6’1” – 187 lbs. – 4.65
Father played cornerback in the CFL. Has been a major contributor since his freshman season, in which he appeared in ten games and finished with 27 tackles, five breakups, and two interceptions. Took over a full-time starting job the following season and finished with 58 tackles, four breakups, and four interceptions, then followed that up with 60 tackles, seven breakups, and two interceptions as a junior before declaring for the draft. Tall, lanky cornerback who has good size but may need to add a little bit of additional bulk. Tended to line up on the short side of the field, playing a few different techniques; press-man, off-man, shuffle, and zone. Most frequently was asked to bail into shuffle techniques, sometimes from press looks. Has pretty quick feet to match releases at the line of scrimmage from press, or to cover ground when playing shuffle technique. Backpedal can be a little bit lazy but is able to jog back to the appropriate depth pretty quickly. Uses his length well to match outside releases and pin receivers to the boundary. From off-man, transitions quickly from backpedaling to driving on a spot, with some explosiveness to his movements. However, is not one of the most fluid cornerbacks in the class overall; has some balance/coordination issues at the route stem which crop up more frequently than you’d like. Can get a little bit grabby to provide coverage through the break which may lead to being called for holding penalties at the next level. Looks fast enough on tape but didn’t time well; also gave up a deep touchdown vs. Boston College by failing to get his head around and locate. Wasn’t targeted too much during the games reviewed other than on throws in which he’d provided a generous cushion, but has the length to make plays on the ball when in-phase, with pretty solid production at the college level. Looks relatively physical in coverage but is not the most physical player in run support; can be a little bit of a pile-inspector who hangs back and defers to other teammates in the area. Tends to rely on quickness to try and slip by blockers instead of maintaining his positioning by taking on opposing receivers with extension; overall anchor when he’s been engaged leaves something to be desired. Also looks like a pretty soft tackler. A tall, long, and flexible cornerback with pro bloodlines and some explosiveness, he will need to clean up his technique and balance and do a better job of defending against the run to get onto the field at the pro level. Might have been better-served by returning to school to polish his game further.
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