6’0” – 200 lbs.
Appeared in three games as a freshman, and none the following year. Started the first ten games of the season as a junior before missing the final three games with an injury; finished that year with 25 tackles, nine breakups, and an interception. Started all fourteen games as a senior and posted 32 tackles, 13 breakups, and one interception. Solidly-built for his position in terms of height, bulk, and length; pretty much what teams look for on the outside. Often lines up in press-man coverage, moving back and forth between the left and right sides of the defense; when opponents don’t split a receiver out to his side of the field, often slides back into more of a safety look. Solid athlete for his position, if a little bit lacking in explosiveness on tape. Willing to use his length to get physical with opponents at the line of scrimmage, disrupting their release. Can match outside releases with enough speed to carry opposing receivers downfield, using his size and length to pin them to the sideline. Does a good job of using his hands to feel routes developing, which allows him to provide pretty tight coverage through the route stem on those snaps; overall pattern recognition looks pretty solid. Can occasionally struggle to maintain balance while playing physical coverage. When playing off, is a little bit more susceptible to head-fakes and double moves; see touchdown allowed vs. Florida this past season. Would like to see him play with a little bit more urgency in coverage when targeted; doesn’t always plant and drive aggressively on a spot, and his closing burst doesn’t look outstanding. When in-phase, ball skills look good; capable of getting his head around to locate and make plays on the ball, although he intercepted just two passes over the past two years. Uses form technique when coming up to make tackles on opposing ballcarriers. May not have the freakish size or athleticism of some of the other top cornerbacks in this year’s class, but offers a solid combination of size, length, and athleticism, with a physical temperament to mix things up at the line of scrimmage and a very good overall feel for the position; polished boundary defender with good pattern-recognition skills and pretty consistent play. Those traits make him a relatively safe option for teams seeking help in the secondary.
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