Under-the-radar small-school draft prospect lands on Cowboys' visit list

With the NFL Draft just over a week away, teams are finalizing their boards of potential fits for next weekend. The Cowboys have themselves been finishing up their 30 official visits to The Star in Frisco, identifying prospects they are interested in learning more of up close and personal.

One name that stands out is Charles Demmings, a cornerback from Stephen F. Austin. Demmings’ path to this point is far from conventional. A native of DFW from Mesquite, Texas, he attended Mesquite Horn High School, where he participated in track and only played football during his senior year. Despite starting late, he demonstrated sufficient potential to receive offers from institutions such as West Texas A&M, Pittsburg State, and UT-Permian Basin, among others.

Ultimately, he opted for Stephen F. Austin, a decision that proved beneficial.

Early in his collegiate career, Demmings began to exhibit his potential. By his sophomore year, he was already making contributions, finishing with eight solo tackles, 11 total tackles, three pass breakups, and one interception over 11 games.

His 2025 season marked his breakout year. Demmings received First-Team All-Southland honors as well as First-Team AFCA FCS All-American recognition. He recorded four interceptions and six pass breakups, demonstrating his capacity to impact the game consistently. Throughout his career, Demmings accumulated 63 tackles, nine interceptions, and 35 passes defended across 42 games. This level of production was not merely solid; it was historic. He departed SFA as the program’s all-time leader in passes defended, highlighting both his consistency and ball skills. This impressive resume earned him an invitation to the NFL Combine, where he captured even more attention.

Charlie Demmings Combine Measurements

HT: 6-foot-1

WT: 193 pounds

Arm length: 32"

40-yard dash : 4.41 seconds

10-yard split: 1.55 seconds

Vertical Jump: 42"

Next Gen Stats backed up what the tape and testing showed, giving Demmings the ninth-best Production Score and the top Athletic Score among his group.

Styles is joined by David Gusta (@UKFootball), Zane Durant (@PennStateFball), Charles Demmings (@SFA_Football) and Dillon Thieneman (@oregonfootball) among the top five defenders based on Combine performance.

All five earned Next Gen Stats athleticism scores of 86 or higher. pic.twitter.com/my5RejBEpy

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) February 28, 2026

Simply put, he tested like one of the most athletic corners in the draft.

Charlie Demmings Scouting Overview

2025 stats: 18 tackles, 12 solo tackles, 4 interceptions, and 5 pass deflections

Round Grade: Early to mid-5th round

Strengths

Demmings is a versatile defensive back with experience in multiple coverages, but his strength is clearly in press-man coverage. At the line of scrimmage, he uses his length effectively to disrupt timing. His footwork and hip fluidity allow him to mirror receivers through their breaks, and he has the long speed to stay in phase downfield. When he’s in the press and able to dictate the rep early, you see his confidence and athleticism really take over.

Weaknesses

In off coverage, his instincts and reaction time are still developing. He can be a step late when driving on routes in front of him, which creates separation windows that NFL quarterbacks will exploit if not cleaned up. Physically, he also needs to get stronger. As a tackler, he tends to rely more on drag-down techniques rather than wrapping up and finishing through contact. That will be an adjustment at the next level, especially if he’s expected to contribute on special teams early in his career. Still, the tools are there, and they’re hard to teach.

Stephen F. Austin CB Charles Demmings has really solid tape. Early day 3 pick imo pic.twitter.com/5jOEZCtU8r

— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) November 14, 2025

Summary

Early in his NFL career, his most likely role is as a CB4 while contributing heavily on special teams, particularly as a gunner. His combination of speed, length, and effort makes him a natural fit in that phase of the game. Long-term, if he continues to develop his instincts and adds play strength, he has the traits to grow into a reliable outside corner in a man-heavy defensive scheme. For a prospect who only played one year of high school football, Demmings’ rise has been impressive. And with his athletic profile and production, he’s exactly the type of small-school prospect that could turn into a draft-day steal.

Cowboys Fit

The Cowboys invested in their cornerback position this offseason by signing former Rams cornerback Cobie Durant. Last year, they selected Shavon Revel in the third round. DaRon Bland, Shavon Revel, Cobie Durant, and Reddy Steward are the four cornerbacks expected to play next year. There may be one or two openings for the CB 5/6 positions this year. Demmings offers value as a potential gunner on special teams and as an outside corner depth option early in his career. He has significant potential to develop into a CB4 with man coverage skills and above-average instincts.

This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys Draft Prospect Profile: SF Austin CB Charles Demmings