(Part 3)
Cornerbacks
Hey guys, today I want to talk about cornerbacks. The cream of this year’s cornerback crop is, in my opinion, Alphonso Smith (Wake Forest), and Malcolm Jenkins (Ohio State). Vontae Davis (Illinois) physically is better, but is not quite as complete a football player as Smith or Jenkins.
I can’t shake this feeling in my gut tells me Jenkins may be a better safety in the pros. He has the speed and size to play either position, but he seems to get beat more than one would hope for. I think it ultimately comes down to what the team that drafts him needs.
His colleague, Smith, could be a better version of Ellis Hobbs on the New England Patriots. In fact, if not for his height, he would easily be the best prospect at his position. I understand that height is important when you are covering tall receivers, but it doesn’t seem to be justifiable to devalue Smith because he is ONE inch smaller than some of the top corners in the NFL. Ronde Barber and Asante Samuel are both 5’10 and are two of the best in the league. This boy can really play football, and I believe he is every bit as good as Jenkins.
As for Vontae Davis, some team like the Patriots will take a gamble on him because of his incredible physical tools and his huge upside. But he comes with a caveat emptor, as he was sometimes uncoachable. Under the right circumstances, like under the wing of Belichik, he could blossom into an excellent cornerback.
D.J. Moore (Vanderbilt) is another intriguing prospect because of his versatility and great athleticism. He doesn’t have the resume on defense like Smith or Jenkins, but with corners you can never pay too much attention to stats. The reason that a shutdown corner may have NO stats is because the opposing quarterback won’t throw to his side of the field. This may be the case for Moore.
I consider players like Macho Harris (Virginia) and Coye Francis (San Jose State) to be the second tier players who would be worth gambling on a bit in the 3rd round.
Next time: Safeties
