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Cornerbacks 101


Earl34

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I wrote a post last night about QB's on the heels of DA's departure and it was more to take a break from what I've really been thinking about for the last four or five days, cornerbacks. I've been looking for any and all video that I can find to watch on the corners coming out. For some, there's a lot and others, not so much. I think we all agree that it's one of the top needs if not THE top need going into this draft. I figured it might be useful to start a similar thread on what to look for in a cornerback since there will be a lot of talk about this leading up to the draft.

 

I. The Situation

 

As it stands right now, a legitimate talent could step in and start on this team. We can all agree that even the worst NFL teams have some WR that will usually need to be covered by someone who can hold their own. The descriptors "isolated" or "on an island" are used to describe CBs and with good reason. They are left, at some point in every game, to function on sheer talent...alone...and in plain view of the audience. When they're burned, it's hard to hide it. It's a critical position on any defense.

 

You could take two basic approaches to assigning your DBs in a game. First, you could simply do what the Jets do and put your #1 CB on their #WR. Alternately, you could put your #2 on the #1 WR and figure you're going to need to double with the safety anyway. It's that second option that's in the back of my mind when I look at the CB's that might land on this team in the draft. I don't think they'd realistically (or frequently) expect a rookie to cover Anquan Boldin or Ochocinco but when you watch these collegians play, you have to envision that.

 

II. The Tools

 

The skill set that I have been taught to look for are these:

 

1) Speed- Obviously self-explanatory. While you can have an effective WR who isn't a burner, I don't think that the same can be said for CB's since they are the ones reacting to the play of the offense. Some will be faster than others but once you start to get close to 4.6 (number I chose) or so you really are at risk for being ineffective. Closing speed is also an important aspect of this.

 

2) Agility/Hips- I place this second in my priority list because football isn't played in a straight line. CB's need to be able to flip the hips and change direction. The more fluid he is in changing direction the more he can overcome small errors in judgment. Sometimes you'll hear about "opening the hips" which is simply to state that you can't commit too soon to change direction because it leaves the player vulnerable to double moves. Along the other lines of agility, you really should consider how fast and crisp the player is in his backpedal. The plant at the end of the backpedal should be effective much like the plant at the end of a QB's drop. It sets up the next part of his reaction.

 

3) Ball Adjustment/Leaping- I don't like measuring verticals in the sense that guys rarely jump for a ball from flat-footed position but you figure that it is important. How well do they locate the football? How well do they time their leaps?

 

4) Hands- Not only do you want a guy who can catch the ball but you want a guy who is effective in fighting off the receiver's hands and in jamming at the line. At a minimum, you want a guy who understands how to dislodge the incoming football.

 

5) Playing with leverage- CB's need to understand where their help is coming from and the concepts of the front seven in pass rush. Leveraging a player to the inside or outside of the play is important in the NFL. Effective corners understand how to use this.

 

6) Intelligence/Instinct/Reaction- I roll these up into one because they all contribute to or are a result of "awareness". Does the guy understand the offensive route combinations? Does he react quickly? Some do, some don't. Does he tend to trail plays? (Note that some plays are designed for the CB to trail and other times they're just beat)

 

7) Physical Play- How well does the player tackle? How effectively can he fight off the block of bigger players? How does he handle bigger receivers? How physical is he when the ball arrives? Offensive linemen love to punish CB's. While tackling technique is important, I would also point out that the "willingness" of the player to come up and stick in run support is PARAMOUNT for the 3-4 run defense to be effective. This is where size comes into play. The 3-4 would benefit from bigger CBs. While sub-six foot guys can play CB effectively, having that 6'-6'2" corner can make a big difference covering tall receivers AND playing the run.

 

III. Outlook

 

I can't say that I am a great judge of CBs but I've been looking at the list of the top guys and I've noticed a few things:

 

1) It's a deep draft at corner

2) Joe Haden is absolutely horrible at changing direction. He's an average tackler at best. I don't like downgrading guys because of the combine any more than I like upgrading them but I can see that same poor performance in video. If you're curious, check out what Lafell from LSU did to him. He's not a top ten pick and I'd say he's going to plummet before the draft.

 

3) Patrick Robinson from FSU shows me nothing of the above skills except for perhaps that he's a muscular guy, He doesn't even look like he gives a crap. He's slow to react and frequently beaten. He's all arms when he tackles and he seems to whiff completely much of the time. I don't know why this guy is rated so high.

 

4) For my money, I like Kyle Wilson from Boise State. This kid can hit. He's not a burner but he's agile and aggressive. He's excellent off of the corner. He plays faster than his 40 would suggest. Very instinctive.

 

5) I like Perrish Cox as a second or third rounder but he's had some off the field issues and he's not the fastest guy. He's a very good special teams return guy as well.

 

Just one man's version of what to look at,.....

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Thanks for the post Earl !

 

What do you think of

 

Akwasi Owusu-Ansah 6' 207 4.47 forty?

 

I was reading stuff about a lot of cb's...

 

and I thought this kid fit into my dumb mock draft.

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Thanks for the post Earl !

 

What do you think of

 

Akwasi Owusu-Ansah 6' 207 4.47 forty?

 

I was reading stuff about a lot of cb's...

 

and I thought this kid fit into my dumb mock draft.

 

Good sized kid who has good speed. He has very good hands (it seems). I like the fact that he doesn't have a lot of tackles or interceptions as it means they threw and ran away from him. Only saw limited video but he seems to give a ton of cushion and he seems to get turned around easily. Fundamentals in terms of hips/agility, he looked pretty fluid on the replay that I saw of him working out. There's limited video so you hope the team (who actually has scout tape) could make a better determination. Kind of reminds me of a Ty Law kind of player.

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Another guy to look at in round 2 is Dominique Franks of Oklahoma. He's a two year starter and is a tremendous character guy. Heard a great interview today with him and he was worked out by the Browns' coaches at his pro day today.

 

Here's the info on him: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1123662

 

 

He's 6' and about 190. Not the best tackler but has some really good attributes.

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