Redskins: 3 cornerbacks to watch at the 2019 NFL Combine
By Ian Cummings
Once a player firmly in the Day 3 discussion, Michigan State’s Justin Layne has undergone a surprising rise in the draft community. Many mock drafts now have him going in the second round at the latest, and Jonah Tuls, a draft analyst from The Cowboys Wire, had this to say about Layne a few days ago:
Finished Michigan State CB’s Justin Layne’s tape last night... he’s firmly in my top three at the position. Think he’ll absolutely blow up the Combine.
— Jonah Tuls (@JonahTulsNFL) February 25, 2019
I mentioned Layne in our latest podcast episode as a player the Redskins could covet as a Josh Norman replacement. I’m admittedly biased, being a Michigan State fan, but Layne is gaining traction in NFL circles, and if he tests well, with his height, length, and tenacity, he’ll be hard to pass up, especially in a somewhat weak cornerback class.
Layne’s pending emergence is peculiar, in the sense that not many people paid attention to him until later in the offseason. As a former wide receiver who only recently switched to cornerback, he was largely overlooked after posting a 2018 season in which he logged one interception and 16 pass deflections. However, his disruptive nature, fueled by athleticism and 6-foot-3 length, soon caught on to the attention. Now, per NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, via Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press, Layne could sneak into Round 1 with a solid combine performance.
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The Redskins need to weigh all their options in the upcoming 2019 NFL Draft, and cornerback is one of those options at No. 15. Do they take the top positional prospect in Murphy, the enticing fast-riser in Layne, or do they wait, and gamble on the depth of the draft? That’s the question that the coming weeks will work toward answering.