5’11” – 195 lbs. – 4.54
Started eight of twelve games as a true freshman, then became a full-time starter the following year. Was named a consensus All-American as a junior, then decided to declare for the draft. Concluded his collegiate career with a total of five interceptions and broke up a staggering thirty-six passes over the last two seasons alone. Solidly-built cornerback who meets pro requirements for height, bulk, and length, but who looks like he could use some work on his functional strength. Played on the short side of the field at Notre Dame, using some different techniques, primarily playing zone but with a lot of press-man, off-man, and shuffle mixed in as well. Pretty smooth athlete with what looks like sound footwork and overall balance; may not be the most explosive cornerback, but is light on his feet and appears to have solid deep speed despite getting beat once over the top for a big gain during the games reviewed. Excellent 6.72 cone in Indianapolis. Has an easy backpedal with sufficient depth. Able to stick with receivers on crossing routes over the middle; usually not the most physical at the line of scrimmage, but can place his hands and provide tight coverage on shallow crosses. Patient player who often plays well off the line of scrimmage, affording him time to make reads; conservative temperament aimed at limiting big plays. Looks pretty comfortable processing route combinations when playing in zone; able to break off deeper coverage and work back to the ball on underneath throws. Has some minor technical flaws and wasted motion; for example, turning around instead of into his opponents. Broke up a ton of passes during the past two seasons, but wasn’t always able to get his head turned around and locate the ball during the games reviewed. Willing to come up and support the run; isn’t the most functionally strong player, but plays with toughness. Gets his arms extended and fights blockers, although he can be driven off of his spot by stronger receivers; was bullied by bigger targets in the run/screen games. Looks better when he’s being active with his hands and trying to slip past as opposed to trying to set up shop and force runners back inside. Solid if unspectacular cornerback with enough physical and athletic traits to stick on the outside and who does a good job of processing what’s going on in zone coverage.
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