The closer the NFL draft gets, the louder the questions and arguments get.
And it’s not just Player A vs. Player B, or if a team should stay put or move down in the draft.
Sometimes the questions have to do with individual players and what attributes prospective teams should be focused on.
Are Rueben Bain Jr.’s arms too short to be a true impact edge rusher? Should the fact that Akheem Mesidor will be a 25-year-old rookie matter?
With the 2026 NFL Draft approaching, the USA TODAY Florida Network is looking at questions concerning players from Florida high schools:
Can Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds be an outside cornerback in the NFL?
Background: The 5-foot-8⅚, 182-pound Ponds graduated from Chaminade-Madonna. A three-star recruit in the 2023 class, Ponds was ranked the No. 237 overall recruit in Florida by 247Sports. He was a first-team All-American at Indiana in 2025, when he won both Rose Bowl defensive Player of the Game and Peach Bowl defensive Most Outstanding Player.
Most likely landing spots: New York Giants (No. 37), Cincinnati Bengals (No. 41), New Orleans Saints (No. 42), Miami Dolphins (No. 43), Atlanta Falcons (No. 48), Minnesota Vikings (No. 49)
What’s the argument for Ponds as a slot corner?
There’s one primary reason why Ponds wasn’t taken in the first round: his height. Just using the NFL West as an example, look at the size of the top wide receivers: Marvin Harrison Jr. is 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Puka Nacua is 6-2, 212, Ricky Pearsall is 6-1, 189 and Jaxon Smith-Njigba is 6-0, 197. That’s a lot of height and weight for Ponds to be giving up on every play. Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith (6-3, 225) had eight catches for 144 yards against Indiana in the Big Ten Championship. What are NFL receivers going to do?
What’s the argument for Ponds as an outside cornerback?
Ponds’ height is what it is. But he also has legitimate track speed — he told coaches at Chaminade that he was disappointed with his 4.31-second 40-yard dash at Indiana’s pro day — and posted a ridiculous 43.5-inch vertical jump at the NFL combine. He’s also physical with a competitive attitude and played on an island a lot at for an undefeated Indiana team in 2025. Ponds has been taking on bigger receivers as an outside corner since high school, and he’s performed at every level. Why would the NFL be any different?
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Should D’Angelo Ponds’ NFL draft value be tied to playing outside CB?
Reporting by Jon Santucci, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
