Jermaine Mathews Jr. is a cornerback from Ohio State who is ranked No. 78 on my NFL Draft Top 100 Big Board. This comprehensive scouting report analyzes Mathews’s draft potential, current mock draft trends, and where he ranks among the top prospects.
Jermaine Mathews Jr.’s NFL Draft Potential
Jermaine Mathews Jr. isn’t quite as high on my board as his teammate Davison Igbinosun, but Mathews should still field early-round capital and earn a starting opportunity at the NFL level. Mathews is more proficient in off-man and zone than press-man, as he has a keen understanding of how to throttle and manage his hip alignment with cushion.
He has slot-boundary versatility and can blitz downhill from the nickel spot, and he’s also shown that he has the ability to read routes and undercut with quick reaction and closing speed for turnover opportunities.
CFB Week 9 Update
Ohio State was on a bye in Week 9, but they’ll return to the fold in Week 10 against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Mathews shouldn’t be tested a great deal in coverage, but as a cornerback who can shift inside to nickel on a situational basis, his physicality could be tested in the run game against a formidable Penn State front and ball-carrier rotation.
CFB Week 10 Update
Much like his teammate Davison Igbinosun, Jermaine Mathews Jr. was simply not tested a great deal in Ohio State’s lopsided victory over Penn State. The Nittany Lions didn’t challenge the cornerbacks much in coverage with their combined lack of boundary talent and QB stability, and in support, Mathews did what was asked of him: keeping spacing and engaging with force and sound technique.
The money games for Mathews’ evaluation will be the conference championship and the CFB Playoffs. For the rest of the regular season, we likely won’t learn many new things.
CFB Week 11 Update
Mathews wasn’t involved in the action too often in Ohio State’s 34-10 win over Purdue, more often by design than anything else. The ball didn’t come his way much, and he was targeted zero times per TruMedia. Nevertheless, he fulfilled his role in zone coverage, managing space overtop routes, and he was able to secure an interception off a deflection by teammate Caleb Downs – showing heady awareness in the moment.
This game didn’t tell us many new things about Mathews, but big tests loom on the horizon with a CFB Playoff berth and a potential conference title date with Indiana.
CFB Week 12 Update
The Buckeyes rolled to a 48-10 victory over UCLA, but Mathews was one of the few defenders who got picked on in select moments. He still reacted well, efficiently planting and driving from both the nickel and the boundary, but Mathews’ non-elite closing range and explosiveness shows up at times.
UCLA was able to get a first-down completion on Mathews when Mathews played with cushion in off-man, and Mathews also needed time to gear up and run down a RAC threat in the second half. Mathews’ functional coverage athleticism is still very strong, and he’s still a versatile player with starting utility, but his non-elite out-of-transition burst and vertical speed might cap his ceiling a bit more than initially thought.
Where Is Mathews Being Selected Most Often in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator?
Mathews currently holds the No. 78 overall rank among prospects, reflecting his standing among mid-round prospects. His most recent Average Draft Position (ADP) of 68.1 as of November 19 reflects that he is typically being selected on Day 2 or early Day 3.
Interestingly, his ADP is higher than his rank, suggesting that users are targeting him more aggressively than his positional ranking might indicate.
Users controlling the Green Bay Packers have been the team that selected Mathews the most frequently over the past week, accounting for 1.1% of their picks across all seven rounds.
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Where Does Jermaine Mathews Jr. Rank Amongst Other NFL Draft Prospects?
Mathews is currently ranked No. 78 overall in my November 2026 NFL Draft Big Board. Among CB prospects, Mathews ranks 12th at the position, trailing prospects like Mansoor Delane, Jermod McCoy, Keith Abney II. Currently ranked in the top 100, Mathews will look to increase their draft stock in the coming months.
Want to see how we rank all the draft prospects in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator? Check out our NFL Draft Prospect Rankings page, which includes more than 750 prospects.
