IDP Roundtable, Your Impact Rookie DB

The 2023 NFL Draft was quite a spectacle—over 300,000 people attended the event live in Kansas City, and over 50 million people watched the draft on television.

Eat your heart out, NBA playoffs.

Much of the hype leading up to April 27 centered on the top quarterback prospects, but there was also plenty of excitement surrounding the top cornerbacks. Beginning with Devon Witherspoon of Illinois at No. 5 overall, four cornerbacks were taken in the first round. However, it wasn't until the 45th overall pick that a safety was drafted, and it can be argued that Brian Branch is more of a nickel back than a true safety.

This is how you remind me of what I really—never mind.

Still, as we saw last year with Jalen Pitre of the Houston Texans and Jaquan Brisker of the Chicago Bears in 2022, a safety doesn't have to be a first-round pick to be an IDP star. In an effort to gauge which defensive backs could blossom into fantasy stars (in 2022 and beyond) and help fantasy managers best take advantage of the new talent available to them, the IDP staff here at Footballguys has gathered for a series of IDP Roundtables.

This time, it's the annually murky morass that is the defensive backs.

See the discussion on rookie defensive linemen here >>>
See the discussion on rookie linebackers here >>>

There were a handful of cornerbacks selected on the draft's first day, but safeties like Alabama's Brian Branch had to wait until Day 2 to hear their names called. Which safety drew the best landing spot in terms of early production, and who is your pick to be the highest-scoring rookie cornerback of 2023?

Kyle Bellefeuil: Sydney Brown landing with Philadelphia in the third round is an interesting spot for early production. The Eagles' current safety unit, featuring Terrell Edmunds and Reed Blankenship, isn't too steep of a mountain to climb should Brown impress during the offseason program and training camp. If Brown can land a starting role, he has the athleticism and physical temperament to provide some nice IDP production early on.

I'll take Devon Witherspoon as my pick for the highest-scoring rookie cornerback of 2023. Witherspoon is a blast to watch as a cornerback who plays the game with serious aggression and a physical edge. With Seattle investing the fifth overall pick in him and Witherspoon lining up opposite Tariq Woolen, he could find himself plenty busy in his first NFL season.

Tripp Brebner: Brian Branch demonstrates the blurring of positional definitions in modern defenses. Like Branch, the Commanders' Quan Martin will slide in and out of the slot. He was announced as a cornerback and appears set to assume Bobby McCain's roster spot, foreshadowing a slot/safety role in rotation with Kamren Curl and Darrick Forrest. The second-rounder from Illinois might not play full-time right away, but if he produces similarly to Curl and Forrest on a per-snap basis, he could be a cheat code with a cornerback designation in fantasy football.

Gary Davenport: Alabama has produced no shortage of impact defenders in recent years, including the first defender drafted in 2023. To be fair, Jordan Battle isn't the elite athlete that Will Anderson is. He's not the biggest safety in his class at 6-foot-1 and 209 pounds. Nor is he the fastest. However, Branch is a highly experienced, hard-nosed safety who has a tendency to be in the right place at the right time and isn't afraid to get physical in run support. Branch is something of a throwback, but he can hold his own in coverage well enough to be a capable box safety. As it happens, the Cincinnati Bengals just so happen to need one of those, and there's an excellent chance that Branch will be Cincy's Week 1 starter at the position.

Regarding this year's No. 1 rookie cornerback, I'm going to go with Deonte Banks of Maryland, who the New York Giants drafted 25th overall. It's not just a matter of Banks' ability in coverage or his ball skills, although both are relatively impressive. The 6'0", 197-pounder is arguably the most capable and willing tackler in his draft class—and that most assuredly matters in IDP leagues. Perhaps best of all, there's a pretty clear path to substantial snaps from Day 1 for Banks in the New York secondary.

Joseph Haggan: This may be a homer pick, but I like Ji'Ayir Brown to the 49ers in the 3rd round. They lost their do-it-all versatile nickelback/safety Jimmie Ward to the Texans in free agency. Brown is a similar mold to Ward, though he may have better instincts. Brown's nose for the football should get him on the field, especially with Emmanuel Mosley also gone, opening up a Nickel role. Starting free safety Tashaun Gipson Sr is far past his prime as well. Things look good for Brown.

Devon Witherspoon was the first corner drafted. He landed across from Tariq Woolen in Seattle. Woolen had six interceptions and 16 passes defended in 2022; teams will avoid him. Witherspoon also has tremendous ball skills, having had three interceptions and 14 passes defended of his own in 2022. He should be targeted heavily with teams avoiding Woolen. Witherspoon will be the top-scoring cornerback.

Matt Montgomery: Sydney Brown being selected by the Eagles should be a safe bet for at least a top 3 rookie at his position. He will be competing with the likes of Terrell Edmunds and Reed Blankenship, which should make managers smile since these two don't exactly strike fear into opponents' hearts. Last year, CJ Gardner-Johnson averaged 12 points per game in standard scoring leagues at this position. Had he played all games at his average, he would have been top 3 at the position. Those may be big shoes to fill, but we have seen the Eagles' secondary support a top player at the position and spent a Day 2 pick to get the future at the position.

John Norton: This is a tough call, mostly because there are not a lot of options. Outside of Branch, who could end up in a L'Jarius Sneed-like role as the nickel/slot defender this year, I only count three guys taken before round five that are sure to line up as safeties, much less start. Sydney Brown has the clearest path to a full-time gig in 2023. If the Eagles try Terrell Edmunds at deep safety, as I expect, Brown could be surprisingly productive as a rookie.

Selecting rookie cornerbacks is a gamble in August when we've had a chance to see what their role will be. Choosing one now is like playing the lottery with random numbers. That being said, I would have to go with Washington's Emmanuel Forbes. He was a playmaker at Mississippi, recording 14 interceptions, 6 touchdowns, and 20 pass breakups in three seasons as a starter.

See the discussion on rookie defensive linemen here >>>
See the discussion on rookie linebackers here >>>