Denzel
Ward.
Denzel
Ward.
Ohio State· 5'10"· 183 lb· 4.32s 40
He is an exceptional fit for a Cover-3 match or any press-man heavy scheme that prioritizes athletic, lockdown outside corners.
Immediate starter as a perimeter cornerback, with the ceiling to be a Pro Bowl caliber shutdown corner.
He would be incredibly underutilized in a soft zone scheme that asks corners to play off-coverage consistently.
Ward's elite speed, quickness, and aggressive play style make him a versatile and highly effective cornerback in schemes that leverage his man coverage abilities.
Selected #4 overall in Round 1 of the 2018 NFL Draft by Cleveland Browns out of Ohio State.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.32sp50
- Vertical
- 39inp50
- Broad jump
- 136inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- 16repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Ohio State | 10 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2017 | Ohio State | 11 | 37 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
| Career | — | 21 | 60 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Ward has been a consistent starting cornerback for the Cleveland Browns since being drafted. He has earned multiple Pro Bowl selections and is a key part of their defense.