Who is Coby Bryant? Cincinnati CB a top prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft

Like a certain famous athlete who shares his name, Coby Bryant is a special individual. The 2021 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award winner is as talented as they come on the college football field. And for the Cincinnati Bearcats, he’s been an integral piece of their run to the College Football Playoff. Who is Bryant, and how high could he go in the 2022 NFL Draft?

Who is Coby Bryant?

Labeled as an undersized cornerback coming out of high school, Bryant chose Cincinnati after receiving only a handful of scholarship offers, mainly from MAC schools. At 5’11”, 150 pounds in his high school days, the term “undersized” was no understatement. Yet, Bryant has blossomed into a lockdown cornerback all the same.

Now standing at 6’1″, 198 pounds, Bryant won the Thorpe Award in his fifth year at Cincinnati. He recorded 3 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, 11 pass breakups, and 33 solo tackles in a dominant 2021 campaign.

Bryant rarely met a wide receiver he couldn’t cover, a tight end he couldn’t stack up against, or a running back he couldn’t overmatch.

Bryant blossoming in 2021 certainly had a lot to do with what was happening on the other side of the field. While teams avoided throwing at Ahmad Gardner, Bryant became the featured target. Nevertheless, he didn’t break nor even bend. Bryant was impressive and sticky in both man and zone coverage.

Where does Bryant stand in the 2022 NFL Draft?

The Bearcats will likely have a handful of early-round NFL Draft picks when it all comes down to it. Headlined by “Sauce” Gardner, Bryant deserves his due. While Gardner is in the running to be the first cornerback drafted, Bryant is absolutely in the discussion as a top Day 2 pick.

He’s not flashy in the way he does it, nor is he looking to become a boisterous leader of a defense. But Bryant is as effective as they come. He utilizes terrific hips and an even better understanding of offensive route combinations to his advantage. He’ll pass off routes in zone coverage to make plays on balls not even thrown to his area just the same as he’ll close space onto his primary targets.

Bryant isn’t without his flaws, of course, like every other prospect. He may lack top-end speed and have fundamental lapses with his slight frame. But you’re going to be hard-pressed to find a more experienced, well-rounded cornerback in this class.

Combine the fact that he’s started a whopping 49 games and played in 62 (not counting the 2021-22 College Football Playoff) with the fact that he still has the Senior Bowl to showcase his talents, and the sky is truly the limit for Bryant. It helps that he can literally leap into the sky after all.