BEST RATED TACKLING DEFENSIVE BACKS 2027 NFL Draft

2027 BEST RATED TACKLING DEFENSIVE BACKS

For a defensive back the tackling grade is about what happens after the catch and in run support: open-field tackles made against tackles missed, and yards given up after contact. A corner who misses in space turns a five-yard completion into a touchdown. Eric Berry (Tennessee) and Tyrann Mathieu (LSU) tackled like linebackers.

The table ranks this year’s draft-eligible defensive backs by tackling grade, alongside run defense, zone coverage, man and press coverage, and overall rating.

2027 Defensive Backs ranked by TACKLING

RANK Player Pos Team TACKLING RUN DEFENSE ZONE MAN/PRESS Rating
1

Jaylen
McClain

S
Ohio State   Mascot
Ohio State Mascot
97 88 75 81
84.8
2

Chris
Peal

CB
Syracuse   Mascot
Syracuse Mascot
93 77 77 80
84.7
3

Ify
Obidegwu

CB
Oregon   Mascot
Oregon Mascot
91 67 86 82
78.5
4

Koi
Perich

S
Oregon   Mascot
Oregon Mascot
91 83 71 75
84.7
5

Tae
Johnson

S
Notre Dame   Mascot
Notre Dame Mascot
88 83 87 83
86.3
6

Bryce
Thornton

S
Florida   Mascot
Florida Mascot
84 77 82 73
81.1
7

Kelley
Jones

CB
Mississippi State   Mascot
Mississippi State Mascot
84 69 85 82
86.7
8

Zion
Branch

S
Georgia   Mascot
Georgia Mascot
84 76 76 68
74.0
9

Jamel
Johnson

S
TCU   Mascot
TCU Mascot
84 83 67 75
67.4
10

Jordan
Castell

S
Kentucky   Mascot
Kentucky Mascot
84 84 70 69
78.0
11

Brice
Pollock

CB
Texas Tech   Mascot
Texas Tech Mascot
83 66 79 72
84.7
12

Jelani
McDonald

S
Texas   Mascot
Texas Mascot
83 79 82 84
85.1
13

Marcus
Neal Jr.

S
Penn State   Mascot
Penn State Mascot
83 92 82 79
83.4
14

KP
Price

CB
Boston College   Mascot
Boston College Mascot
83 72 67 71
66.5
15

DJ
McKinney

CB
Notre Dame   Mascot
Notre Dame Mascot
82 79 71 68
83.3
16

Marquis
Gallegos

S
USC   Mascot
USC Mascot
82 60 62 63
64.5
17

Ty
Benefield

S
LSU   Mascot
LSU Mascot
82 82 74 66
84.9
18

Isaac
Smith

S
Mississippi State   Mascot
Mississippi State Mascot
80 80 71 78
77.0
19

Earl
Little Jr.

S
Ohio State   Mascot
Ohio State Mascot
80 79 79 76
84.4
20

Ellis
Robinson IV

CB
Georgia   Mascot
Georgia Mascot
79 76 84 74
88.5