Projecting the Florida Gators 2020 Fall Camp CB Depth Chart
While Florida lost starting cornerback C.J. Henderson to the NFL Draft following his junior season, where he was selected ninth overall, the Gators have little need to worry when it comes to replacing his services at the position.
In Henderson's place throughout the 2019 season, freshman cornerback Kaiir Elam didn't miss a beat opposite of veteran Marco Wilson. The duo combined for six interceptions and as many defended passes throughout the 2019 season, with Elam coming up big and making clutch plays throughout and near the end of the Gators' 2019 Orange Bowl victory.
With those two set to start on the outside, how does the rest of Florida's cornerback lineup configure? You can also check out our depth chart projections for Florida's quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive and defensive linemen, and linebackers entering the 2020 season.
Boundary cornerback
1. Kaiir Elam: Ready to take on a full-time starting role, Elam is already receiving national hype as he has been named to the Thorpe Award watch list and several Preseason All-SEC teams. A physical cornerback with great length at 6-2, 187 lbs., Elam makes his presence known jamming in man coverage and contesting the ball at the catch-point, which led to his multiple turnovers and big plays a season ago.
2. Trey Dean III: Dean began his career at Florida at outside cornerback, starting nine games as a freshman and recording an interception and five pass breakups that year. He moved inside to STAR at the beginning last season, where he struggled before ultimately moving back outside. Expect Dean to rotate with Elam on the boundary, as he too is a physically imposing cornerback at 6-3, 194 lbs., along with receiving some reps at safety.
Field cornerback
1. Marco Wilson: Should there be a 2020 season and should Wilson perform well during it, he will be expected to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft as he's had a successful Gators career beyond a torn ACL as a sophomore. Starting every game as a freshman, Wilson recorded 10 pass breakups in 2017 and tallied three interceptions and 36 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, in his return to action as a redshirt sophomore.
2. Chester Kimbrough/Jaydon Hill: Two rising sophomores as they burned their redshirts last season, both Kimbrough and Hill saw over 100 defensive snaps during their freshmen seasons and flashed plenty of potential.
Kimbrough saw meaningful action in the Orange Bowl and led UF's qualifying cornerbacks (min. 10 targets) in completion percentage allowed in coverage at 41.7% throughout the 2019 season, per Pro Football Focus. Hill, on lesser snaps, tallied three pass breakups compared to Kimbrough's two, while accumulating 11 tackles and half of a tackle for loss.
Both should see their snaps increase at field cornerback moving, specifically if and when Wilson slides inside to STAR.
STAR nickel cornerback
1. Amari Burney: Other than Wilson, Burney is Florida's most proven option at STAR, although his injury history is cause for some concern. Burney missed two stretches of games last year and took the field in eight contests, playing about an even split of snaps at linebacker and STAR/box safety. He's an instinctual athlete with great size for the position at 6-2, 224 lbs., and produces when he's on the field, as seen by his 37 tackles, .5 tackles for loss, one interception, one fumble recovery, and one defended pass in 2019 across 284 defensive snaps.
2. Marco Wilson/Chester Kimbrough: Whether Burney suffers another injury or defensive coordinator Todd Grantham simply wants to keep guys fresh, look for both Wilson and Kimbrough to take snaps at STAR as well. Wilson replaced Dean down the stretch last year at the position and played well, recording 11 tackles, an interception, and a tackle for loss in the three games where he primarily played inside. Kimbrough has yet to take a snap inside, but his size fits the mold of a pass-down STAR with the twitch to cover shallow routes.
Depth and freshmen
C.J. McWilliams: Camp will give us a better idea where McWilliams is at in his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon suffered last preseason. Should he have made a full recovery and take the practice field, McWilliams will provide veteran experience and knowledge of the scheme for depth purposes. He could find the field, but the emergence of other players and incoming prospects has bumped him down the chart.
Jahari Rogers: A converted cornerback, Rogers is a candidate to redshirt his freshman season in order to soak up the scheme and continue to develop. However, Rogers is a gifted athlete and his quarterback experience could prove beneficial should it help his route reading and processing - perhaps enough to skip redshirting. He could probably play either cornerback position but projects as a field corner until he adds more weight.
Ethan Pouncey: Another redshirt candidate, although not because he isn't advanced enough at the position. Pouncey suffered an injury that ended his high school career and enrolled at 157 lbs., so he'll need to be fully recovered bulk up before taking the field. However, Pouncey was one of the fastest cornerbacks in the 2020 class with great instincts, length, and ball skills that should translate perfectly to field cornerback when the time comes.
Avery Helm: Helm, too, possesses great arm length to pair with his 6-1, 170 lb. frame and a skill-set that should lead to a role at boundary cornerback once he develops in the strength and conditioning program. Across three varsity seasons and 26 games, Helm tallied seven interceptions and 17 defended passes in high school.
Tre'Vez Johnson: Johnson played outside cornerback in high school but projects as a STAR in Florida's scheme, and is a candidate to play as a freshman on early downs given his physical, heat-seeking missile style of play. The 6-0, 186 lb. cornerback is a dominant tackler and beyond a defensive role, he's a candidate to play special teams coverage right off the bat.
Kamar Wilcoxson: In the process of reclassifying and enrolling this month, Wilcoxson is transitioning to full-time cornerback after primarily playing safety in high school. Although he's only 17, Wilcoxson has the instincts and coverage ability to play early in his career, along with a good frame at 6-1, 183 lbs. with great arm length and a knack for making plays on the ball.
