The Washington Commanders enter the 2025 NFL Draft with four pretty good cornerbacks. That is quite an improvement from where they have been in recent years.
Still, the position is not completely secure. There are questions about each of the top four players and the group overall.
Marshon Lattimore has been an elite boundary corner throughout his entire career and is not yet 30 years old. However, he struggled after joining the Commanders late last season. Will he rebound in 2025?
Prized 2024 rookie Mike Sainristil was forced into playing outside last season when he probably fits more naturally in the slot. Free agent signee Jonathan Jones has been a very good slot corner for a long time, but he will be 32 years old this season. How much does he have left?
Noah Igbinoghene was a solid addition last season. Even so, he has never lived up to his first-round draft pedigree.
The Commanders also have three other veterans signed to the roster, each of whom has the size to line up on the perimeter. But none have played very much at the professional level.
Would Adam Peters go in search of a legitimate perimeter corner in this year’s draft, allowing Sainristil to shift inside, while Jones and Igbinoghene provide depth and play in specific packages?
If he does, Shavon Revel Jr. might be a name to keep in mind.
Shavon Revel Jr. 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Notes
- Height: 6-foot-2
- Weight: 202 pounds
- Recruiting Status: Lightly recruited out of high school. Attended Louisberg College for two years
- Transfer Status: Transferred to East Carolina in 2022
Positives
- Excellent athlete, with pro speed and length
- Made big plays in college, both on defense and on special teams
- Improved significantly with experience and should have a lot more room for growth
- Had offers to leave East Carolina after 2023 but chose to remain
Revel is the exact type of athlete that Joe Whitt Jr. has molded into a star. Physically, he is a virtual carbon copy of Trevon Diggs, with 4.4-second speed accompanying his 6-foot-2 frame.
When Whitt joined the Dallas Cowboys in Diggs’ second season, he helped turn the defensive back into an All-Pro turnover machine. He is a legitimate boundary corner with the athleticism and skills to play man coverage against NFL-caliber receivers.
Revel also excelled on special teams, blocking kicks and serving as a dynamic gunner on coverage units. He blocked field goals in consecutive weeks against Navy and Tulsa, coming from both sides of the lineup.
Ideally, he would be able to step into the starting defense. But Revel offers extra value, which raises his floor. Should he need a little while to acclimate to the pro game, he can be a standout on special teams.
Revel is a willing tackler who attacks runners behind the line of scrimmage. Early in the 2023 season, he made several strong plays on Michigan running back Blake Corum. His closing speed makes him very dangerous on corner blitzes.
Negatives
- Has suffered several injuries throughout his career, including a torn ACL last September that prematurely ended his final college season.
- Only one really strong season (2023)
- Eight penalties over roughly two seasons suggest he is still learning how to use his hands
Some Commanders fans might worry that Revel’s height and thinner frame will result in another Emmanuel Forbes Jr. situation. Not even close.
Revel may be lean, but he is far sturdier than the waiflike Forbes. His ability to stuff running backs like Corum suggests he can stand up to physicality.
A much more concerning comparison might be to a different former Commanders' cornerback. Revel will need to improve his technique so that he stops drawing contact penalties like Benjamin St-Juste. Fortunately, Washington now has a first-rate stable of coaches who should develop a player with his gifts and not allow him to continue making the same mistakes.
Concerns over his ACL injury could affect his draft status. Every public prognosis suggests Revel will be fully prepared to begin the 2025 season, but his offseason work could be impacted.
Shavon Revel Jr. NFL Player Comparison: Marlon Humphrey
This is admittedly an upside comparison.
Marlon Humphrey entered the league with more high-level experience than Revel will have. But under the tutelage of Whitt and his staff, the East Carolina prospect has a very high ceiling.
He has an aggressive style that reminds me of Humphrey, as well as Diggs.
Shavon Revel Jr. 2025 Draft Grade: 1st/2nd Round
Revel is rated by most analysts as the fifth-to-seventh-best cornerback prospect in the draft. Most of the doubts concern his injury and relative lack of high-level experience. But there is no denying the physical gifts and the talent he has shown when taking on upper-level competition.
He may not be a sensation from Day 1 — his injury recovery will slow his progress early on — but with good coaching, he could easily blossom into an elite perimeter corner in short order. The Commanders have reportedly had several meetings with Revel before the draft.