After re-signing Eric Stokes and trading for Taron Johnson during free agency, cornerback is a tricky need on the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster heading into the 2026 NFL draft.
The Raiders are expected to start Stokes and 2025 third-round pick Darien Porter on the perimeter of the secondary, while Johnson mans the nickelback spot. However, it couldn’t hurt to bring in some competition for Porter, and Johnson’s contract can function like a one-year deal if a younger defensive back proves capable of manning the slot. Meanwhile, Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds could help fill both those holes in the draft.
Ponds was primarily an outside corner in college—accounting for nearly 86 percent of his career snaps—and recorded coverage grades in the mid-to high-80s in all three seasons, per Pro Football Focus. This past season, his 89.5 mark ranked sixth among FBS corners, due in part to finishing tied for 11th with nine pass breakups and yielding just a 55.4 passer rating when targeted.
However, the 5-foot-9, 182-pound defensive back’s lack of size leads him to be projected as a nickelback at the next level. The good news is that he has the traits to successfully make the transition, as a sure tackler with only two misses (3.0 percent) last season, highlighted by allowing just 56 yards after the catch and just 1.75 YAC per reception in 2025. Additionally, Ponds ranked 19th among FBS corners with an 86.0 PFF run defense grade.
Given all of that, let’s take a look at why the Indiana product can be a nickel option in Las Vegas, and what makes him a special draft prospect in general.
One of the biggest factors in projecting an outside corner’s ability to transition to the inside is the player’s willingness to provide run support. The closer defensive backs are to the offensive line, the more they are going to be targets in the running game, so they have to be physical and willing to get their hands dirty, which stands out on the former Hoosier’s tape.
Here, Oregon is running a pull-lead or pin-and-pull concept to the short side of the field. It’s a perimeter run that is designed to attack the boundary corner and test the corner’s desire and ability to make a tackle in the ground game. However, Ponds recognizes the play design, triggers downhill, gets to a spot where he can make an impact tackle, breaks down and makes the tackle for a short gain.
Sometimes, being a good run defender is just a matter of effort, especially at defensive back. And one thing is certain about Ponds’ game: he isn’t going to take run plays off.
This time, the defensive back makes a great play as a run defender while lined up in the box, something he’ll be asked to do more frequently when playing inside.
Miami comes out in 12 personnel, where one of the tight ends is actually an extra offensive lineman, and runs an RPO with outside zone to the short side of the field as the run call. Since Indiana has two defensive backs on the playside of the run, which is also where the extra lineman is, the quarterback hands the ball off, hoping to take advantage of the mismatch.
However, Ponds immediately crashes downhill, and the lineman/tight end doesn’t account for him. So, the defensive back gets unblocked penetration and wisely breaks down in the backfield. That puts him in a position to make a nice form tackle, bending his knees and wrapping up the running back’s legs, to come up with a TFL.
Again, this is where Ponds’ willingness and effort as a run defender pay off with an impact play. A lot of defensive backs would want to stay back and try to play in space when lined up across from a 325-pound offensive lineman. But the Indiana product doesn’t back down from the challenge and gets rewarded.
Moving onto the passing game, Ponds’ instincts or football IQ really stand out in his coverage skills.
Indiana is running a variation of Cover 2 here, where the boundary corner is inverted and responsible for the deep half of the field. That just means instead of working from the hashmarks to the numbers like a typical deep half defender or safety would in Cover 2, it’s the opposite, where he’s going from the numbers to the hashmark.
Post-snap, Miami runs a switch release in the boundary, where the receiver is on a post route and the tight end releases outside before running a fade route. So, Ponds follows the post route before passing it off to the Tampa defender/safety in the middle of the field, while keeping eyes on the quarterback. Once he sees the quarterback target the fade route, Ponds opens his hips and squeezes the tight end, coming up with a big hit to force the incompletion.
In a way, the defensive back baits the throw on this play. He gives the illusion that he’s following the receiver, forcing the ball to the tight end and relying on his athleticism to get to the correct spot and come up with the PBU.
Another key element in the undersized defensive back’s coverage skills is that he plays bigger than his size, which gives him a chance to contribute as an outside corner in the NFL.
Ponds is left on an island in this play, as the Hoosiers run Cover 3 against a three-by-one formation from the Hurricanes, and he’s on the single-receiver side. That means he’s in man coverage while the rest of the defense plays zone, going up against a wideout who is five inches taller and about 25 pounds heavier.
Additionally, Ponds has the freedom to line up in press coverage and does an excellent job with his technique. He stays patient at the line of scrimmage by waiting for the wide receiver to commit to the outside release before opening his hips. Then, the corner times up his jam perfectly, making contact with the wideout in the five-yard window while maintaining his balance.
That allows ponds to stay in-phase against the curl route before moving into the passing lane to get a PBU. As a result, the defense has a great opportunity to get off the field on third-and-ten.
We’ll end with one of the best plays the Indiana product made last season, which circles back to his football IQ.
He’s the deep defender with the Hoosiers rotating to Cover 3 post-snap, where his primary goal is to keep everything in front of him and not get beaten over the top for an explosive play. Ponds does a good job of staying on top of and outside of the receiver, conceding some ground using a couple of leverage steps initially. But what makes this rep a great one is that he isn’t just a robot and adjusts to what he sees.
Notice how the corner’s head is in a position where he can use his peripheral vision to see the receiver while also getting a good look at the quarterback. That allows Ponds to recognize the out route and when Oregon’s QB, Dante Moore, starts his throwing motion. So, Ponds knows what’s coming and can stop worrying about giving up an explosive play over his head to drive on the quick out route.
On top of all that, the defensive back adjusts to the ball in the air by going from outside leverage to attacking the wideout’s inside shoulder, making Moore pay for a slightly inaccurate throw with a pick-six. This is a great example of a player executing his assignment while simultaneously adjusting to what he’s seeing to make a momentum-changing play.
It’s difficult to project where a prospect like Ponds will be taken in the draft, since he’ll likely be switching positions and could fall into more of a niche role. As of March 23, NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board has him ranked 53rd overall, which could put him in play for the Raiders at pick 67.
Considering Las Vegas’ defense needs a long-term solution at nickel and could use some depth on the perimeter, it wouldn’t be surprising if the defensive back becomes the second former Hoosier to move to Southern Nevada this spring.
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