Deandre Baker is right. Following Pro Day at UGA, he proclaimed to be “number one corner in the nation” and “it is not even close”. Baker is an elite prospect and is highly rated by most NFL scouts. Still, Baker isn’t a consensus top 15 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Some scouts rank LSU CB Greedy Williams ahead of Baker.
NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks ranks Baker as the #4 CB in the 2019 NFL Draft, which is shocking. In addition to Greedy Williams, Washington CB Byron Murphy, and unheralded Temple CB Rock Ya-Sin are all ranked above Deandre Baker. While Rock Ya-Sin’s name is cooler than Baker’s, I don’t think any other CB has as impressive of a body of work as Baker.
Baker put together back to back seasons as a lock-down CB and had some clutch performances, including a huge interception in the 2018 National Championship Game. Baker won the Jim Thrope award for a reason: he was the best CB in college football last season. Baker’s ball skills will translate to the pro level. Baker allowed minimum separation when facing talented WRs like Deebo Samuel and led the FBS in contested target rate.
Baker excelled in both zone and man coverage at UGA and should fit into any system in the NFL. Teams rarely risked throwing against him and didn’t get good results when they did. Baker allowed the fewest yards per coverage snap among draft eligible SEC corners:
This stat emphasizes that Baker took away his side of the field. Baker consistently played at a high level for his final two seasons in Athens and put together an impressive body of work. During his Junior and Senior years he had 2+ INTs and nine pass deflections in each season. For Baker, the answer to anyone who thinks he isn’t the best CB is simple: watch the tape.
