2017 NFL Draft Kansas City Chiefs Scouting Report: Cordrea Tankersley
By Ben Almquist
The Kansas City Chiefs may be searching for another cornerback for the secondary. Cordrea Tankersley of Clemson is an underrated first round talent.
If the Kansas City Chiefs are looking for cornerback talent in the draft, this is a great year to do it. The 2017 draft class is absolutely stacked with potential at the cornerback position. NFL Network’s Mike Mayock stated at the Combine: “I had some coaches tell me the other night that ‘we’re going to get a guy in the fifth round that would typically go in the second or third round.'” Cordrea Tankersley of Clemson is one of the best of that group.
On the surface, it’s hard to imagine the Chiefs needing much help at cornerback. Marcus Peters is a superstar just two years into his career. Steven Nelson holds up well in the slot. Terrance Mitchell was a great find late in the season last year, and there is depth with DJ White and others. However, there are also a number of questions with this group.
Terrance Mitchell was indeed a quality find, but we’ve seen this before with Marcus Cooper. Teams will catch up to him, and we don’t know how he will respond. On top of that, Mitchell has just one year left on his contract before Free Agency. DJ White is young and has potential, but that may not be realized. Phillip Gaines is becoming a disappointment. So there is room for an addition.
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Also, in today’s NFL, you need as many starting caliber cornerbacks as you can get. With teams adopting more of the passing game into their offensive approach, corners have never been in such demand. It’s expensive to get them in Free Agency, so the Chiefs need to be proactive in the draft.
Clemson CB Cordrea Tankersley will be represented by CAA's @ToryDandy. I like Tank more than his teammate Alexander last year.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) January 18, 2017
Cordrea Tankersley – CB – Clemson
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A lot of scouts loved cornerback Mackensie Alexander of Clemson last year. However, even when scouting Alexander, it was hard not to notice Cordrea Tankersley. “Tank” came into the 2016 season with something to prove for the Tigers defense, and he did it. Tankersley was a favorite of Pro Football Focus, allowing just a 41.2 passer rating in his two starting seasons.
Cordrea Tankersley brings excellent athleticism to the field, especially for being a taller corner. He plays very well in press man coverage and shows the physicality to knock receivers off of their routes. Tankersley has solid ball skills that allow him to break up the pass or pick it off. He plays very strong against the run and is able to hold his ground on the outside.
The tape on Cordrea Tankersley shows that he can get overaggressive at times. That results in a loss of discipline in technique, and can lead to him getting in trouble with his hands. Receivers with a lot of speed can also bait Tankersley into jumping on a feint to open up the deep ball. Virtually all of his problems arise from being too aggressive at times.
There was a question about Cordrea Tankersley’s speed coming into the Combine. However, the star cornerback ran in the 4.4s on both of his attempts, which will alleviate that concern. Knowing that he does have that speed will propel him up a few draft boards.
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If the Kansas City Chiefs are looking to boost their secondary, they can do much worse than a prospect like Cordrea Tankersley. Tankersley looks very similar in his build and play to Xavier Rhodes and Trumaine Johnson. Not bad names to be comparable to for a defensive back.