6’2” – 207 lbs.
Played on offense, defense, and special teams as a freshman, catching eleven passes while returning kicks and punts, then served as a punt returner the following year while rotating sparingly into the defense. Stepped into a starting role as a junior but saw his season end after just six appearances, sustaining a foot injury. Rebounded to have an excellent senior season, intercepting three passes and breaking up another eight while scoring two defensive touchdowns. Possesses excellent size, bulk, and length for a pro cornerback. Usually lines up in either shuffle or press-man coverage, but will go into a zone look when no receiver is split out wide to the left side of the defense, or occasionally drop into the slot; didn’t really see him on the right side, so it will be interesting to see what his footwork looks like from there. Coordination is good for his size. Has good footwork at the line of scrimmage to match a receiver’s release, although it would be nice to see him get physical with opposing receivers to jam their release, something he didn’t do often during the games reviewed. Looks comfortable sticking with inside releases or routes breaking over the middle of the field. Does a good job of using his length to pin opposing receivers to the boundaries; not the most physical corner at the line or elsewhere, but uses his hands to feel routes down the sideline. Able to get low and play with leverage despite being a taller cornerback, although his footwork can be a little bit relaxed. Has pretty good pattern-recognition skills and reaction times, playing with a conservative temperament. Can plant and drive quickly. Not an elite athlete, but has adequate deep speed and recovery speed to provide coverage further downfield. Quarterbacks didn’t look his way very often during the review, although he was successfully targeted on some confident throws into tight windows, allowing a touchdown on such a throw vs. Louisiana St; would like to see him be more aggressive at the catch point. Understands positioning in the run game. Gets physical with opposing receivers and positions himself to the outside of the ball carrier to funnel them back inside. Angles in pursuit are solid. A very solid shuffle/press-man corner who has excellent size and length to pin opponents to the sidelines, along with the quickness, recognition skills, and instincts to provide tight coverage on opposing split ends. Requires a little bit of projection because he didn’t jam opponents much, but looks like a legitimate first-round candidate coming off of an excellent senior season.
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