Rams 2026 draft: Looking for “big” help at cornerback

One of main negatives constantly tossed about is the Rams defensive pass coverage. In reality, the 2025 secondary has statistically improved over each of the last two seasons. Even so, it’s still a middle of the NFL pack unit and may need a total rebuild for 2026.

The Rams have two corners currently under contract for next season, Darious Williams and Emmanuel Forbes. You could add Josh Wallace, but realistically, he’s made the move to “STAR”. They could also sign Alex Johnson and Cam Lampkin off the practice squad to Reserve/Future contracts. None of these really inspire confidence. Before the playoff game in Chicago, Williams hadn’t played in a month and had been a healthy scratch. Forbes in all fairness, should be rated as a good signing, but his play has been up-and-down.

One thing that stands out about the Rams corners is their lack of size, and physicality goes hand-in-hand with that. The 2026 class of cornerback draft prospects appears quite deep. Here’s a look at prospects off my draftboard that stand 6’2” or better and count physical play styles in their skillsets.

Round 3

Devin Moore – Florida 6’ 3” 198 lb.

Four-star prospect who broke out as a senior, recording Pro Football Focus grades of 84.2 for overall defense, 83.2 coverage, 81.5 against the run, and 78.5 tackling. Spent his first two seasons fighting injuries, shoulder surgery in 2022 and back and concussion problems in 2023. As a junior, he was off to a hot start before another shoulder surgery shelved him. All told, Moore accrued 17 starts over a 30-game career and charted 64 tackles, five interceptions, and 14 passes broken up. Moore’s coaches credit him with improving his maturity, eating and workout habits to overcome the injury bug.

Four-star recruit with the versatility to play corner and safety. Very good in zone coverages, played a lot of Cover3 zone for the Gators and might be best served as free safety. Backpedal is average, but he has the loose hips to bail and smoothly change directions. Good field eyes to follow receiver and QB. Understands routes and where the point of action will be. In man, quick twitch cuts can give him some problems, but he understands angles and is blessed with recovery speed and long arms. Physical at the catch point and has the ball skills and body control for contested catches. Willing against the run and a good tackler, but looks quite lean on tape and isn’t a stac/shed guy. Much better in space.

There is certainly a developmental aspect to drafting Moore, he needs reps to reach his potential. On film, he clearly shows all the traits to be an NFL player, size, length, athleticism, and skillset. But he only has one full season of production, injuries (particularly shoulder) must be accounted for when projecting him. In the mid/late Round 3 area, he offers enough reward for the risk.

Julian Neal – Arkansas 6’ 2” 208 lb.

Neal received offers as a receiver, but joined Fresno State as a defensive back in 2021. His first role with the Bulldogs was at safety, then a stint at nickel before switching to corner for good in 2023. Neal never really broke through in Fresno, starting in only four of 26 games and hit the transfer portal for his senior season. His first commitment was to Stanford, but the whole Cardinal coaching staff was ousted, so Neal signed with Arkansas. Although the team struggled to a 2-10 record, Neal had strong season with 55 tackles, two interceptions, and 10 passes broken up.

Well built, with long arms and plus short area quickness. Neal has the recognition, instincts, and move skills to play zone and attacks man coverage with stickiness and physicality. He uses his strength to stymie and reroute wide receivers off their intended patterns and timing. Makeup long speed is bit of a question mark, although he’s loose enough to flip open and go deep. Very strong in run support, a thumper that is aggressive downhill, has stack/shed game and doen’t shy away from mixing it up with linemen. Big hitter when working from zone coverage.

Julian Neal has stellar versatility, able to play outside, in the slot, or as a safety. A nice fit for the Rams nickel and dime formations. There’s only one full season of production at Arkansas, but his play in his final season at Fresno State hinted a what he could turn into. His innate skillset, positional flexibility and physical play style make him a good bet in Round 3. He needs polish and reps, but his risk/reward leans heavily to the latter. His draft stock could raise if he tests well at the NFL Combine.

Treydan Stukes – Arizona 6’ 2” 200 lb

Talk about starting behind the eight ball, Stukes walked on at Arizona in throes of the COVID19 scare. He went on to earn a scholarship and then, a starting corner and team leader role. Although he missed most of 2024 with a knee injury, he had 24 starts in 53 games and rolled up 207 tackles, seven interceptions, and broke up 26 passes. In 2025, along with Big12 accolades, he was named to the AP All-American Third Team and Sporting News All-American Second Team.

Here’s a switch, a big slot corner. Over his college years, Stukes has shown he’s capable of playing outside or inside and now on the secondary-rich Arizona Wildcats, all defensive backs are interchangeable.. He’s quite a fluid mover to work in the slot versus smaller, darting receivers and he’s big enough to handle tight ends. Film shows he’s shown he can handle both man and zone coverage and is adept at both. Stukes is loose enough to open up and cover going deep, but really stands out in off-man, where he reads, reacts and explodes to the reciver. He physical at the catch point and uses those long arms over or through receivers. Good against the run, pursues well and good tackler when he gets to the action.

Arizona played Stukes like the Rams use Quentin Lake, in the “STAR” nickel/safety hybrid role, often in the slot. Again , his versatility make him a moveable piece and upgrades his value. I like him more than most pundits and think Round 3 is an area where you can take some risks. If he tests well at the NFL Combine, and I expect him to, draftboards will reflect a player worthy of the backend of the Top 100.

Davison Igbinosun – Ohio State 6’ 2” 195 lb.

Igbinosun has excelled at the top of college football competition. He was named to a Freshman All-American team with Ole Miss in 2022 and after transferring to the Buckeyes, he didn’t miss a start in three years, 43 games straight. Lanky build with good arm length.

Plays in an agressive, physical style and is a vocal, fiery leader. Quite strong in run support, reacts and pursues quickly. Can fight off smaller blockers and dance around bigger ones without taking himself out of the play. Good wrap-up tackler when he gets to the action. Plays almost exclusively outside and is adept in both zone and man coverages. Generally sticky in coverage and uses those long arms to get between receiver’s arms/hands. Excellent speed and fluidly turns to mirror downfield.

What holds him back from being a Round 1 prospect are his grabby hands. Way too often, he can be seen holding and latching on when covering mid/deep go routes. He has improved incrementally on it, but still needs work, he won’t get away with it as a pro. The crazy thing is that he really doesn’t need to do it, He has excellent make-up speed, those long arms, and appears to track the ball well. He needs to trust his skills. On pure talent alone, I could likely make a case for Day 1, but because of his penalty problems and bad play habits, I rate him in Round 3. It becomes a matter of how quickly he can instill the needed discipline. Classic high ceiling prospect.

Round 4

Tacario Davis – Washington 6’ 4” 200 lb.

2025 was expected to be a huge season for Davis, he was considered a Top 10 cornerback prospect, but was only active in seven games due to bruised ribs and a lingering hamstring issue. Spent three seasons at Arizona, before joining his recruiting coaches when they moved to Washington. Despite his senior season injuries, for his four-year career, Davis logged 29 starts, 95 tackles, three interceptions, and 26 passes broken up.

To go along with his plus size and length, Davis is a fluid athlete. A natural long strider, not a burner or with freaky twitch. Best playing outside in zone and off man coverages, he can flip open hips to turn and go on deep routes. He generally gets his head around to find the ball and although a good hand fighter, is not as grabby as many college defensive backs. A former receiver, he understands the thinking behind routes, possesses good read/react skills and tracks the ball well. Willing and physical in run support, Davis is a good wrap up tackler and doesn’t shy away from mixing it up.

As of now, the Rams don’t have a Round 4 pick, but GM Snead is known for jumping up and down the draft board. Davis is a good fit for the Rams defense, very good in zone coverage, particularly Cover3 schemes, but he also has the versatility to be a moveable piece. His college defensive coach (3 of 4 seasons) cross-trained his players across all secondary roles and insisted they play physical. Davis has manytools and is highly competitive.

Round 6

Ephesians Prysock – Washington 6’ 4” 195 lb.

After two seasons (16 starts in 23 games) at Arizona, Prysock followed the Wildcat coaching staff to Washington where he started 26 straight games over his final two college seasons. Over that period, he booked solid production with 173 tackles, two interceptions, and 20 passes broken up

Aside from his stellar height and length, what jumps right off the page in Prysock’s game is his short area agility. While not having tremendous long speed or explosive burst, he shows strong change of direction, stop and go, and fluid hips. This gives him a leg up on most tall corners when defending short, quick cutting slants and crossing routes. Solid against both man and zone. I like the way he uses his big body to get in the path of receivers to throw them off their timing and how he physically presses and hand fights, pinching receivers towards the sideline. His tackle numbers support his willingness in run support, good wrap-up form.

Could be a real sleeper, he’s got tools and there appears a good ceiling to his game. Plays a little raw and loose, relying on his size and athletic traits rather than technique, but sticky man coverage abilities and that wingspan and agility in zone are a good place to start. Played on special team for all four seasons. In Round 6, Prysock has a high ceiling and wouldn’t have to be a star, simply a role/rotational player.

Round 7

Karon Prunty – Wake Forest 6’ 2” 192 lb.

Hit the ground running as a freshman at Kansas in 2020, breaking up 10 passes, allowing completions at a 38.5 percent clip, and did not allow a single touchdown. He was a Big12 honorable mention and named to a Freshman All-American team. Prunty transferred to South Carolina for his sophomore season, but left the team before the 2021 season started and ended up redshirting at North Carolina A&T. Over three seasons, he started in 33 straight games and won All-CAA accolades in each year. For his final college season, Prunty jumped to Wake Forest and was named by Pro Football Focus as the #12 best cover corner in the nation and #2 in the ACC.

Lean build with good length. For such a high-cut buils, he changes direction quite well. Same with his speed, good short area burst for long legs. Long speed appears above average. Prunty is very good in off man coverage. backpedals smoothly and keeps an eye on the quarterback as well as the receiver. His quick reaction and downhill break hints at being good in zone coverage as well. Mirrors receivers well and shows ball skills at the catch point. He’s not a thumper, but goes low for the legs and wraps up.

Sleeper alert. Although I may bump Prunty up a little, he’s a late-round development prospect. He’s worked in three different schemes, four if you want to count preseason camp at South Carolina. Good film and production at every level he’s played, SWAC, Big12, and ACC. He’ll need a pro strength/conditioning program, but has special teams work in his past and can run when he snags an interception.

Undrafted free agents

Marcus Allen – 6’ 2” 190 lb.

Allen is an experienced defender with action under four different defensive coordinators. He could have a deep knowledge of what makes a defense tick or be confused as hell. Came to college as a four-star prospect and has 39 starts under his belt, but never quite lived up to his potential. Charted 136 tackles, three interceptions, and broke up 25 passes.

Inconsistency had been a problem. Allen can look like a world beater for long stretches and then drop off. Primarily lined up on the perimeter, Allen is often sticky in coverage, but needs to be stronger at the catch point. Footwork and technique appear good, as does his speed and burst. Average in run support and as a tackler.

Can schematic stability help this prospect live up to his potential? He shows glimpses of his talent and potential, but is a developmental prospect. Can help out on special teams as a gunner and kick block situations.

Jarod Washington – South Carolina State 6’ 2” 188 lb.

Began his career at D2 Benedict College. In two seasons at South Carolina State, Washington had 75 tackles, four interceptions, and an extraordinary 33 passes broken up. In 2025, he was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Year. He was also First Team All-MEAC and a finalist for HBCU National Player of the Year.

Appears sticky in coverage and having the speed to turn and run with receivers at his competition level. One condensed game game film that I could find was against South Carolina and although it was a walkover, Washington played very well against SEC receivers. Played a lot of zone and breaks downfield to cover quickly and smoothly. Tackled well and broke up a couple of passes. He also played a good amount of special teams, kick block teams and punt coverage for sure.

Hard to find a lot of film on this prospect, but his talents will be on display at East-West Shrine Bowl workouts and game. He was very dominant at the FCS level, now he must show out vs much higher talent level.

Any of these prospects enough?

The Rams desperately need a top end corner and those usually are found in Round 1. While there are some interesting prospects here, none appear to fit the plug-and-play CB#1 role. That’s not to say these prospects don’t offer potential value, there are 3-4 of them that would fit snugly into the L.A defensive scheme and could add support to thin unit.

Secondary help is imperative and it will come down to free agency or the draft. Who are your favorite corner prospects? Or free agents, for that matter?