6’0″ – 179 lbs. – 4.63
Walk-on who spent two seasons on the scout them before earning a scholarship as a junior, a season in which he played on special teams and appeared in a reserve role on defense. Ended up winning a starting job as a senior, replacing Marlon Humphrey. Nickname is “the technician”. Plays a lot of different techniques, predominantly press, bail, shuffle, and bump-and-run; played the vast majority of his snaps on the left side during the games reviewed. Not the fastest, quickest, or most fluid player; ran a 4.59-second forty-yard dash in the spring and is more successful because of his discipline, route anticipation, technique, and length; those traits made him into a rarely-targeted cornerback who provided tight man coverage this past season. Infrequently commits mental errors. Does a good job of matching opposing releases off the line; uses his arms well. Able to place his hands on opponents and stick with them through their route, maintaining himself in-phase in order to make plays on the ball when targeted. Was not thrown at often; many of the passes opposing quarterbacks attempted against him were on shorter, timing-based throws (stops, curls, back-shoulder throws) or on patterns over the middle of the field at the short to intermediate level. Good timing and hand placement to break up attempts his way; defensed fifteen passes this past season and intercepted three more. Does a good job of disguising his intentions pre-snap, forcing mistakes. Effective run defender who exhibits a willingness to come up and make tackles. Does a good job of using his length and power to keep opposing blockers out of his pads and position himself in order to funnel runners back inside. Wrap-tackler who doesn’t shy away from contact. Also has some experience blitzing off the edge on a limited basis. A likable player because of his even temperament, his physicality, and his pro-ready mental tools and technique, he managed to outplay nearly every other cornerback in college football as a senior, but will face some questions about whether his athletic limitations will allow him to develop into a starter at the pro level. The relative weights that teams assign to polish and collegiate production relative to athletic tools will determine how high he goes as a prospect, as his game tape is straightforward.
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