of direction. He plays a bit high-waisted, leading to wasted movement to gather in breaks, which creates natural separation for the receiver.  

Winners: Safeties