The Most Important Cowboy Football Players for 2017: No. 8

You knew it had to be coming. How can one of the positions that is one of the biggest question marks this season not be included in the countdown?

Today, we look at the likely leader of the cornerback position.

No. 8 - #2 Darius Curry

Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

I wrote somewhat extensively on the cornerback situation this spring. If Oklahoma State does not secure Clemson grad transfer Adrian Baker, look for Darius Curry to take charge of the position.

Here’s what Mike Gundy said about the cornerbacks Wednesday.

"Curry has been improved, just from being a veteran, but the young players have continued to get better. They still make mistakes, but what I like about the young group of corners is that they are long, rangy and they seem like they are going to be physical, which will help in this league as skilled as the wideouts are on the perimeter. They're going to take some lumps at some point during the season, but hopefully we can bring them along enough that as we progress we can trust them more in the middle of the season than we could now. We may have to score a few points early though."

Curry himself commented on the cornerback development.

"They're doing great. There's some really good competition between all of us and I feel like all of us are prepared for the games."

It’s no surprise that the Big 12 has some elite offenses and defense is optional it seems. This corner position will need to be tested-by-fire and thrown to the wolves before we truly know how good or bad they are.

The good news is they already are being tested and thrown up against one of the best wide receiving corps in the country. Imagine going up against James Washington, Jalen McClesky, Tyron Johnson, Marcell Ateman and the rest of the offensive weapons. Yikes. Maybe that means they will be the best corners in the league once they get out of Spring ball. (Please God let it be so.)

Anyways, look for Curry to step up and become the leader of the cornerbacks. He is the one replacing Ramon Richards as the leader. If we want to look like the ball-hawking, turnover-creating, fear-inspiring defense that’s even better than the one in 2011, the cornerbacks are going to have to come out firing and look like they’ve been doing it for years. If not, Texas Tech can claim we stole another thing from them - the inability to play defense.

We will be releasing the rest of our countdown each day leading up to the Spring Game April 15th. Check back every day to see who makes the list!

Top 15 Countdown:

15. Matt Ammendola
14. Backup Quarterback
13. Tyron Johnson
12. Marcus Keyes
11. Jarrell Owens
10. Zach Sinor
9. DeQuinton Osborne