Washington CB Kyler Gordon

5-foot-11 1/2
194 pounds

Yahoo Sports' 2022 NFL draft grade

5.95 — possible second-rounder; starter potential

TL;DR scouting report

Flexible, physical and athletically gifted corner project with tons of upside but mixed results to this point of his development

The skinny

A 4-star Rivals recruit in the Class of 2018, Gordon chose the Huskies over several other programs and kept his redshirt status his first year, appearing in four games late in the season (mostly on special teams) and making two tackles. In 2019, he started five of 13 games and made 32 tackles (one for a loss), four pass breakups and one fumble recovery.

Gordon started one of his four games in 2020, making 18 tackles (one for a loss), one pass breakup and one forced fumble. He started all 12 games in 2021, with 46 tackles (one for a loss), two interceptions, nine pass breakups and one forced fumble. Gordon declared early for the 2022 NFL draft.

Upside

• Solid length and physical traits for the position

• Very good overall athletic portfolio

• Outstanding combination of flexibility, strength and explosiveness

• 10-yard split (important metric for corners) a respectable 1.56 seconds

• Has turned in sub-4.0 short shuttle, sub-6.6 three-cone in years past

• 39.5-inch vertical jump, 10-foot-8 broad at pro day are elite numbers

• Good spatial awareness and feel in zone coverage

• Well-versed in press and off-man

• Respected coverage ability — several games where QBs ignored his side of the field

• Allowed only 20 catches (on 40 targets) in 2021

• Plays the ball well in the air and can joust with taller receivers

• Decent wrap tackler — typically gets the man to the ground

• Made a few touchdown-saving tackles last season

• Shifted inside to slot a few times when needed and held his own

• Only two penalties over his final 23 college games

• Groomed in Huskies program that has been an NFL DB factory in recent years

• Showed some grit in his play in 2021 despite lack of team success, coaching change

Downside

• Surprisingly ordinary 40-yard time (4.52 seconds) at NFL combine

• Not a full-time starter until 2021 season

• Still needs play reps — about 1,300 snaps over parts of four seasons

• Not much playmaking in first two-plus seasons

• Press technique falters when he doesn't win at the line

• Can lose a step at receiver's break point

• Tries to bait quarterbacks and will give too much cushion

• Instincts and processing skills remain a work in progress

• Career consistency underwhelming — more potential than proof positive

• Likely fits best as an outside corner

• Might need a year of patience from NFL DB coach

Best-suited destination

Gordon has a high ceiling as a scheme-diverse cover corner, but he's an unfinished product for now. His athletic traits and steady improvement in college suggest that jump is quite possible. But for immediate returns, Gordon likely will have to contribute on special teams and be willing to learn through his mistakes if he's thrust into extensive defensive action early. We think he's worth keeping outside, but his 2021 slot performance was encouraging enough to give him a shot there if needed.

Did you know

Before he tried football, Gordon was accomplished in dancing and Kung Fu. He even spent time as a dancer for the WNBA's Seattle Storm at age 9. For that, Gordon earned the nickname “Mr. Spotlight.”

Player comp

Sean Murphy-Bunting

Expected draft range

Early to mid second round. Gordon's upside could push him into Round 1, but cornerback is a stopwatch position, and his 40 time could be a slight hindrance.