| Score | Overall |
| 90.5 | 17 |
| Position | Day |
| 1 | 1 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 90.5 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| Height: | 6' | Weight: | 195 lbs |
| Hands: | 9.25 | Arms: | 31 |
| 40 YD Dash: | 4.33 | 10 YD Split: | 1.51 |
| Vertical: | 38 | Broad: | 120 |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Height: | 6' | Hands: | 9.25 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.33 |
| Weight: | 195 lbs | Arms: | 31 | 10 YD Split: | 1.51 |
| Broad: | 120 | Cone: | -- | ||
| Vertical: | 38 | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 6' | Hands: | 9.25 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.33 | Broad: | 120 | Cone: | -- |
| Weight: | 195 lbs | Arms: | 31 | 10 YD Split: | 1.51 | Vertical: | 38 | Shuttle: | -- |
1st Team All-MAC (2022, 2023)
2nd Team All-American (2022, 2023)
Led the country in passes defended in 2022, second in 2023
Bednarik Award Semifinalist (2023)
Ran a 4.33s 40-yard dash at the combine (3rd fastest among all players)
Excellent size and athleticism combo. Mitchell has the prototypical cornerback size and premiere athleticism for the position.
Athletic traits and football IQ to play man or zone. In zone coverage, Mitchell quickly diagnoses route combos and has the short-area burst and change of direction skills to disrupt anything going on in front of him. He racked up a ton of ball production playing off-zone. In man, he has the mirroring ability and speed to chase to lock down #1 WRs. His hips are oily and fluid, and he can turn and run with just about anyone.
Fantastic ball skills. Mitchell is absurd when the ball is in the air. His instincts and ability to locate are outstanding. He finds a deeper gear to make plays on the ball and is excellent at adjusting his body in the air.
Play strength and physicality through the roof. Mitchell plays with nastiness and has that typical elite CB swagger. He is excellent at delivering a punch in press and excels at being physical at the top of the route stem. He does a good job using his feet to take away space and redirect routes without drawing attention to himself. At the catch point, he is highly physical and will play through the WR’s hands.
Trustworthy in run support. Mitchell is as good a tackler as they come in run support with good aggression and wrap technique. He is instinctive and will slip blocks from WRs and TEs. Has blown up a fair share of screens as well.
Can get worked by a QB with eye deception. In zone coverage, Mitchell loves watching the QB’s eyes and keying when to jump routes underneath. QBs can easily manipulate him with their eyes and cause coverage lapses.
Occasionally trusts his athleticism a bit too much. Mitchell will sometimes be late reacting to route combos going on in front of him. We have enough excellent tape of Mitchell quickly diagnosing what is happening in front of him, so I don’t think these lapses are processing issues. He tries to bait QBs and sometimes gets caught doing so.
Mitchell is a highly productive, scheme-agnostic stud. His combination of athletic traits and instincts makes him the most coverage-sound corner in this class. NFL teams will highly covet his ability to generate ball production while never drawing flags (0 penalties in 2023). He is firmly my CB1 and is a top-20 player in the class for me.
| Score | Overall |
| 89.6 | 20 |
| Position | Day |
| 2 | 1 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 89.6 | 2 | 1 | 20 |
| Height: | 5' 11 1/2" | Weight: | 199 lbs |
| Hands: | 8.5 | Arms: | 32 |
| 40 YD Dash: | -- | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Vertical: | -- | Broad: | -- |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Height: | 5' 11 1/2" | Hands: | 8.5 | 40 YD Dash: | -- |
| Weight: | 199 lbs | Arms: | 32 | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- | ||
| Vertical: | -- | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 5' 11 1/2" | Hands: | 8.5 | 40 YD Dash: | -- | Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Weight: | 199 lbs | Arms: | 32 | 10 YD Split: | -- | Vertical: | -- | Shuttle: | -- |
1st Team All-American (2023)
1st Team All-SEC (2022, 2023)
Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist (2023)
2nd Team All-American (2022)
Freshman All-SEC Team (2021)
Former 5-star recruit
Physical traits are awesome. McKinstry has a dense, muscular build. He is technically a smidge under 6’0" but has some of the longest arms in the class. He has clocked over 22 MPH on the GPS, which makes him one of the faster CBs in the class (though it is worth noting that playing through injury in 2023 showed a noticeable dip in recovery speed). He put up an eye-popping 1.44 10-yard split at his pro-day, which would be tied for the 2nd fastest in NFL history. Despite that, elite change-of-direction skills highlight his athletic profile more than his long speed.
Technician with high football IQ. McKinstry is a smooth operator. He plays with tremendous balance and oily hips that allow him to turn and run with anyone. He is sticky in man coverage. His footwork is patient and precise — he almost never wastes a movement. He is at his best in man coverage but his elite change of direction skills and football IQ also lend to effectiveness in zone.
Tremendous ball skills. For my money, he has the best ball skills in the class. He has a knack for finding the football and does an excellent job of playing through the receiver's hands at the catch point to separate the WR from the ball. He maximizes his arm length and movement skills to get production on the ball. "Forced Incompletion" should be his nickname, though admittedly, “Kool-Aid” is much cooler.
Big-time experience. McKinstry is the most experienced CB in the class, having played over 2000 career snaps and dropping into coverage on nearly 1300. Per PFF, he has the lowest career yards allowed per coverage snap in the entire draft class, and considering he maintained that on the highest volume, that is very impressive. Despite three seasons as a starter, you would be hard-pressed to find a busted coverage for which he was responsible.
Special teams experience. McKinstry is another Alabama stud who also plays special teams. He has been an effective gunner and has experience returning kicks.
Not an enthusiastic run defender. I wouldn’t say he is a liability defending the run by any means, but he doesn’t prioritize it. He is a sure tackler but clearly likes to hang back and is too patient sifting through traffic to come up and defend his gap.
Can get grabby at the top of the route stem. This is a weird thing to complain about when the guy was called for zero penalties in 2023, but there is potentially some trouble there at the next level.
Kool-Aid is one of my favorite players in the class. You will not find a more battle-tested cornerback prospect than McKinstry, who has gone through the absolute gauntlet of WRs in his 1250+ coverage snaps. He has exceptional burst and short-area quickness to go with a high football IQ. He is great in man but is comfortable playing off-zone coverage as well. His ball skills and ball production were both elite. He does have some deficiencies in his game, but ultimately, he is one of the cleaner projections at CB in the class. He scores as a firm first-round player and is my CB2 in the class.
| Score | Overall |
| 89.4 | 21 |
| Position | Day |
| 3 | 1 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 89.4 | 3 | 1 | 21 |
| Height: | 6' | Weight: | 189 lbs |
| Hands: | 8.88 | Arms: | 31.63 |
| 40 YD Dash: | 4.5 | 10 YD Split: | 1.54 |
| Vertical: | 37 | Broad: | -- |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Height: | 6' | Hands: | 8.88 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.5 |
| Weight: | 189 lbs | Arms: | 31.63 | 10 YD Split: | 1.54 |
| Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- | ||
| Vertical: | 37 | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 6' | Hands: | 8.88 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.5 | Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Weight: | 189 lbs | Arms: | 31.63 | 10 YD Split: | 1.54 | Vertical: | 37 | Shuttle: | -- |
1st Team All-American (2023)
1st Team All-SEC (2023)
Freshman All-American (2022)
Freshman All-SEC Team (2022)
Former 4-star recruit
Great athlete with hip fluidity. Like his teammate Kool-Aid McKinstry, Arnold has excellent short-area quickness and change-of-direction skills. His first step is super explosive. He can effortlessly throttle down and stop on a dime. He has all the makings to be super sticky in any kind of man/match coverage. The only thing really missing is his elite long speed.
Coverage ability and instincts. Starting with his ability in press, he can come up and put tenacious pressure on opposing WRs to get off the line. He has fluid hips and agility to flip and run with ease. He is sticky in man coverage and can plaster himself to his man through the whole route. In zone, he has the explosive ability and reaction timing to play off and make plays on routes working underneath him.
Excellent ball skills. Arnold is right in the mix for best ball skills in the class. He had a high rate of forced incompletions and led the SEC in passes defended and INTs this year.
Willing to throw hands as a run defender. Arnold has a brawler’s mentality. He will take on blockers and work to shed or drive them off their spot. He will come up and lay the wood as well.
Plays with enormous cushion far too often. I am not sure why, but Arnold has a really bad tendency to over-adjust his cushion to the point where he gave up way too many yards and first downs underneath.
Certain release types give him fits. Burst, widestep, and crossover release types where the WR threatens leverage and then breaks back the other way give Arnold a good bit of trouble. His lack of elite recovery speed could be problematic if he doesn’t clean this up.
Needs to be more physical at the catch point. For as physical as Arnold is in press or defending the run, you would think he would have no problem being a demon in the air. That just wasn’t the case, but definitely something that is easily fixable. His ball production numbers could be even better with a more aggressive mentality on contested catches.
Needs better eye discipline in zone coverage. Arnold doesn’t ID route combos as quickly as you would like, and he seems to lose sight of what is going on around him. He reminds me of Christian Gonzalez from last year’s class in this regard.
This is another year Alabama has two excellent cornerback prospects in the same class. Arnold has a fun profile with excellent athleticism and ball production. He can thrive in both man and zone schemes. I am very interested in him as a nickel in 5-DB sets, considering his play strength and willingness to be physical. Arnold scores as my CB3 in the class and has a firm first-round grade from me.
| Score | Overall |
| 89.3 | 22 |
| Position | Day |
| 4 | 1 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 89.3 | 4 | 1 | 22 |
| Height: | 6' 1/2" | Weight: | 203 lbs |
| Hands: | 9.63 | Arms: | 31.13 |
| 40 YD Dash: | -- | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Vertical: | -- | Broad: | -- |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 1/2" | Hands: | 9.63 | 40 YD Dash: | -- |
| Weight: | 203 lbs | Arms: | 31.13 | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- | ||
| Vertical: | -- | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 1/2" | Hands: | 9.63 | 40 YD Dash: | -- | Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Weight: | 203 lbs | Arms: | 31.13 | 10 YD Split: | -- | Vertical: | -- | Shuttle: | -- |
Unanimous Consensus All-American (2023)
Bronco Nagurski Trophy Finalist (2023)
Jim Thorpe Award Finalist (2023)
Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year (2023)
Dwight Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year (2023)
1st Team All-Big Ten (2022, 2023)
Freak athlete with excellent size. DeJean is a multiple-time member of Bruce Feldman’s freak list. Due to an injury, he didn’t test at the Combine, but put up elite numbers at his pro day with only two weeks to prepare for it. You see excellent explosive qualities and the ability to stop on a dime. His change of direction skills might be the best in the class, and he can also jump out of the gym. Lastly, he has very nice long speed that will allow him to recover deep if needed.
Zone coverage maven extraordinaire. DeJean has the eye discipline and football IQ to be an excellent zone corner. He has a great feel for each coverage shell and his teammates' roles. He IDs route combinations quickly and has ridiculous click-and-close to be disruptive.
Good press skills. He wasn’t asked to press a lot in college, but his strength and tenacity really popped when he did. He can deliver a jarring pop with his hands and turn the shoulders of the WR, dictating their pathway and pace of the route, ultimately giving him time to get his hips around. If I am going to ask him to play man, I would much rather get him in press situations than off-man situations.
Ridiculous, explosive ball skills and tenacity at the catch point. DeJean’s ability to jump on passes underneath is unparalleled in the class — he made his three pick-sixes look easy. The instincts, IQ, and athleticism all go on full display when he gets to drive on a route underneath him. On plays he can’t get to the ball on time, he drives hard to bring the wood separating the WR from the ball with mere force.
Positional versatility. If you have followed my work for any amount of time, you know that I value CB play significantly more than safety play, but, there is still a ton of value in having a guy who could reasonably play anywhere in your secondary. DeJean has started games as a box safety and has also logged over 200 career snaps in the slot. With his range and ball skills, I also think he could be an excellent deep safety. I would not be shocked at all if man-heavier teams viewed him as a box safety, in which case he would easily be the best safety in the draft class.
Instantly upgrades punt and kick return units. DeJean has been one of the best return men in college football the past couple of seasons. He looks like a running back with the ball in his hands and can rack up forced missed tackles on returns. With the new kick-off rules, DeJean could become even more valuable.
Hip tightness is evident. Routes that cross his face against his leverage really showed a lack of hip fluidity and the ability to flip and run quickly. This was especially true when playing off-man/match. For this reason, I actually like him in press-man more, where he can use that size and strength to smother WRs off the line. I view this similarly to how I viewed Joey Porter Jr. last year, as JPJ also struggled in off-man coverage due to hip tightness.
Footwork could stand to be cleaned up. DeJean tends to misstep or take extra mini-steps when playing off coverages. This prevents him from getting into full stride sprints and he can get a little lost after the break point at times because of it. This has a lot to do with anticipation and him trying to keep his weight under his base so he can explode and make plays on the ball. He will need to find a better balance of aggressiveness vs stickiness at the next level.
The league has, generally speaking, gone to a much heavier zone approach defensively. So when a cornerback’s only real major knock is that he probably isn’t the best candidate to play a ton of off-man coverage, I would contend that guy is a very good prospect. That is DeJean, and writing him up made me like him even more. While he won’t be the best fit as an outside CB for a handful of teams in the NFL, there is no doubt he could fit every team in some way. The dude is just a football player and should have one of the higher floors in the class. Officially, he scores as a first-round pick for me and is my CB4/S1.
| Score | Overall |
| 86.1 | 35 |
| Position | Day |
| 5 | 2 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 86.1 | 5 | 2 | 35 |
| Height: | 5' 9" | Weight: | 182 lbs |
| Hands: | 8.5 | Arms: | 30.88 |
| 40 YD Dash: | 4.47 | 10 YD Split: | 1.51 |
| Vertical: | 40 | Broad: | 131 |
| Shuttle: | 4.01 | Cone: | 6.99 |
| Height: | 5' 9" | Hands: | 8.5 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.47 |
| Weight: | 182 lbs | Arms: | 30.88 | 10 YD Split: | 1.51 |
| Broad: | 131 | Cone: | 6.99 | ||
| Vertical: | 40 | Shuttle: | 4.01 |
| Height: | 5' 9" | Hands: | 8.5 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.47 | Broad: | 131 | Cone: | 6.99 |
| Weight: | 182 lbs | Arms: | 30.88 | 10 YD Split: | 1.51 | Vertical: | 40 | Shuttle: | 4.01 |
1st Team All-American (2023)
Team Captain (2022, 2023)
1st Team All-Big Ten (2023)
Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (2022)
Switched from WR to DB in 2022
Ridiculous athlete. Compared to other outside cornerbacks, Sainristil hit over 90th percentile marks in vertical jump, broad jump, 10-split, and short shuttle. His 4.47 40 is plenty good as well, and there are reports of him hitting 22 MPH on the GPS tracking systems. Sainristil is an easy, explosive mover with agile feet, fluid hips, and exceptional change-of-direction skills.
Football IQ and instincts are the cornerstones of his game. The list of missed assignments on Sainristil’s tape is minuscule. He was the heart and soul of the elite Michigan defense over the past two seasons. He is borderline flawless in his execution. Whether it's triggering the run, breaking on routes underneath him, or playing man coverage, Sainristil has been one of the most technically sound players in the country. His football IQ and understanding of everyone’s role on defense are remarkable. His ability to identify route concepts quickly is off the charts. He is as steady as they come.
Play strength and competitiveness are outstanding. His playstyle belies his 180-pound frame. He is a sure tackler and isn’t scared to drop the hammer when given the opportunity. He also refuses to give up ground and be pushed around by bigger receivers or tight ends in coverage. In fact, I would say he usually out-physicals players bigger than him. I get big-time Devon Witherspoon and Brian Branch vibes in this department.
Positional versatility. I think Sainristil could play outside (albeit a shorter CB), in the slot, or at either safety spot. He is a tenacious student of the game, having played defense for only two years, and is only getting better. His versatility is reminiscent of recent studs Brian Branch and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.
Tiny. At 5’ 9" and just 180 pounds, he does not have the size teams look for. While his size didn’t really hinder him at the college level, NFL players will be better at taking advantage of anatomical disadvantages.
Still figuring out his backpedal. Sainristil’s backpedal is the opposite of smooth and balanced. As of now, he is much better at reading and reacting to things underneath him or just flipping his hips and running.
Lack of experience. Sometimes, success for football players comes down to recall and being familiar with every possible look they might face. That just isn’t possible with the level of playing time Sainristil has at defensive back. He was a WR recruit and played WR his first two years in college.
Sainristil has arguably one of the highest floors in the class. I made the same claim about a similar player from last year’s class — Brian Branch — and feel just as strongly here. He is a good athlete with such good football intangibles and intelligence it's just really hard to see a world in which he completely fails. Teams should be delighted to acquire the services of a Swiss army knife who can play anywhere in the secondary and thrive in zone or man, defending the run, or blitzing the quarterback. Despite potential size limitations, he scored as a high-end round 2 pick for me and ranks inside my top 35 in the class.
| Score | Overall |
| 85.4 | 39 |
| Position | Day |
| 6 | 2 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 85.4 | 6 | 2 | 39 |
| Height: | 6' 1" | Weight: | 173 lbs |
| Hands: | 9 | Arms: | 30.5 |
| 40 YD Dash: | 4.28 | 10 YD Split: | 1.59 |
| Vertical: | 36 | Broad: | -- |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 1" | Hands: | 9 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.28 |
| Weight: | 173 lbs | Arms: | 30.5 | 10 YD Split: | 1.59 |
| Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- | ||
| Vertical: | 36 | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 1" | Hands: | 9 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.28 | Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Weight: | 173 lbs | Arms: | 30.5 | 10 YD Split: | 1.59 | Vertical: | 36 | Shuttle: | -- |
1st Team All-ACC (2023)
Ran a 4.28s 40-yard dash (2nd fastest among all players in 2024)
Started Wiggs Worldwide Foundation to help underprivileged youths
All-ACC Honorable Mention (2022)
Best-in-class recovery speed. Wiggins ran a sub 4.3 40 at the Combine and can absolutely fly. The interesting thing about his 40 time was the 1.76 "flying 20" that ranked 1st among all prospects this year (per Dane Brugler). That implies excellent long speed that should allow him to recover when beaten vertically. This speed shows up on film.
Zone instincts highlight his coverage ability. Wiggins processes route development quickly. He matches tempo accordingly and isn’t thrown off by savvy route runners who like to alter speeds. He excels in off-zone coverage, where he can read and react to things happening underneath him. His click-and-close is outstanding.
Smooth coverage skills. When in any type of man/match/mirror, he consistently displays loose, oily hips that allow him to string together multiple transitions as necessary without conceding separation. His back pedal is smooth, quick, and balanced, and it buys him time to identify route concepts before having to flip and run.
Tiny, lean frame. Wiggins is just 170 pounds while over 6 feet tall. He lacks the functional play strength needed to hold up in press coverage or be a consistent run defender. He was almost non-existent as a run defender the past two years. You also see the lack of size/strength in contested situations. He gets boxed out often and doesn’t play with the requisite aggression to make plays on the ball.
Grabby at the top of the route. Wiggins is going to have to learn to keep his hands to himself at the NFL level. As of right now, he has a tendency to not only put his hands on WRs at the breakpoint but outright grab onto them. He didn’t draw too many flags at the college level, but he got away with a ton. Furthermore, for a guy with pretty decent ball production in college, he had a tendency to face-guard anything that was thrown over his head. This could also lead to some big plays downfield and/or drawn penalties.
Wiggins is a fantastic linear athlete with loose hips. He has ideal movement skills for a cornerback. Overall, his coverage skills and instincts are pretty fantastic. He has some bad habits right now that might center around his biggest problem—he is tiny. From that standpoint, he reminds me a ton of Emmanuel Forbes from last year’s class. In the end, a lot of teams would love to have a cover man like Wiggins. He scored right on the first/second-round cusp for me.
More Evaluations Coming Soon
The Fantasy Points Prospect Guide will be regularly updated as Brett Whitefield makes his way through more film.
Check back regularly for updates on both offensive and defensive players.
