Nice mock:
- Would be fine with Cann but there are others I prefer
- Love the Byron Jones pick but I think he'll go closer to 32 than to 64 unfortunately.
- David Johnson and Marcus Hardison are two excellent picks.
- Really like 4 of your next 5 but I'm not thrilled by Hackett.
I would take this if this was how things looked at the end of May 2nd.
Im digging this mock also.
If we could somehow come out of this draft with both Jones & Darby, I think we'd actually be in a better place then we would have been if we would have retained Revis & Browner. Yes, you can't compare Jones & Darby to #24 & #39 just yet, but in the not so long run, it would be much better for the team in almost every single way. I think Darby is very underrated ! The fact alone that you can't find any footage, speaks volumes to his ability to shut his matchup down. Very rarely did opposing QB's try to test him. He also had the privilege of going up against some very tuff competition in his time at FSU, which I think further validates his skill set.
Like I mentioned, its very hard to find good analyst of him, but here's one I found on Reddit, which does a very good job of breaking his play down. No, this isn't from a credited analyst, but the guy makes a lot of valid points. I don't agree with him being top 15 pick, but I think that he will go before the end of the second round, more than likely by the mid second. If we were somehow able to get the Jets second round pick, id be fully content with going to Jones at 32, and using the Jets second on Darby. Now I doubt that we're going to actually get that, but yeah. Heres that report.
"I just wrote this whole thing, and i lost it all so it might not be as good as it was before. Excuse me if it is sucks, cause i wrote a lot and frankly I am pretty pissed off.
Ronald Darby, CB for FSU stands at 5'10-5'11 weighing in at 190-200. The junior track star from Maryland runs a mid to low 4.3. Lets get into the specifics of his game.
Man Coverage: Darby does not play a lot of press, but has improved that facet of his game. Darby has the combination of footwork, fluidity in his hips, and speed to run with any wide receiver in the country. If he is beat off the line, he has the speed to recover and make a play on the ball. I would go as far to say that when in man coverage there is not a better corner in the country.He just shuts down receivers, and really never gets thrown at but 2-3 times a game at most. Ex:
In the video, he is lined up against Philip Dorsett, speedy WR for Miami (who will likely run a 4.3 also). Dorsett beats Darby off the line, but with a second of hesitation from the QB, and Darby recovering he catches Dorset, then knocks the ball away.
In regards to his press coverage skills, he unfortunately does not have the size to really affect a receivers route, but with his man coverage skills it does not hurt. Think about Deon Sanders, not saying Darby is on that level obviously just an idea, Sanders did not need press coverage to shut down a corner, he used his speed, footwork and hips to achieve that.
Grade: A+
Zone Coverage: Darby does not have a lot of footage on the internet I could find, since he is thrown at so little. Although from the little bit of footage I could find, and my running knowledge of FSU players and what I have seen during games is this it is a mixed bag. Darby plays zone conservatively, which is a good and bad thing. He keeps the play in front of him, and prevents big plays. On the other side of that, is that big play factor you will need every once in a while. He would rather give up the 5 yard catch, then potentially whiff on the pass and give up a big gain. ex.
Grade: B+
Physicality: This is an area I would love to see him improve on, getting up in the receivers face and really jamming him up at the line. Or when there is a jump ball, like when Davante Parker got that long gain against him in the Louisville (granted it was blatant offensive pass interference) but you get the point, he was out physicalled. Boxed out if you will.
Grade: C
Tackling: Kind of piggy backing off the last section, he puts himself in position to make tackles but is not going to blow anyone up by any means. He makes good form tackles so he has that going for him
ex:
In this example, Sammy Watkins hits open field, and if not for Darby making the form tackle, it would have been a touchdown.
Grade: B-
Athleticism: This section is two fold, I'm going to talk about his speed, and quickness, but also his explosion with his legs in terms of jumping and the such. His speed and quickness, he can run with anyone in the country. He beat Sammy Watkins in track coming out of highschool if my memory serves me well. Also he has been timed at a 4.31 so he is elite in that regard. Where he loses is every thing else, jumping he is average for a prospect, as well as his strength which could be cause for concern.
Grade: A-
Draft Projection top 15 draft pick. Every year I have a prediction for an FSU player, mine is that Darby will be the first CB taken if he declares. I have not been wrong in 5 years in those predictions. No other corner shuts down their receivers like Darby. In 2013, which he was nursing a hamstring all season for, he was targeted a ridiculously low amount, ~22 times if I'm not mistaken and was caught on 9 times. ALL SEASON. show me another corner that is putting up stats like that, there is not one. For the 1/3 of 2013 he was not targeted a singular time. Once the scouts, and GMs see his tape you can rest assured they will come to the same conclusions as I."
