Chandler Rivers is a cornerback from Duke who is ranked No. 82 on my NFL Draft Top 100 Big Board. This comprehensive scouting report analyzes Rivers’s draft potential, current mock draft trends, and where he ranks among the top prospects.
Chandler Rivers’s NFL Draft Potential
Chandler Rivers is one prospect I’m higher on than the consensus. He’ll likely be a mid-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he has the profile to be a quality starter early in his NFL career. He’s a bit underweight at 5’10”, 185 pounds, but he nonetheless competes in all phases. He’s fairly explosive and fluid in off-man and zone, with elite processing, route recognition, and spatial IQ.
He can effortlessly carry, pass off routes, and manage route relationships, and he has the versatility to play the boundary, the slot, blitz from depth, and surge downhill in run support for stops behind the line. Rivers has everything you want outside of size — athleticism, intelligence, toughness, technical refinement, and versatility — and he offers playmaking ability as well.
One of Rivers’ best games of the year came against Clemson. The Tigers went to Antonio Williams often out of the slot and on designed touches, while Rivers handled his business on the boundary and prevented separation on his assignments. There were times on occasion where Rivers struggled to get off blocks with his lacking size and length, but overall, it was a very good day for Rivers. He discouraged targets on his side of the field rep after rep, and converted with a timely deflection when the ball came his way.
Against UConn, however, Rivers took his lumps, and some of his limitations were put on display. The Huskies weaponized fellow 2026 NFL Draft prospect Skyler Bell and forced Rivers to play 1-on-1 at times. In press-man, Rivers prematurely extended and opened the gate by aligning outside at times, allowing Bell clean releases inside, and Rivers’ tracking angles also proved inconsistent when Bell was motioned across the formation, exposing Rivers to rubs from crossers.
Per TruMedia, Rivers was targeted nine times, for seven receptions and 56 yards against UConn. While he didn’t let any big plays by, aside from a blown wheel route caused by motion conflict, Bell was able to consistently attain chain-moving completions against Rivers.
According to TruMedia, Rivers was only targeted three times against Virginia — but all three of his targets were completed, for 87 yards in total. Rivers’ limitations in man coverage were exposed a bit more late in 2025. He can be easy to offset or work past with his lacking length, and he doesn’t quite have elite recovery burst. However, in off-man and zone, he thrives, and there was another example of that in Week 12. Working in side-saddle as a Cover 3 cornerback, Rivers peeled off his man and dove to undercut an overthrown seam pass for a spectacular interception. He’s in his element when he can play in space, manage routes, and react without the threat of immediate contact.
Rivers was once in my Top 50, but he’s leveled out as a late Day 2 prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. He doesn’t have great utility in press-man with his lacking size, contact authority, and inconsistent angle discipline, but in off-man and zone, he fares much better with his ability to manage depth and route relationships, and his ability to make plays working back to the ball. As a smaller hybrid nickel with high-level football IQ, Rivers has a clear-cut role waiting for him at the NFL level.
Where Is Rivers Being Selected Most Often in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator?
Rivers currently holds the No. 119 overall rank among prospects, reflecting his standing among mid-round prospects. His most recent Average Draft Position (ADP) of 115.8 as of December 6 reflects that he is typically being selected in the middle rounds.
This small gap between rank and ADP suggests he’s consistently valued among evaluators, even amid fluctuations in player evaluations at this stage of the draft cycle.
Users controlling the have been the team that selected Rivers the most frequently over the past week, accounting for 0.0% of their picks across all seven rounds.
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Where Does Chandler Rivers Rank Amongst Other NFL Draft Prospects?
Rivers is currently ranked No. 82 overall in my December 2026 NFL Draft Big Board. Among CB prospects, Rivers ranks 14th at the position, trailing prospects like Mansoor Delane, Jermod McCoy, Keith Abney II. Currently ranked in the top 100, Rivers will look to increase their draft stock in the coming months.
Want to see how we rank all the draft prospects in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator? Check out our NFL Draft Prospect Rankings page, which includes more than 750 prospects.
