New England Patriots Possible Target in the 2015 NFL Draft – Ronald Darby, CB Florida State
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 Ronald Darby will be a player to watch in the 2015 NFL Draft as one of the cornerbacks who could go much earlier than expected. (USA TODAY Images) |
As the 2015 NFL Draft draws closer we’ll profile some of the players that may be on the Patriots radar. Some of these players have already been linked to New England as possible targets others, we feel would be a great fit.
Check out our earlier 2015 NFL Draft profiles on PatsFans.com:
DE/OLB Nate Orchard from Utah
WR Tyrell Williams from Western Oregon
DT Jordan Phillips from Oklahoma
DT Carl Davis from Iowa
RB David Johnson from Northern Iowa
CB Steven Nelson from Oregon State
OLB Zack Hodges from Harvard
In looking to replace their starting cornerbacks from 2014, the Patriots have looked to free agency; will address this in the 2015 NFL Draft and beef up the front seven and pass rush. There is no easy replacement available for Darrelle Revis nor Brandon Browner. So the defense and the secondary coverages will probably change to a degree…but we are still in March….so there remains plenty of time for Bill Belichick to build this team, specifically the secondary before Week 1 of the 2015 season begins.
Right now the current roster consists of Malcolm Butler, Bradley Fletcher, Kyle Arrington, Alfonzo Dennard, Logan Ryan, Robert McClain, and Justin Green.
Ronald Darby from FSU is an interesting prospect at corner who may be just scratching the surface of his potential. Playing for the Seminoles, Darby was considered the #2 corner behind P.J. Williams. Being a tad shorter than ideal at 5’10 and a half but solidly built at 193, Darby has the chiseled look of a sprinter which is what he is.
A former member of the 2011 USA World Youth Relay team that won Gold in France, Darby won both the 100 and 200 yard dashes. He possesses outstanding straight line speed and blistered to a 4.38 time in the 40 at the NFL Combine.
He has a quick, low and backpedal and can turn and run with any wide receiver with ease. He has that extra gear and then some so that he can recover and catch the most explosive wide outs that get by him.
Was not regarded as a great press man coverage corner but in games I watched, he seemed to do it quite well. Darby can play press man, off-man coverage as well and shows good patience and play recognition.
The knock on him prior to last season was that he wasn’t physical enough, and that still shows itself from time to time. But it was also an area that he improved upon a lot in 2014. He is decent but not great in run support, something that he’ll no doubt be expected to improve on at the next level.
His technique at times is sloppy, more relying on his speed to recover than he should and will guess wrong from time to time (see Miami tape), but his upside is very tantalizing for teams looking for a Day 2 corner.
Pros:
- Blistering World Class speed, 4.38 in the 40, excellent closing speed with extra gear
- Good press man and off-man coverage skills
- Hasn’t reached his full potential, only 21 years old
Cons
- Lacks ideal height for the position, physicality needs to improve
- Technique can be sloppy at times, relying too much on speed
- Some off field red flags need investigating
Where Can the Patriots get him: Darby will be a guy to watch on Day 2 of the 2015 NFL Draft. He was originally slotted to go somewhere in Rounds 3-4 but after a performance in the NFL Combine with his speed, don’t be surprised if he goes higher.
With the Patriots seemingly set to address the big men in the middle at both the DL and OL early in the draft, a lot will depend on how the board plays out in front of them. Don’t be shocked if they go against the grain, (like every season) and reach for a corner early in this season’s draft.
The first thing that jumps off the page about Darby is the sheer athleticism, the 4.38 speed, the 41.5 inch vertical leap and the 10’9 broad jump all point to outstanding explosiveness. But he isn’t just a track star, he’s an accomplished corner.
One knock on Darby was the fact that he had only two interceptions for the Seminoles…but watch the tape, he was very rarely targeted in the passing game. He has some very good coverage skills that will only get better with time and coaching.
While it is true his height isn’t the ideal for what NFL teams want from their corners, his closing speed and leaping ability should more than compensate for that. Paired with Belichick, Darby could be a very nice addition to the Patriots secondary.
One thing that will need to be investigated further however was the off-field red flag that Darby has, having been involved somehow with the Jameis Winston incident.
Here are some of Darby’s highlights from the Football Man175’s page on YouTube:
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