Kyler Gordon is going to blow the NFL away at the 2022 scouting combine. In a draft filled with great cornerbacks, like LSU’s Derek Stingley, Cincinnatti’s Sauce Gardner, Clemson’s Andrew Booth, Auburn’s Roger McCreary, and his teammate Trent McDuffie, Gordon might have the highest ceiling of any defensive back in this class.

While the results below are from the 2019 Husky combine, when Gordon was a redshirt freshman, he should be able to replicate, or even improve upon these testing numbers in front of the NFL in Indianapolis. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if he ran in the mid to low 4.4’s for his 40-yard dash, which would surely solidify his status as a first-round pick.

Now… while the athletic profile is one thing, what truly makes Gordon an elite NFL prospect?

Strengths

Clearly, Gordon’s rare athletic traits at his size (6’0, 200 pounds) are something every NFL team desires. He has great ball skills, and is a lockdown corner (as the PFF stats below show). His 2021 performance against Cal is the best tape to show what his ceiling is. He recorded two interceptions, 10 tackles, including a game-saving tackle on 4th and 1 where he made an excellent tackle to stop the receiver right at the line to gain.

He’s excellent in run support, doesn’t miss many tackles, and is a plug-and-play guy who can start from day one. Gordon, like every other Washington defensive back, can play in both man and zone, and has no problem sliding into any type of defensive scheme. His long arms are great for press-man coverage, and

Weaknesses

As crazy as it is to say, Gordon’s still scratching the surface of his potential. He’s still improving his technique in coverage, and that might lead to him getting attacked quite frequently early on in his career. He was able to succeed with his elite athleticism quite often in college, which shouldn’t be considered a knock, but just an area that he has to grow on. While he’ll surely have success at the NFL level, he needs to go to a situation with a solid defensive coaching staff in place.

With someone like Dennis Allen, Steve Spagnuolo, or Bill Belichick coaching him up, he would surely achieve his fullest potential rather quickly. While I believe he would succeed in any system, there would be a marked difference in how quickly he hits his ceiling.

In conclusion

There’s a good chance that Gordon gets drafted ahead of McDuffie, and while it’s doubtful that either of them end up being the first cornerback off the board, they’re both set up for a great deal of NFL success. Gordon is going to be one of the biggest risers coming out of the combine due to his testing numbers, and he’s going to get a lot more hype from the scouting media.

Looking at the back half of the first round, where we’ll likely see Gordon get taken, he would fit best with the Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, or Cincinnati Bengals.

Prediction

I really wanted to give Gordon to the Patriots, partially because as a Patriots fan I’m greedy, but I already said that Trent McDuffie would be headed to Foxborough. So with that being said, I’m going to be a little bold and put Gordon with the Los Angeles Chargers at pick 17 in the first round. Brandon Staley is one of the NFL’s best defensive minds, and pairing Gordon with second-year corner Asante Samuel Jr. would be a huge step towards building a defense that can help shut teams down for Justin Herbert’s offense.