Noah

Igbinoghene

The Dolphins were already plenty strong at corner with Xavien Howard and Byron Jones already solidified as starters, so expect Igbinoghene to compete for a job as the nickelback. A two-year starter and accomplished track athlete — as noted by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Igbinoghene’s father (Festus) was once the fifth-rated jumper in the world and his mother won bronze at the 1992 Summer Olympics as part of the Nigerian women’s 4x100 relay team — at Auburn, Igbinoghene (5'10/198) actually didn’t make the transition to corner until 2018 but still allowed only 6.9 yards per target as a true snap sponge (89.5%) in his last two seasons. He’s also guaranteed to vie for reps on special teams at the next level after averaging 31.4 yards per return (20/628/2) over his career. Igbinoghene needs more development and may be exposed by savvy route runners early, but he undoubtedly has the traits and athleticism of a high-upside prospect.

Igbinoghene (5'10/195) improved his vertical jump by three inches over his NFL Scouting Combine mark at his recent Auburn pro day showing, recording a vertical of 40 inches. Igbinoghene is a track star who broke the Alabama state record in the triple jump and was originally recruited as a four-star wide receiver out of high school. He is a physical corner with explosive athleticism that aggressively challenges receivers at the point of catch. His transition from receiver means Igbinoghene is still raw and needs to improve the finesse aspect of his game. He has the physical tools to develop into a starting cornerback in the next level if he can iron out his rough edges.

That jump was three inches higher than what Igbinoghene registered at the NFL Scouting Combine. The 5-foot-10, 195-pounder also managed to cut his 40-yard dash down from 4.48 seconds to 4.47 seconds. It should be noted that that came on a hand-timer, making the result less exact than the combine mark (not that we’re talking a big difference, here). As a prospect, Igbinoghene possesses the requisite base athleticism but is still learning the ropes at cornerback, having just transitioned over to the position from wide receiver last offseason.

A former receiver, Igbinoghene is considered one of the more “volatile” cornerback prospects in the class. We don’t think this 40-yard dash time is going to change that. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound early entry into the draft made several big plays for the Tigers, but his inexperience at corner showed up at times, as well. His Pro Day and workouts will be crucial for his draft stock.

Igbinoghene (5'11/200) transitioned from receiver to cornerback over the offseason and went on to record 42 tackles with seven passes defensed across 12 games played during the 2019 campaign. He is still learning his new position and the overall upside, here, is still somewhat raw.

Igbinoghene (5'11/200) transitioned from receiver to corner in just a few months, showing promise in his first season at CB last year. Ferguson believes Igbinoghene even outplayed NFL rookie Jamel Dean at times in 2018. Now in his junior season, Igbinoghene mans the CB1 spot for the Tigers. If he continues to develop there’s a non-zero chance Igbinoghene declares for the 2020 NFL Draft. That, of course, is an optimistic projection.

Igbinoghene (6'0/190) has speed in his blood -- his mother, Faith, twice won the Olympic bronze medal in the 4 x 100 relay. As for her son, Auburn OC Chip Lindsey said that the true frosh wideout “has done a really nice job at wideout, and I’ve noticed him” and that "[h]e can really run, which we knew, but his ball skills have been really impressive.” Rivals ranked the four-star receiver as the No. 52 wideout prospect in the country for the 2017 class.

Malzahn continued by saying, “We were very deep at wide receiver, We got everybody coming back and recruited some guys. Just feel like, from a coach’s standpoint, he’s a very good football player, and his upside is very high. So we got to find a way to get him on the field.” Igbinoghene has already been referred to as being “top 10 on the team in terms of speed” by former RB Kerryon Johnson and could be a natural fit at cornerback with his athleticism.