Mel Kiper on rise of Igbinoghene's draft stock, possible landing spots

Noah Igbinoghene has been flying up NFL draft boards over the past few months.

The former Auburn cornerback has appeared on multiple mock drafts as a first-round pick since he declared following his junior season. Those mocks have included projections by ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., who had Igbinoghene going in the first round in both his 2020 mock drafts.

"The improvement that [Igbinoghene] showed — the tackling ability got better," Kiper said on an NFL draft conference call Wednesday. "I think just his overall awareness in coverage improved to the point where he's one of the faster corners in this draft, if not the fastest.

"I think he's a first-round pick."

At 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, Igbinoghene played two seasons at corner for Auburn after arriving on campus as a receiver. After a learning curve in 2018 and some struggles at the start of the 2019 season, Igbinoghene recorded 42 tackles and seven pass breakups his junior year as quarterbacks looked his way less and less.

The Trussville, Ala., product also boasts high-end speed and athleticism as a dual-sport athlete who also competed for Auburn track and field. His mother and father were both Olympic track athletes.

Igbinoghene returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in his Auburn career, as well. Kiper said that, while special-teams utility isn't as valued when it comes to draft stock, Igbinoghene's prowess there can't be ignored.

"He has that kickoff-return experience where he's been dynamic," Kiper said. "That's not as much of a factor as it used it to be but it's still there — so I think that's a plus for him."

Igbinoghene was one of nine Auburn players invited to the NFL Combine later this month.

"I think when you look at teams in the late first round, New Orleans (No. 24 pick) could be a possibility, Minnesota (No. 25) could be a possibility there," Kiper said of Igbinoghene. "You get to the late first and certainly he's there for Kansas City (No. 32) — I had him going there in my mock 1.0."

The 2020 NFL draft begins April 23 in Las Vegas.

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