Is Rodgers-Cromartie two rounds better than Antwaun Molden?
Molden's Stats:
Ht: 6-1
Wt: 198
40 yd: 4.39
20 yd:2.55
10 yd: 1.5
Bench: 23 reps of 225
Vert: 37 1/2
Broad: 10'9"
20 yard shuttle: 4.14
3 cone: 6.85
Rodgers-Cromartie:
Ht: 6-2
Wt:184
40 yd: 4.33
20 yd: 2.51
10 yd: 1.49
Bench: 17 reps of 225
Vert: 38 1/2
Broad: 10'11"
20 yard shuttle: 4.17
3 cone: 6.74
They played in the same conference as well (Ohio Valley). Their numbers are ridiculously similar (where Molden trails ever so slightly in almost all drills) except Molden is bigger (by 14 pounds despite giving up an inch to Dominique) and stronger (23 to 17). One write up says he was hardly thrown on in '07 but still managed 9 passes defensed and two picks (compared to 11 and 2 for RoCro). I'm seeing almost identical players except one is named Cromartie; why does one deserve to be considered top ten pick overall and the other projects third or fourth round?
Pretty simple, you and I have only been able to see DRC at the combine and in the Senior bowl, these scouts have had the luxury of watching both of these guys perform both in person and on tape and here you go, here's your answer as to why DRC is projected to be 2 rounds better: I know that Molden improved this prior 40 (shown below) at the combine and yes I know that this data is "pre-combine" but it's based on 2004-2007 game tape. So if you project it out, DRC had slightly better overall combine numbers, this combined with the game-scouted analysis on the two of them is why DRC goes top 14 and Molden at best sneaks into the bottom of Round 2, more likely R3.
Antwaun Molden
He is a solid, not spectacular athlete. He has good size and not great, but adequate speed (4.54-40). He has a smooth backpedal and already has the ability to cover most NFL receivers. Molden is best suited to play in zone coverage, because he takes good angles while on pursuit. He has decent hands for interceptions, but sometimes questionable instincts. He is not a physical player, letting receivers run through without much contact and ball carriers tend to overpower him as well. He does not react quickly with slow downs in and out of breaks. Molden does not shed blocks well and questions are already raised about his durability and the fact that he did not shine at a lower level.
DRC
Rodgers-Cromartie is an experienced three year starter. He is very athletic, with a good football frame and great straight line speed (4.38-40). He reacts quickly and is also good at recovering speed, accelerating with real burst. He has good leaping ability and usually takes good angles while in pursuit. But he also plays with a swagger and forgets quickly. He is better in zone coverage than man to man schemes. Dominique needs to add strength because he is not physical enough. He also needs to improve his mechanics; his level of competition was a concern until his Senior Bowl performance.
Dominique is an outstanding athlete. There were concerns about how he will perform against better athletes, but those doubts were laid to rest with impressive practice sessions leading up to the Senior Bowl. Dominique was easily the best defensive back in the game. His performance earned him the Under Amour New Prototype Award. He still needs to learn how to play one position, but with better coaching and more experience, he should develop into an elite player in the NFL.
Also: Notice who's missing below (Mr. Molden, he was beaten out by his teammate Derrick Huff )
Five Ohio Valley Conference football players have been named to the Associated Press's (AP) 2007 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) All-American Team:
The players include first-team selection Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (DB, Tennessee State), second-team selections Larry Shipp (WR/RS, Tennessee Tech) and Derrick Huff (DB, Eastern Kentucky) and third-team picks Gavin Hallford (K, Jacksonville State) and Pierre Walters (DL, Eastern Illinois).
