With the 2026 NFL Draft right around the corner, Duke Blue Devils’ fans are excited to see where the program’s top playmakers will land at the next level.

While this year’s draft class may not feature a slew of Blue Devils, star cornerback Chandler Rivers continues to receive some substantial draft hype before the highly-anticipated weekend in April.

Last week, NFL draft analyst Ian Harper gave Rivers an intriguing pro comparison to Arizona Cardinals’ defensive back Garrett Williams, while also claiming he should be taken on Day 2 of the upcoming draft.

“[Rivers’] scrappiness, overall fluidity, and ability to cut back and jump on routes allow him to be a productive player without being overly physical, and playing to his technical strengths,” Harper wrote. “He needs to become a bit more disciplined and let himself hone in on a single assignment to avoid getting himself lost in the play, but he’s an instant starting-caliber DB who should hear his name called on Day 2.”

Prior to the 2025 college football season, Rivers was regarded as one of the top cornerbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft cycle. Throughout his first three seasons with the program, the Blue Devils’ top cornerback tallied 164 tackles, 21 pass deflections, 12 tackles for losses, and five interceptions, proving that he could be an incredible playmaker at the NFL level.

However, this quickly changed during his senior season at Duke, as many began to cool off on the hype surrounding Rivers. Still, the stout defensive back managed to record another impressive year with the Blue Devils in 2025, recording 59 tackles, eight pass deflections, three tackles for losses, and two interceptions.

One of the main reasons why Rivers has seen his draft stock slide this past year was due to his small stature. At 5-foot-10, 180 lbs., the longtime Duke cornerback does not possess an ideal frame to be a boundary cornerback in the NFL. And while he played a majority of his snaps as an outside cornerback for the Blue Devils, Rivers will likely become a slot cornerback in the NFL.

Regardless of his size, Rivers still plays with lots of scrappiness, making him a perfect fit for a team that is searching for an aggressive slot cornerback in the upcoming draft.

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