New England Patriots Possible Target in the 2015 NFL Draft – Eric Rowe, CB Utah
 Eric Rowe from Utah is an intriguing prospect who started three years at safety before moving over to cornerback in 2014. He is one of the more versatile DBs in the draft. (USA Today, Image) |
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
CB Ronald Darby from FSU
WR Devin Funchess from Michigan
OG A.J. Cann from South Carolina
RB Mike Davis from South Carolina
ILB Benadrick McKinney from Mississippi State
OLB Hau’oli Kikaha from Washington
T Jeremiah Poutasi from Utah
OLB Kyle Emanuel from North Dakota State
RB Jay Ajayi from Boise State
WR Jamison Crowder from Duke
CB Kevin Johnson from Wake Forest
DT Eddie Goldman from Florida State
LB Shaq Thompson from Washington
OG Tre Jackson from Florida State
CB Marcus Peters from Washington
The Patriots must have some holes to fill an in the secondary, most especially the cornerback position that they’ll need help. Both starting corners, Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner have left via free agency. Revis’ ability to cover on an island transformed the way the defense played and he had a major factor in their success in 2014. Browner had the size and physicality that the team has lacked in recent years.
It worked perfectly; Browner or Kyle Arrington would cover the opponent’s #1 threat with over the top safety help. Revis would shadow the #2 receiver alone. The Patriots have solid depth but lack anyone with neither the technical skills of Revis nor the size/physicality of Browner. Currently the team has Malcolm Butler, Kyle Arrington, Logan Ryan, Alfonzo Dennard and Justin Green on the roster. During free agency, the team added Bradley Fletcher, Robert McClain and Chimdi Chekwa.
They have hopes that a fresh start will ignite Fletcher and Butler can improve upon a stellar ending of 2014 into continued progression. They’ll also look to the draft for improved depth and production.
Eric Rowe from Utah was a three-year starter and All-Conference at safety before moving outside to cornerback in 2014. He was productive for the Utes, in his four-year career he had 261 tackles, 34 passes defensed, three interceptions and three fumble recoveries in 45 games.
He followed that up with an impressive performance at the NFL Combine, where he ran a 4.45 in the 40, had a vertical leap of 39 inches, 125 inch broad jump and 6.70 time in the three-cone drill. As a result, the 6’1, 205 Rowe started shooting up draft boards.
Rowe is tall, long and built well with good straight line speed. He is a smart, physical corner who can jam wide receivers and disrupt them at the line of scrimmage. Utah ran a heavy man coverage scheme but Rowe, after playing at free safety for three years is at his best with the play unfolding in front of him. So he may be best suited for a zone coverage scheme with over the top safety help.
He has very good ball skills and is instinctive especially in zone coverage. He’s very good in run support and is a sure, physical tackler. He has had trouble with changing direction and like many taller corners, is susceptible to the double-move. Hands are an issue, as he has dropped several possible interceptions.
Pros:
- Good size for an NFL corner at 6’1, 205 and versatile, can play both CB and Safety
- Physical, sure tackler, reads the play in front of him very well
- Good ball skills, will break quickly and disrupt plays
Cons:
- May not have the speed to keep up with top WRs without safety help over the top
- Has played corner only one season and may need more time to get his game together
- Is he better suited as a free safety or CB?
Where can the Patriots can get him?: Rowe is one of those guys who is being perhaps over-scouted and now draft pundits are possibly over-inflating his position after a very good Combine performance. Where he was seen as 3rd-to-4th Round prospect prior to the Combine, he’s now being mentioned as a 1st round guy. In that case the Patriots would likely pass.
If he were to go later in the draft, he’d be a very intriguing prospect. The best thing about Rowe is his versatility. He can play outside corner, in the slot or at free safety. And as we all know, Bill Belichick loves versatile players.
Rowe is at his best with the play in front of him and may be best suited in a zone scheme with safety help over the top. But that isn’t to say he hasn't or can’t play man as a corner. He has the things a team would want in a cornerback, length, good speed and explosiveness on the ball. But with only a year under his belt playing the position, he’s still on the raw side.
If they select Rowe, he could be cast in a role similar but not quite the same as the team used Browner last season. He’d be the bigger, more physical corner that they’d use with safety help over the top.
His versatility though is very intriguing as in the case of an injury, he could step up and play free safety seamlessly. With some experience and coaching at the next level, Rowe could be a quality starter for the right team in the NFL. He probably wouldn’t be an immediate starter, but might take a year to develop.
Here is a highlight film of Rowe at Utah vs Washington State courtesy of Draftbreakdown.com:
And against Michigan in 2014, also by Draftbreakdown:
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