http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cf...rnerback-tiers
I found this article about CBs by Eric Stoner, to be pretty helpful. I'm really interested in Jamar Taylor and David Amerson for the Pats. Unfortunately, he didn't evaluate them yet. Every one of the CBs in this draft has at least 1 flaw in their game which prevents any 1 of them from being elite. For that reason, it's important to realize the flaws and choose a CB who fills a specific role within a particular defensive philosophy.
Rhodes, for example, is a physical CB but gets too physical too often. He'll be penalized in the NFL for grabbing receivers as he did in college, but he's not fast enough as a CB to run with most NFL receivers. To me, he's a S.
Poyer is very stout below the waist, an advantage he uses to jam receivers successfully but his lack of speed & short arms will ultimately cost him. Poyer doesn't have the closing speed to play zone and he can't play man press if his man escapes the LOS, so where do you play him?
McFadden & Alford are suited for zone coverage only & are liabilities in both run support & in the RZ. Think Wheatley but shorter. I know McFadden is your guy, Manxman but he scares me a little.
Dee Milliner is just like Asante Samuel to me but not as fast. He avoids tackling when at all possible and freelances often; maybe his freelancing was allowed b/c of Bama's incredible D. That can probably be coached. His run support is adequate. He has the size, ball skills and instincts though and he's very young (20 yrs old) with upside. Right now, he's my #1 CB but he isn't perfect by any stretch and he'll likely be gone before we pick anyway.
Jonathan Banks is #1 or #2 on a lot of lists although I find myself more in agreement with this assessment of Banks. He played mostly Cover 3 at Miss St. meaning he always had deep help which allowed him to take chances. And he took a lot of chances. He can often be seen bailing off his receiver to cut an underneath guy for an interception. This worked for him in college but this will cost TDs in the NFL. His cover technique is raw but he's a willing tackler. He could be a natural S convert in the NFL.
Webb is a guy with incredible athleticism but he's a pure zone CB. His length and athleticism may appeal to BB for use in zone schemes but his strength is a concern in run support.
Trufant is another guy like Banks who is over-rated to me. He's physically gifted but he plays dumb-as-a-post on the field. As Stoner said, he routinely gets fooled by double moves and often loses contact in coverage. NFL receivers will eat him alive b/c of his poor technique. Trufant needs coaching for technique and discipline.
Jamar Taylor of Boise St. intrigues me as a day 2 pick although he's been rising on some mocks. He's very good in press coverage, very physical at the catch point and technically sound to stay with breaks and double moves. He's also excellent in run support & an accomplished tackler. He's been under the radar somewhat until recently. Taylor plays smart and that may appeal to BB the same way it appeals to me.
The Combine may have its faults but one position the Combine can be useful for is CB. Speed and quickness are essential and the Combine will be very important to finalizing thoughts on these players.
