With former starters Brian Peavy and D’Andre Payne graduated, Iowa State will feature only one player who started at cornerback last season.

Anthony Johnson is the only player on Iowa State’s early depth chart to have any starting experience last season. The rest of the position group will consist of underclassmen and a wide receiver convert.

Anthony Johnson

Johnson, a sophomore, is the Cyclones’ most experienced cornerback from last season and appeared in 12 games for the team, starting in four. During his time in the lineup, Johnson recorded 28 tackles and had five pass breakups.

At 6 feet tall, Johnson has perfect height for a cornerback, which will allow him to contest high passes — like jump balls — to tall wide receivers.

Johnson will be starting at left corner for Iowa State next season.

Datrone Young

Starting at right corner next season will be another player who saw significant action last season. Datrone Young, a redshirt sophomore, played in eight games before having a shoulder injury cut his 2018 campaign short.

In those eight games, Young had 12 tackles and two pass breakups.

Before coming to Iowa State, Young was rated as a three-star recruit and held offers from Wisconsin, Rutgers and Southern Florida.

Amechie Walker

Prior to playing cornerback last season, Amechie Walker was a walk-on wide receiver for the Cyclones and contributed on special teams. Walker played in eight games on special teams last season and registered one tackle.

Entering his redshirt senior season, Walker, who was able to earn a scholarship during spring 2019, now finds himself in competition for the backup spot behind Johnson at left corner.

Jaeveyon Morton

Jaeveyon Morton will be competing with Walker for the primary role behind Johnson after redshirting his freshman year at Iowa State.

As a senior in high school, Morton was a three-star recruit with three interceptions and 48 tackles. According to 247Sports, Morton was the No. 72 corner in the class of 2018. He held offers from Iowa, Indiana and Pittsburgh.

Keontae Jones

Along with the competition at left corner, there will also be a competition for Young’s backup at right corner with Keontae Jones battling for the spot.

Jones, a redshirt sophomore, played in two games last season but earned a redshirt. As a freshman, Jones didn’t redshirt and had three tackles in limited action.

Jones, whose brother is wide receiver Deshaunte Jones, was a three-star recruit and had offers from Iowa, Cincinnati and Virginia Tech.

Tayvonn Kyle

Sophomore Tayvonn Kyle will be competing with Jones for the No. 2 right corner spot. Kyle redshirted his initial collegiate season with the team and was a three-star recruit.

Coming out of high school, Kyle caught 42 passes for 766 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior. He ranked as the No. 136 athlete in the class of 2018, according to 247Sports.

Other breakdowns:

Linebacker

Wide receiver

Running back

Defensive tackle/Nose tackle

Tight end

Defensive end

Quarterback