Cory Trice, CB Purdue: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Trice was a three-star safety recruit from Christian County High School in Hopkinsville, Ky. in the class of 2018

Purdue redshirt senior cornerback Cory Trice offers elite size and excellent arm length as a prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s an intriguing early to mid-Day 3 option who could potentially shift to safety.

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Cory Trice, CB Purdue: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior outside cornerback from Hopkinsville, Ky.

Background: Trice was a three-star safety recruit from Christian County High School in Hopkinsville, Ky. in the class of 2018. He was the No. 1,102 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,059 for On3.com. Trice was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals. He was an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 71 grade out of 100. As a high school senior, Trice earned several awards, including Southern Pennyrile Football Athlete of the Year and Class 5A-District 1 Player of the Year. He received First-Team All-Western Kentucky Conference honors. That season, Trice intercepted three passes, scored two defensive touchdowns, returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, and scored on three punt returns. He was selected for the Best of the Bluegrass All-Star Game. Trice was born on May 30, 2000.

2022 Production: 13 games, 34 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 10 passes defensed, 1 defensive touchdown

2021 Production: 2 games, 4 tackles, 2 passes defensed

2020 Production: 6 games, 32 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 passes defensed

2019 Production: 11 games, 35 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 3 interceptions, 1 pass defensed, 1 defensive touchdown

2018 Production: 3 games, 1 tackle

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed 11 games in 2021 with a torn ACL

Awards: Three-Time Academic All-Big Ten (2019, 2020, 2021), 2022 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten

Pros: Special teams snaps on the kick coverage, punt coverage, and field goal block units, missed tackles are rare, excellent height and arm length for a corner, physical in press coverage with timely and stiff strikes, long strider who covers ground quickly, maximized length advantage in press coverage, patient in press to counter foot fire release, attacks the ball at the catch point, rises up and uses his length to contest jump balls, quick to recognize and close on underneath routes when reading the quarterback’s eyes, instinctive zone defender, blows up wide receiver screens, breaks down and tackles low, squeezes routes along the sideline

Cons: Four penalties committed in 2022, one year with more than 500 defensive snaps, struggles to stay attached at the top of comeback routes, lacks twitch and suddenness, lacks high-end speed to deal with burners, doesn’t flow downhill to the football with aggression, struggles to defeat wide receiver and tight end blocks despite length advantage, occasionally surrenders outside contain against the run, no pass rush plan or developed hand usage to win as a blitzer, receivers gain a step of separation coming out of cuts, gets handsy with receivers downfield and could draw more pass interference calls, lacks the agility and change of direction skills to mirror receivers

Overview: Trice is unofficially listed at 6'3", 215 lbs. The former three-star recruit offers an excellent combination of size, mass, and arm length for a cornerback. He has a size advantage over many receivers and knows how to maximize his physical advantage. Trice is physical in press coverage, delivering well-timed and stiff punches that stun receivers and delay their releases. There are several examples of Trice smothering routes or engulfing receivers early in their stems. He’s patient in press to counter foot fire releases and avoid declaring his hips early. Trice’s physicality continues downfield as he squeezes or eliminates routes along the sideline. However, this sometimes leads to pass interference calls. Trice only drew four flags in 2022, but that number could increase significantly against NFL receivers. Trice attacks the ball at the catch point and uses his long arms to contest jump balls. In zone coverage, he’s quick to recognize and close on underneath routes when reading the quarterback’s eyes. He lets his instincts run wild in zone, which leads to pass breakups and blown up wide receiver screens. While Trice doesn’t always flow downhill to the football with aggression and struggles to defeat wide receiver and tight end blocks, he rarely misses tackles. The Kentucky native breaks down before engaging the ball carrier and tackles low to avoid stiff arms or bouncing off players. Trice is a long strider who covers ground quickly but lacks the high-end speed to deal with true vertical threats. He’s not a twitchy or sudden athlete and lacks the agility and change of direction skills to mirror receivers. Trice struggles to stay attached at the top of comeback routes, and receivers gain a step of separation against him coming out of cuts. The redshirt senior occasionally surrenders outside contain against the run and has no pass rush plan as a blitzer. He’s only played 500 or more defensive snaps in a season once in his college career. Trice is at his best when allowed to get his hands on receivers early in their routes. He prefers to play man coverage in a half-turn to make transitions smoother and hide a high backpedal. He has experience lining up on the field and boundary sides of plays but primarily plays along the boundary. The converted safety recruit might benefit from a shift back to safety at the NFL level. At the very least, he’ll offer special teams upside on the kick coverage, punt coverage, and field goal block units as a rookie.

Overall, Trice possesses a rare combination of arm length, size, and strength at his position, but agility and speed limitations prevent him from earning a top 100 grade or projecting as a scheme-diverse prospect. Trice deserves the opportunity to take snaps as a press corner in the NFL, but he’ll likely settle in a zone-based scheme and could transition to safety. It’s hard to imagine a player with his physical profile and 2022 production falling farther than early Day 3.

Role & Scheme Fit: Boundary corner in a zone-heavy scheme with press opportunities

Round Projection: Late Fourth to Mid Fifth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 12-21-22