Cornerback position safe but talent available

Editor’s note: Ninth in a series of NFL draft previews as it relates to the Broncos. Previously: Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive line, defensive line, edge rushers and inside linebackers. Today: cornerbacks.

Broncos’ in-house offseason moves: Tendered CB Ja’Quan McMillian

Under contract: Pat Surtain II (five years), Damarri Mathis (one year), Riley Moss (two years), Kris Abrams-Draine (three years), Ja’Quan McMillian (one year), Quinton Newsome (one year), Reese Taylor (one year)

Need scale (1-10): 4. Surtain is as firmly entrenched in Denver as most any athlete in the city (including Nikola Jokic). The reigning Defensive Player of the Year is on a bargain of a five-year deal that’ll pay him just $8.4 million in 2025. One CB spot, then, is sewn up, and Denver hasn’t been especially active in meeting with cornerbacks in the 2025 class. If there’s a weak point at any spot of a loaded 2025 Broncos defense, though, it’s opposite Surtain. Moss was up and down in 2024 amid a heavy dose of targets. Abrams-Draine could push him for reps this fall, but Denver could also bring in another young name for competition.

Top five

Travis Hunter, Colorado: Hello again. Hunter was the top name in our WR draft preview last week, and he’s the top name here, too, as one of the more unique prospects the league has seen in decades. Will he play both ways in the NFL? Champ Bailey hopes so. If he is forced toward a majority of snaps at one spot in the NFL, though, it’ll likely be at corner.

Will Johnson, Michigan: Johnson’s stock has slipped some since 2023, after he missed half the season with turf toe. This shouldn’t fool anyone. He still nabbed two pick-sixes in seven games in 2024 and was dominant in Michigan’s run to a national championship the previous season, allowing just 17 catches in 37 targets (per Pro Football Focus). He is dealing with an injured hamstring, though.

Jahdae Barron, Texas: Save for Hunter, Barron put up arguably the best year of any corner in college football in 2024, picking off five passes. He profiles as a bigger nickel in the NFL, and is versatile as a tackler, racking up 12 TFLs in 2022.

Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky: They call him “Mad Max” for a reason. Hairston blazed a ridiculous 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and has legit outside-corner athleticism. After a standout 2023, he missed half the 2024 season with injury, though, and sports a lighter frame that could be tested in the NFL.

Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame: Just a solid prospect. Morrison picked off six passes in his freshman season at Notre Dame, and his production in college was elite. He held receivers to a sub-50% catch rate in each of his three years with the Fighting Irish, according to Pro Football Focus. Like a slew of top-end corners in this class, though, he does come with injury concerns after a hip injury wiped out much of his 2024.

Other Broncos options

Shavon Revel Jr., East Carolina: If the Broncos are looking for an eventual starter to develop opposite Surtain, Revel could be their man. His physical tools stand with the best in this 2025 class, a bulky 6-foot-2 with a great wingspan. He’s coming off a torn ACL, so — again — there’s injury risk, but a slip deeper into Day 2 would mean great value.

Darien Porter, Iowa State: If Porter slips from a current early-round projection, a team would be wise to pounce. He’s a converted receiver who’s started just seven games of college football at cornerback, and would be a developmental prospect, but the athleticism is special: a 4.30 40, a near-11-foot broad jump, a 6-foot-3 frame. He’s also an experienced special-teamer.

Upton Stout, Western Kentucky: Here’s a potential mid-round option if the Broncos want to bring in a name to compete with McMillian at slot corner. CBS draft analyst Charles Davis compared Stout to McMillian in a conversation with The Post. The Western Kentucky product is undersized at 5-foot-8, but a stout tackler and playmaker in the run game.