One thing is certain. Mackensie Alexander does not hold anything back.

In a room full of writers and television cameras during a press conference as part of the NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday, the former Clemson standout told the media he was the best cornerback in the draft. It was not meant as a slight to Florida State’s Jalen Ramsey and Florida’s Vernon Hargreaves, but to Alexander it’s the truth.

“I’m a competitor and they are competitors, but at the end of the day I’m going to say it, and a lot of you (the media) are going to say it, I’m the best corner in this draft class,” he said confidently at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. “You look at my stats, my numbers and who I am as a person, who I have competed against.

“I went against the best receivers in the country and I went against more of the top receivers then anybody in this draft class, and I’m going step-for-step. I’m not just moving outside, I’m going inside, I’m playing zone with the blitz. I’m able to show my versatility, everything.”

In his last 24 games as a Tiger, Alexander did not allow a touchdown to be caught on his watch. He did that going against guys like Notre Dame’s Will Fuller or Oklahoma’s Sterling Shepard, who are considered two of the top receivers in the draft.

In two matches with Shepard in the 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl and the 2016 Orange Bowl, the All-American receiver caught a combined eight passes for 100 yards and of course no touchdowns.

Fuller, who dominated everyone this year but Alexander, was held to two catches for 37 yards.

Alexander admitted he was proud of Fuller’s 4.32 in the 40 on Saturday, the best in the wide receiver groups, but the Clemson star said when the Tigers beat Fuller’s Irish this year, he took away what Fuller does best, which is what he does with any wide receiver he faces.

“If I take his vertical game away, and I would not say he sucks, but he is not that good,” Alexander said. “You force (Notre Dame head coach Brian) Kelly to make them go to the screen game which they did a lot against us just to get him touches. Feed him some type of way. You want your playmakers to get touches some type of way.

“This game means a lot to me. It is not just me coming out here and speaking to you guys. Yeah, I’m 22, but I’m ready. I’m ready to come out here and compete with any guy. There is no one more dedicated than me. There is no one who puts in more time and is more than a competitor than I am. I don’t care. You line up a safety. We can breakdown film, we can breakdown anything. I am prepared, and I’m telling you, I am the best corner in this draft class.”

The two knocks against Alexander is the fact he did not have an interception in his college career and his 5-foot-11 frame.

“I don’t know any D-coordinator that is going to put a young guy on the line with no safety help. His job is on the line, too,” said Alexander, who lined up in man coverage for the majority of his Clemson career. “If Coach (Brent Venables) can do that with me, it shows his trust in me because I show up every day in practice. I show up every day on game day. This is who I am, and he understands that and he trust me. He puts me in situations where he expects Mackensie to win. My teammates expect me to win.”

And more times than not, he did.

“I had some opportunities to come up with some picks in my career and I did not come up with them at the end of the day. I take that like a man,” Alexander said. “But there were a lot of situations where I was not challenged very much. A lot of quarterbacks and teams stayed away from me. That was their game plan. That is it really. That’s how I answer that.”

Alexander says he can play for any team and in any scheme they want because playing at Clemson, and playing for Venables, prepared him for success in the NFL.

“I am definitely going to have some things I don’t know in the league, but my D-coordinator has put a lot of emphasis on learning the game. Know what to do. Understand football. Understand offenses, formations, personnel, their tendencies,” the All-American said. “Then I take it upon myself to learn more because I’m super competitive and I want to be the best and not just on game days. It’s in practice or whatever it is I’m doing. It pushes me to be better.

“After practices, our staff has meetings every day and I am sitting in there with them and taking notes. They have the game plan. Then I have my game plan within the game plan. In order to win you have to execute and you have to take more time to do things. I thrive in competition. That’s what I like to do. I want to be the guy every day and every play.”

Photo Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

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