Pride of Detroit
Identifying which cornerbacks the Detroit Lions should be keeping an eye on during the 2025 NFL Combine.
The 2025 NFL Combine is scheduled to be televised from Thursday, February 27 through Sunday, March 2, and we’re previewing every position group leading up to the big event.
So far, we have already previewed which quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive tackles, interior offensive linemen, interior defensive linemen, edge rushers, and linebackers the Detroit Lions should be scouting. In this article, we shift to the secondary and examine the cornerback prospects that should be on the radar of general manager Brad Holmes.
Of note: Corners will take place in on-field drills on NFL Network on Friday, February 28.
The Lions were aggressive in upgrading their secondary last season and invested a lot of capital into the cornerback room. Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw will enter the second year of their rookie contracts, and Amik Robertson still has a year left on his deal, but beyond that, they’ll need to add more competition and depth. At the top of the free agent list is Carlton Davis, who could leave a starting role open on the roster if he departs this offseason. After that, veterans Kindle Vildor, Khalil Dorsey, and Emmanuel Moseley are also free agents, potentially leaving multiple depth spots vacant.
The Lions can fill their openings in a variety of ways, including re-signings and free agency, but this is an ideal year to create some depth via the draft, as it would be good business to have a more stable roster of players in the secondary.
Of all the on-field drills at the Combine, the ones set up for the cornerbacks tends to reveal the most about a prospect's future. A few key drills stress the prospect's ability to move in certain manners, and the results can indicate where that player would fit into most defenses: outside, inside, or would benefit from a switch to the safety position.
In general, a prospect’s hips tell the story. Balance, fluidity, quickness, and acceleration all start with the hips. Also, keep an eye on where they’re looking and if they have natural hands in passing drills. True outside corners tend to have little wasted movement, while safeties tend to have a hitch when asked to flip their hips. Man cover corners tend to perform best in the “backpedal and react” drill, which highlights this skill. While the “W” drill focuses on rapid change of direction in tight windows and corners, those who thrive here tend to be great nickel options.
In the Lions scheme, they look for press-man coverage corners who are reliable tacklers. While they landed two of those ideal players in last year’s draft, it looks like it’s going to be harder to find ideal prospects in this year’s class—most notably because the majority of this year’s corners are poor run defenders.
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