Scouting Combine Cornerbacks: Diggs, Fulton, Henderson Dominate SEC

Part 2 of our four-part look at the 35 cornerbacks includes many of the top prospects, including SEC stars Trevon Diggs, Kristian Fulton and Florida’s C.J. Henderson.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Feb 24, 2020 10:50 PM EST

Part 2 of our four-part look at the 35 cornerbacks includes many of the top prospects, including SEC stars Trevon Diggs, Kristian Fulton and Florida’s C.J. Henderson. (Underclassmen are marked with an asterisk.)

Trevon Diggs, Alabama (6-2, 207): Diggs started his career at receiver before making the move to defense. As a senior, he intercepted three passes and had eight additional breakups to earn some All-American honors. He ranked among the SEC leaders in passes defensed as a junior before a season-ending foot injury. On special teams, he had career averages of 23.8 yards per kickoff return and 9.2 yards per punt return.

Diggs played on both sides of the ball as a freshman before settling in at corner for his final three seasons. His brother is Vikings star receiver Stefon Diggs. How have those family battles gone? “I beat his ass. What do you mean?” Diggs told AL.com. “No, I’m just kidding. We do one-on-ones and work on his feet and just work on his breaks because, you know, you kind of have to stay sharp. He takes pride in his work and he’s been working really hard as of late, ever since he got hurt too. So, I look forward to him having a good year.” His father died of congestive heart failure 12 years ago at age 39. “My dad was a good father to me,” Diggs told 247Sports.com. “He always took me to football practice. Always made me do my homework at home, always made me do chores around the house. I couldn’t go outside unless my room was clean and stuff like that. The little bit of time that I did have with him, I enjoyed it, and I feel like it left just the right amount of impact with me to be able to carry that over and take it to my son.” His son, Aaiden, was born on Nov. 1, 2016.

Kristian Fulton, LSU (6-0, 200): Fulton intercepted one pass and broke up six others as a sophomore before a big-time final season of one interception and 14 additional breakups for a total of 15 passes defensed as a junior. He was second-team all-SEC in 2019.

In 2017, Fulton tampered with a drug test and was suspended by the NCAA for two years – one year for failing a drug test and a second year for cheating on the test. After sitting out 2017, Fulton appealed and was allowed to play in 2018. “He got a suspension,” Alleva said via SI. “Never missed any classes. Really good GPA. Never missed weight lifting. A lot of kids would have packed it in. The kid was so engaged. That's part of the reason I fought so hard for him.” Fulton wasn’t LSU’s biggest-name cornerback – that would be All-American Derek Stingley Jr. – but he became its best cornerback. As defensive coordinator Dave Aranda told The Athletic: “When you get to a certain point, everybody’s good. Everybody’s smart. Everybody has a quality. So at that point, it becomes: What’s inside? What’s the drive? What’s the work ethic? What’s the confidence when you do get hit? Do you get back up?” In high school, he worked with Deion Sanders. "It was great to get that one-on-one time,” Fulton told Nola.com. “Obviously, he sees something special in me. He was coaching me up the whole game. He was just giving me pointers so I could play better.” At Archbishop Rummel High School in New Orleans, he had 11 interceptions as a junior and was all-state in track in the 300-meter hurdles.

Jeff Gladney, TCU (6-0, 183): In four seasons, Gladney intercepted five passes, had 43 total passes defensed and had six tackles for losses. His 37 breakups ranked sixth among active players. He had two interceptions as a sophomore and junior. As a senior, he had one interception and broke up and additional 15 passes to earn some All-American honors with his 14th-ranked 15 passes defensed.

Gladney offered sound advice to the team’s younger corners. “You’ve got to have amnesia,” Gladney told the Star-Telegram. “You can’t worry about the last play at all. That’s going to be in your head the whole time.” He also led by example and his toughness. “I was in pain, but I’m trying to be a leader,” Gladney told the Star-Telegram of playing through a foot injury. “I’ve only got one more year left. I know we’ve got a lot of young guys, so I’ve got to step up and lead them. I feel like just playing showed them like, ‘Hey, you’ve got to push through anything.’” He was a nominee for the Senior CLASS Award due to his play on the field, academics and work in the community.

A.J. Green, Oklahoma State (6-1, 190): Green burst onto the scene with four interceptions in 2017. He had one each of the last two seasons, with a career-high 13 passes defensed in 2018. He had the one pick and six total passes defensed in 2019, when he was second-team all-Big 12. His signature game was helping limit Oklahoma All-American CeeDee Lamb to only four catches for 36 yards. “He allows me to do a lot of things with the other 10 (defenders) because I know I can count on him,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles told the Oklahoman. “So in that way, maybe he hasn't received the glamour. But he's a pro prospect and he's going to continue to get his chance.” On the other hand, giving up the winning touchdown to Baylor’s Denzel Mims in 2018 was a negative play that motivated him for his senior year. “It pushed me a lot,” he told the Oklahoman. “I keep that play in the back of my head. Especially with them coming to town, I’m not gonna let that play slip my head. I’m gonna stay focused and composed, and go out and compete.”

He’d like to go skydiving, he told the Oklahoman. “Especially the start of the game and during the game, you have your adrenaline pumping, and the crowd is roaring. I think that’s the same energy I would feel if I was to skydive.” Four cousins play high-level sports: Alex Harding plays for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, Marcus Harden plays for Georgia’s football team, David Harden plays for the Memphis football team and Briana Holman plays for Nebraska’s volleyball team.

Javelin K. Guidry, Utah* (5-9, 193): Guidry was a two-time honorable mention on the all-Pac-12 team. As a junior, he had 48 tackles, one interception and seven total passes defensed. As a sophomore, he had 41 tackles, one interception and 10 total passes defensed.

Guidry will be in contention to be the fastest player in the draft. “His linear speed is elite; Olympic-like,” Utah cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah told the Salt Lake Tribune. “He wants to compete. He never gets tired of getting faster.” He finished sixth in the 60 meters at the USA Track and Field Indoor Championships last February. In high school, he was the 100-meter champ in Texas as well as California; he posted the fastest 100-meter time in California history. “I just love to compete,” he told Deseret.com. “Football uses man-to-man, just you and him. In track it’s just you and the finish line, and you’ve got to train and trust your training and trust what you can do and do your best out there. I’m just using what God gave me, and it’s great. It’s fun trying to use my speed to the best of my ability.” His father, also named Javelin, played football at UCLA, and his younger brother started nine games at defensive back in 2019 as a redshirt freshman. That left the elder Javelin overflowing with pride.

Bryce Hall, Virginia (6-1, 200): Hall had five interceptions and 38 additional breakups for a total of 43 passes defensed in four seasons. That total of 38 breakups ranked fifth among active players. As a junior, he had a massive season with two interceptions and 22 additional breakups. His 24 total passes defensed led the nation as he earned second-team All-American. He had no interceptions and four breakups in six games as a senior before a broken leg and dislocated ankle ended his season.

Hall chose to see the upside. “I’ve had opportunities where I feel like I’ve grown in areas that would not have been possible had I not gone through this injury,” Hall told the Daily Press. “The word I’ve been (coming back to) in this process is perception. What is your perception of what’s happening? Are you going to get bitter or are you going to see the lessons that are in this and knowing that everything happens for a reason and that God works all things out for our good?” Hall said there were no “Why me?” moments, and serving as a coach has helped him see the game differently. "I feel I'm around to encourage and speak life into the group,” he told the school Web site. “And then for me, I'm just taking this opportunity to learn a lot more football, [paying close attention in] those meetings when the coaches are breaking things down and game-planning and things like that. I'm able to take all that in as well. That's been an interesting perspective to have.” Hall was a prolific receiver in high school and there was internal debate at Virginia about his best position. He was a lightly recruited two-star prospect. “I think things that my dad instilled in me growing up, just kind of realizing early in life that things aren't going to be handed to you, so you have to work for what you want to accomplish,” Hall told 247Sports.com.

Harrison Hand, Temple* (6-0, 192): Hand spent his first two seasons at Baylor before the New Jersey native transferred to Temple for his final season. He had career highs of three interceptions and four tackles for losses in 2019; he added five additional breakups. Hand had four interceptions in three seasons.

Tackling is a strength, dating to his time at Baylor under position coach Fran Brown – who joined Hand at Temple in 2019. “Coach Brown has been a major help to me,” Hand told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “After practice at Baylor, he would get a linebacker and we would be 10 yards apart and work on tackling.” Having received a hardship waiver, Hand was eligible to play right away. Rejoining Brown, and moving closer to home, made Temple a natural fit. “I look up to [Brown] in so many ways,” Hand told Temple News. “When we talk, it’s not always just about football. We could be on the phone talking about life and money decisions and business decisions. It’s great to have him in my corner.” Among his cousins are Turk McBride, who played 66 games as an NFL defensive lineman.

C.J. Henderson, Florida* (6-1, 202): Henderson intercepted a career-high four passes as a freshman, had career highs of three sacks and five tackles for losses as a sophomore and a career-high 11 passes defensed (zero interceptions) as a junior. He was first-team all-SEC and earned some All-American honors in 2019. His three-year totals were six interceptions and 14 additional breakups.

Henderson doesn’t say much but his play speaks volumes. “The thing about CJ is he gives relentless effort all the time,” defensive coordinator Todd Grantham told the Miami Herald. “He’s a really good player. He’s a guy that takes a lot of pride in his work, and he practices like that, honestly. That’s why he made that play and gave us a chance to bring him down.” He had pick-sixes in back-to-back games as a freshman. “He’s not your flashy, arrogant type of guy,” his high school coach told Jacksonville.com. “Even when you saw those two pick-6s, there wasn’t a whole lot of celebration. He stopped, gave the ball to the referee and went back to the sideline. That’s just the way he is.” At Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Henderson was a star running back who gave cornerback a shot as a senior. He received scholarship offers to play running back but chose defense and the Gators. “I thought about down the line, looked at the league, different prototypes of cornerbacks in the league, and I looked at running backs,” he told the Orlando Sentinel. “I was a better fit at corner, so I just stuck with it.” His younger brother, Xzavier, signed to play receiver with the Gators in January.

Lavert Hill, Michigan (5-11, 182): Hill started 38 games over four seasons. He set career highs for interceptions (three), breakups (nine) and total passes defensed (12) as a senior to earn first-team all-Big Ten.

Hill treated his defensive line to dinner a few times. “Them my favorite guys, the D-line, so they make my job easier,” Hill told the Detroit News. “I feed them a couple times here and there when they do good, so seeing them going out there working hard makes me play better, too. They help me out, so they don’t eat, I don’t eat.” Brother Delano Hill is a safety for the Seahawks. Big brother was a quiet mentor. “I just let him go,” Delano told Michigan Daily. “He’s going to learn. I’m going to help him, but he’s going to learn. I ain’t ever going to hold his hand. I can teach him what he gets wrong, but he’s going to have to play for himself.”