2017 NFL Combine: 10 Players to Watch

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Jan 9, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; Clemson Tigers cornerback Cordrea Tankersley (25) talks with undergraduate coach Keith Jennings against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Cordrea Tankersley

Cornerback, Clemson Tigers

While the cornerback class this year is deep, it may not be as top-heavy as it has been in recent years. Though there seem to be guys that will go in the first round like Alabama’s Marlon Humphrey, Ohio State’s Marshon Lattimore, and Washington’s Sidney Jones, the bulk of the cornerback class would classify as day two guys.

NFL teams really want to kinds of cornerbacks these days: Bruisers that can wreak havoc in press man coverage or speed guys on the outside that can swat balls away from elite receivers on an island. One guy that may need a great weekend at the scouting combine to create separation for himself is Clemson’s Cordrea Tankersley.

Tankersley is in that group of second-tier cornerbacks, guys that can start in the NFL, but may not become Pro Bowl-level talents. What he does have going for him that the other players at his position group don’t is that he played for an won a national title at Clemson.

For that reason alone, it will bring a bigger level of focus on Tankersley that it would in most combines. If Tankersley wants to seriously be a potential first-round pick, he will have to have a great showing at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine.

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