As the Nebraska football team moves closer to the start of summer conditioning, HuskerOnline.com continues our daily position grade outs of where things are coming out of spring ball. Today, we breakdown the cornerback position and look at the positives and negatives that happened during the four weeks of spring practice, while also previewing what lies ahead.

While Nebraska has some notable depth concerns on the first two levels of its defense, the case is the exact opposite in the Huskers' secondary. In particular, NU is loaded on the outside at cornerback with a blend of returning veterans and promising underclassmen that made the position one of the most intriguing competitions of spring practice.

Though it initially appeared the two starting cornerback jobs would be handled by some combination of seniors Daniel Davie, Jonathan Rose and junior Charles Jackson going into the spring, injuries to Davie and Jackson and impressive play by a slew of younger corners left the depth chart even more wide open following the spring game.

Of Nebraska's impressive group of sophomores, redshirt freshmen and true freshmen at cornerback, it took quite a bit for one player to stand out from the rest in the two-team practice format the Huskers used this spring. But sophomore Chris Jones emerged as much as anyone during the four weeks of spring practice, and he now has a legitimate chance to potentially win a starting job when NU returns to action for fall camp.

Not only does the 6-foot, 180-pound native of Jacksonville, Fla., possess the length and frame new defensive coordinator Mark Banker looks for in his cornerbacks, Jones also showed a natural nose for the football and made life very difficult for whichever receiver he was matched up against. Again, the competition at corner has only just begun, but if Jones can continue to match his unquestioned ability with a solid understanding of the defense, he should have a very large role in NU's defensive backfield this season.

On one hand, losing veteran cornerbacks Davie and Jackson to injuries that occurred literally two practice reps apart on the same day during the first week of spring ball was a significant blow, as both were projected as possible starters and were looking to lock down those jobs this offseason. On the other hand, their absence created an opportunity for Nebraska's younger corners to learn and showcase their abilities more than ever.

Neither Davie (ankle) or Jackson (knee) suffered serious injuries, and both are expected to be back to 100 percent by the start of fall camp. But how much did missing the bulk of the spring hurt their standing in the cornerback pecking order? Jones, Joshua Kalu, Trai Mosley and even true freshmen Eric Lee and Avery Anderson all made big jumps in their development this spring, and one could argue the competition at corner might be a clean slate when August rolls around.

Because of the bounty of talented underclassmen at the position, Nebraska should be absolutely loaded at cornerback for years to come. Only two of the seven scholarship corners on NU's spring roster were seniors, and six of them are sophomores or younger.

That luxury of depth could lead Banker to use more of the nickel package than he normally might as a way to better play to his defense's strengths. Getting Lee and Anderson on campus early for the spring should only further develop the competition and depth at a cornerback spot that will be very fun to watch over the next few seasons.

CB

1 - Daniel Davie (6-1, 190), Sr.

2 - Jonathan Rose (6-1, 195), Sr.

OR

Chris Jones (6-0, 180), So.

CB

1 - Charles Jackson (5-11, 180), Jr.

OR

Joshua Kalu (6-1, 185), So.

3 - Trai Mosley (5-10, 170), RFr.

NICKEL

1 - Byerson Cockrell (6-0, 185), Sr.

2 - Kalu

3 - Aaron Williams (5-11, 185), Fr.

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