6’0” – 195 lbs.
Started two of twelve games as a freshman, finishing with 25 tackles, six breakups, and an interception, then stepped into a full-time starting role the following year and totaled 41 tackles, four breakups, and four interceptions. Posted 36 tackles, eleven breakups, and two interceptions this past season before declaring. Well-built for a pro boundary cornerback, with height, weight, and length in line with what teams look for. Lines up on both sides of the field, playing different techniques but predominantly off-man, zone, and press-man. Was at one of the college football programs which asked its cornerbacks to backpedal fairly regularly, and shows quick feet and good balance, although he could stand to clean up his footwork a little bit. More often is playing off or shuffling, where his footwork also has some minor issues. That said, has solid athleticism for the outside, with good flexibility. At his best when playing off in zone coverage. Appears to have pretty solid diagnostic skills when working in zone; has a good feel for underneath throws developing, with solid plant-and-drive skills. Does a good job of keeping the action in front of him, and times his approach well to break up passes without drawing penalties. Has a good sense of when to break off of his man and provide help. A little bit less impressive in man coverage. Working from press-man, has the length and physicality to mix things up with receivers at the line of scrimmage and disrupt their release. However, when he’s not playing bump-and-run, doesn’t provide the tightest coverage, either in terms of matching footwork on the initial release or through the route stem. Balance issues crop up too frequently; looks like he’s losing control at times. Overall speed appeared at least adequate, but can be beat over the top when he gets caught peeking, as he doesn’t have elite recovery speed to compensate. Wasn’t able to get a great feel for his ball skills during the games reviewed, but had pretty solid on-ball production over the past couple of seasons. Physical when attacking blockers in the run game, although he has some balance issues which crop up on contact; can be put on skates by more physical receivers. Not the strongest tackler. While there is a lot to like about his ability to keep the play in front of him and diagnose when playing in off-coverage/zone, there are better options in this class when it comes to playing press-man, which could somewhat limit the range of teams that rank him among the top cornerbacks in the class.
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