Jaylon Jones and Samuel Womack overachieved last season, but both could be in jeopardy of losing their job in 2025. Anarumo has his type at corner and neither player particularly fits the preferred mold. This isn’t to say either player could be cut– Jones is certainly more likely to start than to be cut– but we could see the Colts be very active in the cornerback market this offseason.
Here are five cornerbacks to watch at the combine this year that fit the Anarumo mold of player.
Azareye’h Thomas, Florida State
Azareye’h Thomas is one of the more interesting prospects in this draft. He was essentially built in a lab to play cornerback, with an insanely long wingspan, great size, and fantastic speed to boot. The only problem is the fact that he was never tested in college. Opposing offenses threw away from him so often that we really didn’t get to see his ball skills or his body control on display enough to be confident in them.
The only facts we have about him are his size, his youth (will be 20 years old on draft night), and his athleticism. Thomas should have a great combine and could even push himself up into round one talks with a dominant showing. His ability in press man along with his ability to turn and run in phase should catch Anarumo’s eye this week as well.
Darien Porter, Iowa State
Darien Porter is a player I’m willing to risk it all for in this draft. He doesn’t come without his warts– he only really started one year on defense and will be 25 years old as a rookie– but there is so much to like in his game. At the very least, he should be able to be a top tier special teams player for a long time for a team.
A former wide receiver that moved to defensive back, Porter has elite size and speed at the position. He should run in the 4.3’s as a 6’2″ cornerback, and he had enough flashes on film to warrant a top 100 selection with that profile. On top of that, Porter also blocked multiple kicks in college, showcasing his special teams prowess to potential teams trying to find a day one role for him.
Dorian Strong, Virginia Tech
The Colts are shifting to more of a press-man dependent scheme in 2025, so obviously it makes all the sense in the world to target a Virginia Tech cornerback. They might not be churning out pros every single season like they used to under Bud Foster, but the Hokies always know how to get their outside corners ready for the next level.
Dorian Strong is a bit skinny but has excellent length and ball skills to play in Anarumo’s system. He is also disruptive at the line of scrimmage and knows how to use his size to his advantage when in one-on-one situations. This week will be massive for him and could make or break whether he sneaks into day two, but Strong has some really strong flashes of play on film.
BJ Adams, UCF
Speaking of size and length, BJ Adams may be the biggest cornerback in this draft. Coming in at 6’3″ 190 pounds, Adams is a physical press cornerback that knows how to disrupt at the line of scrimmage. He may not be the fastest player down the field, but he has good short area quickness and understands how to attack the ball underneath.
As long as Adams doesn’t run a massive outlier number in the forty yard dash this week, I love his fit for the team on day three of the draft. He can certainly play on Sundays, he just needs a little bit more refinement and development. With the star-studded defensive back coaching staff the Colts have at their disposal, Adams could become a contributor in Indy.
Zy Alexander, LSU
Zy Alexander is another corner in this class that just pops on film. He has good length and size, and his speed should be up plenty good enough to be in consideration for the Colts on draft day. Alexander also transferred up to the SEC from the FCS level and performed fairly well, notching four interceptions in two seasons with the Tigers.
An SEC pedigree to go along with good size is always worth betting on in the NFL draft. Alexander is a competitive player that is worth developing in this class, especially for a team like the Colts. As long as he brings the physicality that he displayed on film to the NFL, the Colts should be interested in this young cornerback.