> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Analysis: Identifying Best Cornerback Fits for Seahawks’ 2026 Draft Picks - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/identifying-seattle-seahawks-best-cornerback-fits-2026-nfl-draft/ - Published: 2026-03-29T05:43:05.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T05:53:23.000Z - Author: Corbin Smith - Tags: Analysis, Seahawks, Chris Johnson, Brandon Cisse, Colton Hood, D'Angelo Ponds, Charles Demmings, Andre Fuller, Treydan Stukes, Ephesians Prysock, Tacario Davis, 2026 NFL Draft \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2531"\] ![ San Diego State Aztecs cornerback Chris Johnson (1) warms up before the game against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Snapdragon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/usatsi_24416464-format-original.jpg) San Diego State Aztecs cornerback Chris Johnson (1) warms up before the game against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Snapdragon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images \[/caption\] Undergoing significant changes in the secondary in the aftermath of a Super Bowl LX victory, the Seattle Seahawks lost two key members from their starting defensive backfield in free agency, including the departure of cornerback Riq Woolen for Philadelphia. While Seattle didn’t exit free agency empty handed by re-signing fellow starter Josh Jobe on a three-year, $24 million deal and adding former Dolphins first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene as an intriguing reclamation project, Woolen’s exit still leaves the team with limited depth at the position. With the exception of Devon Witherspoon, Jobe, and Igbinoghene, the Seahawks don’t have another cornerback on the roster with previous starting experience, including third-year defender Nehemiah Pritchett, who has only seen action sparingly as an injury replacement to this point. Fortunately for general manager John Schneider, even with only four draft picks scheduled for next month’s 2026 NFL Draft, the Seahawks should have ample options to restock the cupboard thanks to a deep, talented cornerback group in this year’s class. There could be as many as five corners selected in the first round, while the position features starter-caliber players who will be available on Day 2 and potentially even well into the final four rounds on Day 3. Looking at this year’s latest crop of cornerbacks, which players stand out as the best potential fits to succeed Woolen and help reinforce the Seahawks’ secondary for 2026 and beyond with each of their four selections? ### Round 1, Pick 32 - Chris Johnson, San Diego State Listed at 6-0, 195 pounds, Johnson isn’t the biggest cornerback in a deep draft class at the position and those parameters may knock him down a peg or two for some teams on their draft boards, but he plays the game well above his weight class and he’s a feisty run defender who rarely misses tackles. In four college seasons with the Aztecs, per Pro Football Focus charting, he totaled 117 solo tackles with only eight missed tackles charged to his name for a fantastic 5% missed tackle rate. Spry in coverage with quick feet and plenty of burst to run with speedy receivers in space and downfield, as he confirmed running a 4.40 40-yard dash in Indianapolis, he should be able to handle man or zone coverage duties on the boundary in a variety of schemes while being a plus asset defending the run. He had occasional issues at times in his freshman and sophomore seasons giving up explosive plays and some scouts will question his level of competition in a non-Power 4 conference. However, after flashing his polished all-around skill set at the Senior Bowl in Mobile and testing well at the combine, he would be a fantastic replacement for the departed Riq Woolen with Day 1 starter written all over him. **Also in Consideration**: Brandon Cisse, South Carolina; Colton Hood, Tennessee With only two interceptions in his college career, Cisse doesn’t have the flashy stats on his resume, but he’s an elite athlete who excelled as a cover corner with a 51% completion rate allowed and has the size and physicality to make his presence felt versus the run. The 6-0, 193-pound Hood bounced around with three schools in three years, turning in strong seasons with Colorado and Tennessee combining to register three interceptions and 10 pass breakups as a stellar press cover corner. ### Round 2, Pick 64 - D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana Though lacking in the size department at 5-9, 182 pounds with sub-30 inch arms, Ponds fights like a much bigger bodied corner across the board. As instinctive of a corner as can be found in this year’s class, he excels at reading the eyes of quarterbacks and undercutting routes to make plays on the football, particularly in zone drops, demonstrating the ability to turn picks into points with a pair of defensive touchdowns over the past two years. He will scrap at the catch point playing from the boundary or in the slot, including on downfield throws against larger receivers, leaning on his explosiveness and leaping ability to compensate for physical limitations. He’s also a feisty tackler who more than happily mixes it up flying downhill to take on running backs and blow up screens on the perimeter. His diminutive build may force him to play inside exclusively and casts questions about durability, but if he was a little bigger, he’d be a surefire first round candidate with his on-field skills. He screams plug and play in Mike Macdonald’s defense next to Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe and would be a great value midway through Day 2. **Also in Consideration**: Keith Abney, Arizona State; Keionte Scott, Miami; Treydan Stukes, Arizona Making tremendous strides in coverage as a junior, Abney plays a physical brand of football on the outside and improved instincts led to two interceptions and nine pass breakups last season, though his size could slide him inside to see action primarily in the slot. A beacon of versatility, Scott played everywhere from free safety to slot and even as an outside pass rusher, generating tremendous impact as a blitzer from the slot with tackling technique issues being a potential concern regardless of position. Two years removed from a torn ACL, Stukes’ hands seem to have magnets in them generating picks and breakups and couples an elite athletic skill set with positional flexibility that could put him anywhere from boundary corner to free safety in the league. ### Round 3, Pick 96 - Charles Demmings, Stephen F. Austin One of the brightest stars at the FCS level in the Lumberjacks’ secondary, Demmings became a dynamic force on the outside early in his college career, blanketing receivers to under a 45% completion rate as a sophomore, junior, and senior. While he didn’t have as much ball production in the early stages of his college career, he started to get his hands on more interceptions the past two years, including a career-best four picks in 2025, and flashed the coverage traits to not only lock down opponents, but consistently disrupt passing windows playing the ball. Run defense and tackling may be his biggest question marks, as he twice finished with a missed tackle rate above 20% and never recorded more than 19 total tackles in a season at SFA, so he will have much to prove in that regard while also adapting to faster, more polished receivers who could create some early issues for him making a massive jump to the league. However, his size (6-1, 199 pounds) coupled with elite athletic traits, including 4.41 40-yard dash speed and a 42-inch vertical leap, give him a chance to vie for defensive playing time soon while also intriguing as a gunner on punt coverage on special teams in Seattle. **Also in Consideration**: Julian Neal, Arkansas; Tacario Davis, Washington; Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State Turning into a viable NFL prospect with the Razorbacks after starting his career at Fresno State, Neal has elite size (6-2, 203) and consistently played the run well in college, but a zone-heavy scheme may be essential for him to play early with lots of room for growth technique-wise when manned up on faster wideouts. Arguably the best size/speed comp in this class to Woolen with durability questions clouding his overall upside, Davis has rare length at 6-4 that allows him to close passing windows with ease and tested better than expected at the combine. Racking up 18 penalties in the past two seasons, Igbinosun tends to get grabby at the top of routes to compensate for lack of elite change of direction and must clean up that part of his game to succeed in the NFL, but he rarely gave up big plays and yielded just one touchdown in that span with plus-ball production and strong tackling efforts. ### Round 6, Pick 188 - Andre Fuller, Toledo Offering above average size for the cornerback position and coming from a Rockets program that has earned a reputation for producing quality pro talent in recent years, Fuller measured in at 6-1, 200 pounds at the NFL combine, running a rock solid 4.49 40-yard dash. That long speed doesn’t always show up on his film, however, as he surrendered three receptions of at least 35 yards last season with receivers occasionally getting behind him and struggling to recover. But he compensates for that lack of elite burst with physicality at the line of scrimmage as a steady press defender, redirecting receivers off the line and controlling the rep early, allowing him to stay in the hip pocket and create with his length in passing lanes for breakups. He made significant improvements as a tackler during his senior season for the Rockets and continuing to grow in that regard will be key to succeeding at the next level. The Seahawks currently don’t have much size at corner after losing Woolen and Fuller would be a natural developmental fit on the boundary with a shot to see snaps early. **Also in Consideration**: Daylen Everette, Georgia; Ephesians Prysock, Washington; TJ Hall, Iowa Game speed doesn’t match Everette’s 4.38 40-yard dash time in man schemes and he only had one interception in college. However, he’s a sturdy tackler against the run and plays at his best when he’s allowed to set the tone as a press cover corner, making him worth a Day 3 flier in the right system as a potential future starter. Another ex-Husky with outstanding size and length, Prysock has been prone to giving up chunk plays and not always playing to his immense athletic gifts, but his traits alone still give him a high ceiling if properly developed with better instincts on the back end. Hall arrived late on the scene in Iowa with a breakout senior season and played sticky coverage to the tune of a 44% completion rate allowed against Big Ten competition, making him a sleeper to watch with a balanced all-around skill set and average athletic tools.