Indiana CB D'Angelo Ponds presents a sizeable NFL draft challenge

Cornerback D'Angelo Ponds was one of the key performers in leading the Indiana Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff championship and winning the title. His ability to shut down the top receivers in Indiana's win over Miami jumped off the game tape. Now, Ponds is dipping his toes into the NFL Draft.

Despite his outstanding playoff performance, and a very strong 2025 season as the Hoosiers' top cornerback, Ponds is far from a sure thing as an NFL prospect. His dimunitive size complicates the projection for Ponds to the next level.

Undersized CBs can thrive

Undersized corners can succeed in the NFL. New England's Marcus Jones, Mike Sainristil of Washington and Amik Robertson of the Detroit Lions are each examples of cornerbacks under 5-foot-9 who have turned into solid NFL defensive players. But even the 5-foot-8, 188-pound Jones, 5-foot-10, 182-pound Sainristil and 5-foot-9, 183-pound Robertson have size advantages on Ponds.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic notes that Ponds has officially verified measurements of 5-foot-8, 174 pounds and with arm length--an important attribute for CBs--under 30 inches. That leaves Ponds on the light side as well as being short for the position.

It might not seem like a big deal, but those extra 10-15 pounds are huge for succeeding at the next level. Take Emmanuel Forbes, a former first-round pick of the Washington Commanders. Forbes measured in at 6 feet tall but just 173 pounds. His stringy build hasn't resulted in serious injury, but Forbes has struggled to handle the increased size and physicality of the NFL game, enough that Washington cut bait in the middle of his second season. He's landed on his feet nicely with the Rams, and that offers some hope for Ponds at his flyweight size.

Ponds' ability in coverage belies his size. He allowed less than 50 percent of targeted passes to get caught, and did not surrender a single TD in Indiana's magical 2025 season. He's also proven to be a capable run defender and tackler in space. Much like Robertson and Sainristil have done in the NFL, Ponds uses his natural leverage advantage well when tackling. Ponds possesses the strong fight/size of dog ratio that allows those undersized CBs to succeed, too.

Can he move inside?

A bigger issue might be that Ponds has almost exclusively played on the outside in his two years at Indiana and one season with Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti at James Madison beforehand. At his size, or lack thereof, it's a very difficult projection to envision Ponds matching up on the outside with bigger NFL receivers like Puka Nacua, Nico Collins or even an average-sized wideout like 6-0, 202-pound Ja'Marr Chase of the Bengals. Ponds is surrendering nearly 30 pounds and several inches of catch radius there. Many NFL teams are going to view him as a slot-only option, and there is scant game tape of Ponds playing inside against the typically shiftier, quickness-based slot receivers.

Ponds possesses the instincts, quick reactions and supreme short-memory confidence that characterize the most successful NFL cornerbacks. It's the size that will be the big holdup. Whether that lands Ponds in Day 2 like Sainristil (No. 50 overall in 2024) or Day 3 like Robertson (No. 139 overall in 2020) remains to be seen. His college tape is the kind that could convince the NFL to jump a little higher than expected on the extreme size outlier.

Draft outlook

Skill-wise, Ponds has an argument as one of the top cornerbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Playing his best in big games only augments that argument. The size concerns likely water Ponds' draft stock into the mid-second round through the end of Day 2, depending on athletic testing and team/scheme fits.