Best Cornerbacks to Ever Play for the Huskers

Who are the best five Cornerbacks to ever play for the Huskers? (Vote for FIVE)


  • Total voters
    48

Mavric

Yoda
Staff member
Interesting conversion going on in Twitterverse.  I've tried to piece it together here.

I've included guys mentioned by the media guys in the poll.  Taking other suggestions as well.









 
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Miles & Groce, not only because they were excellent cover guys but also for their special teams work. Tyrone Williams & Ralph Brown were lockdown cover guys.

My big quandary was between Pickens & Craver, and I ended up going with Craver. He was the young guy on either the 96 or 97 defense, played (started, I think) as a Freshman, and because he was the youngest, he got targeted all the time. Young dude held up well under that, though, and by the time he was an upperclassman he was a lockdown guy and a classic Blackshirt.

Pickens was a standout in the 5-2 defenses and truly a great player. So maybe there's some sympathy bias in picking Craver over him.

There isn't a wrong choice on that list, though. Some guys are better than others is all.

 
NU had so much talent all over the defense from the early 90s through the early 2010’s. This was cool to think about all the great CB’s that have been Blackshirts.

Earlier this week, I was thinking about the Rush Ends that NU turned out every year, who then would go on and have success in the NFL. After switching to the 4-3 in 1992, I can think of the following players go from NU to the NFL in a 15 year period:  Travis Hill, Alberts, Donta Jones, Dwayne Harris, Wistrom, Tomich, Rucker, Chad and Chris Kelsay, Kyle Vanden Bosch, and Adam Carriker. Basically every DE starter ended up in the NFL. They were so fun to watch. 

 
I'd put Dejuan Groce, Keyuo Craver and Fabion Washington near the top.  But Pelini's teams had lots of DB ballers too. Not sure if corners or safeties, because they played with so many in the secondary.  But Dejon Gomes and Eric Hagg were probably my favorites.

 
Miles & Groce, not only because they were excellent cover guys but also for their special teams work. Tyrone Williams & Ralph Brown were lockdown cover guys.

My big quandary was between Pickens & Craver, and I ended up going with Craver. He was the young guy on either the 96 or 97 defense, played (started, I think) as a Freshman, and because he was the youngest, he got targeted all the time. Young dude held up well under that, though, and by the time he was an upperclassman he was a lockdown guy and a classic Blackshirt.

Pickens was a standout in the 5-2 defenses and truly a great player. So maybe there's some sympathy bias in picking Craver over him.

There isn't a wrong choice on that list, though. Some guys are better than others is all.


This would be my 5 as well.   It's not just talent & production, it's what they were asked to do.  All 5 of these guys were Revies Island & I'm not sure I've ever seen a more impressive individual performance than Miles vs Chris T Jones.  Pickens, Booker, & Washington were better pro prospects than CFB players IMO.  I would probably take Erwin Swiney over all 3 & Prince is probably closest to those 5 for me.  

 
Eric Hagg


Hagg was one of my favorite players in the post-Osborne/Solich era. I'm really surprised he didn't have a longer pro career. Dude was a pure football player.

It's not often you find a guy who can fit so many roles that a top defensive mind of the time crafts an entire scheme around him.

 
Miles & Groce, not only because they were excellent cover guys but also for their special teams work. Tyrone Williams & Ralph Brown were lockdown cover guys.

My big quandary was between Pickens & Craver, and I ended up going with Craver. He was the young guy on either the 96 or 97 defense, played (started, I think) as a Freshman, and because he was the youngest, he got targeted all the time. Young dude held up well under that, though, and by the time he was an upperclassman he was a lockdown guy and a classic Blackshirt.

Pickens was a standout in the 5-2 defenses and truly a great player. So maybe there's some sympathy bias in picking Craver over him.

There isn't a wrong choice on that list, though. Some guys are better than others is all.
Craver came in 98 I think. 
 

My guys are

Miles: locked up guys 6 inches taller

Prince: key cog on 09 defense, 1st rounder

Ty: great college and pro CB

Brown: started the second he set foot on campus 

Craver: best DB on the 99 defense IMO 

 
This is an outstanding list of corners, and difficult to pick the top 5. This is one of those positions that doesn't tend to get as much notoriety at Nebraska but we have had some studs over the years. 

I'd like to discuss Michael Booker, though. Maybe my memory is just fuzzy or I didn't play close enough attention to the position when he was here, but I honestly didn't remember hearing his name much at all during games, except for his pick 6 against Florida. Now sometimes it is good not to hear a CB's name, maybe it means they aren't getting thrown at because the coverage is so good. But Booker was a member of stacked defenses that were full of stars. In 95 I remember hearing Tyrone Wiliams' name a lot, and in 96 when Ralph started as a freshman we heard his name a lot. I simply don't recall hearing about the other CB position in those years. 

Was I not simply paying close enough attention? Do others have a different memory of Michael Booker? I'm not trying to bash him at all, but first round draft pick or not, he is not a name that registers in my mind compared to the others on this list. 

 
Hagg was one of my favorite players in the post-Osborne/Solich era. I'm really surprised he didn't have a longer pro career. Dude was a pure football player.

It's not often you find a guy who can fit so many roles that a top defensive mind of the time crafts an entire scheme around him.


Can't forget Dejon Gomes.  Gomes, Hagg and Suh were easily my favorite's back when they were all playing together.

 
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Always remember Bruce Pickens being selected 3rd overall in the NFL draft back in '91.  Was one of those guys who were seen as raw with all the physical tools yet incredibly underdeveloped with huge potential.  Sadly his NFL career never panned out.

 
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