BGC 2018 DRAFT CB/S THREAD

[BaconGrundleCandy]

I'll use this thread to talk about & breakdown defensive backs. And of course P-TP.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Mike Hughes - U.C.F. - CB - 5-11/190

Background

• Born February 11, 1996.

• North Carolina native. Went to U.N.C. & played in 11 games before being arrested for a misdemeanor (assault inflicting serious injury) Went j.u.c.o. route in Kansas for a year before deciding on U.C.F. over South Carolina & others.

• Played Slot, RB, Return kicks while at Garden Community College amassing 900+ all purpose yards.

• Coaches at Garden Community said they got back on track & raved about his progress. Coaches at U.C.F. echoed personal development since joining the team.

• #18 Athlete coming out of High School.

Strengths

• 5’11/195 - Adequate H/W. Plays much bigger than size.

• Fluid Hips. Very good C.O.D. Smooth transition. Shifty. Can stay w/ smaller, quicker guys.

• Very Good Speed, Acceleration & Quick feet. Plays on the balls of his feet & seemingly glides. Takes efficient steps.

• Press - Gets in square, tight stance to explode & assault his man. Physical w/ very good punches & placement to impede WR’S at l.o.s. - Uses “Sidelines to Shutdown” Great job of squeezing WR'S outside, even out of bounds at times. Will use hands & body to stay tight downfield w/ his man. Good ball tracking ability.
• Zone/Off Man - Very good route recognition & diagnosing overall play. Quick to process. Aware but baiting QB while watching the QB & his area. Has really good closing speed.
• Not afraid of a challenge. Has no back down attitude you want. Wants to play opposing team's #1.

• Has some savvy & nuance to his game. Great job at using his hands to grab, arms to impede, body to change WR'S direction mid/route while not getting flagged. Poised.

• Ball hawk mentality that wants to make a play whether it's INT, PD or ripping a ball out. Wants to make a play but won't sacrifice assignment.

• Attacks ankles/feet of ball carriers. Good effort & willingness.

• Has return skills that can change a game. Very elusive & has speed to put up 6.

Concerns

• Gives up inside release to easy when in press. Little late reacting & let's his man cross his face.

• Probably will always have trouble with bigger WR’S bc of size. Esp when they get inside position.

• Has to keep eyes/head up when launching himself at ball carriers. Will duck & dive too much.

• Could improve zone play. Specifically hand-off play w/ teammates. Some zone techniques will come in time w/ more play. You can tell he's a “natural” press/man CB.

Outlook
Hughes looks like the blue chip athlete he was ranked as coming out of High School. Like some prospects he got in trouble, went j.u.c.o. & battled back. He did just that while having a great year & helping U.C.F. to an undefeated season last year. He has almost everything you want in a CB besides great size. His quicks, speed, c.o.d. , ball skills & versatility are all top tier or borderline. Combine that w/ his quick mental processing, savvy & you have quite the player. Hughes is a 1st round & arguably CB1.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Mike Hughes - Traits That Translate

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Jaire Alexander - CB - Louisville - 5-11/190

Background

From Charlotte, N.C. - Tough, poor upbringing, including living in different places month to month.

Went to Rocky River High School. Played WR, CB & was impactful at both positions.

Not highly recruited. Committed to Charlotte & South Carolina before ultimately deciding on Louisville.

Wants to give back to Charlotte area once he's in position to.



Strengths

• 5’11/190, passes H/W, but plays much bigger. Literally & figuritly.
• Very good C.O.D. & Speed- Quick, sudden feet that allow him to stay balanced. Reportedly ran 4.32 recently.
• Press/Off Man Coverage - Gets in squaty stance & lands jabs w/ inside hand to coerce WR’S to the sidelines. Uses body to squeeze WR/sideline. Footwork allows him to mirror WR’S in stride, stop/start. At times turns head, locates ball like a pro. Smooth transition.
• Zone - Great instincts, awareness & route recognition/matching patterns. Studies QB until last second & always peeking if he can. Plays area like a point guard defending space & players.
• Great job at undercutting underneath routes (slants, crossers), blowing up screens, & jumping comebacks/sticks.

• Great Ball Skills/Playmaking Skills. Played WR in high school & going into U.L. Returns kicks. Electric w/ ball in his hands. Will look to make INT or drive/rip ball out.
• Watches film, formations, thinks about situational football. Savvy, playmaker w/ nuance to his game. From baiting QB’S, hand use to slow down WR’S or film study, he's becoming a student of the game. Calculated gambler, from his steps to jumping a route.
• Experience in every scheme from Press Man to Cover 3. Inside/out, both boundary spots. Smaller & bigger WR’S.

• Brings toughness, attitude & leadership. Will play through injury & put in work on/off the field.
• Has experience & success against bigger WR’s that play/will play on Sundays.

Concerns

• At times base gets too wide & footwork suffers in transition. Explosive WR’S off the l.o.s. will take advantage.
• Could be a little more decisive when breaking on underneath routes.
• Would like to see better angles in run support w/ more physicality. Bigger backs, bigger WR’S blocking might be a problem.
• Medicals will be interesting since he has the “injury prone” tag from some.

Outlook
If not for injury concerns it's very hard not to think of Alexander as a top 15 pick. He brings electric playmaking ability/ball skills, scheme versatility & is a natural coverage corner. Alexander's study habits are also more than evident watching him play. You see him reacting to formations, QB calls & his play reflects down/distance quite a bit. In a day & age of WR’S playing multiple roles, Alexander importance can't be understated. He's a weapon in the secondary w/ legit return ability.

 

[Racervx54]

I like Quin Blanding Hes a family friend here in Virginia. Hes is such a great down to earth super kid. Should play SS in the NFL.

 

[WaterfallJumper]

I like Quin Blanding Hes a family friend here in Virginia. Hes is such a great down to earth super kid. Should play SS in the NFL.

I could see him as a Chung understudy. Solid size, and almost 500 (492!!!) tackles in his career. He has 10 interceptions, too, so he has some ball skills. Strangely enough, though, only one forced fumble in all those hits.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Quenton Meeks - Patriot-Type Player - Stanford - 6'1/210 - TH

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Josh Jackson - Patriot-Type Player - Iowa - 6'/196 - CB

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Donte Jackson

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

 

[maineman209]

FWIW ...

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Big fan & another guy not talked about enough (there's so many guys that fall into this category. Too many to post, why I love grading, no hiding from that)

 

[WaterfallJumper]

Big fan & another guy not talked about enough (there's so many guys that fall into this category. Too many to post, why I love grading, no hiding from that)

Just posted a few of his games in the pro day thread. I like him as a developmental guy, but I'm not as big of a fan as some people are -- lots of technique work required.

 

[bakes781]

I like Carlton Davis from auburn. I know he’s got a similar build to Gilmore, but I see that as a good thing. His arms are longer than most people’s legs! Two good press corners on both sidelines will make up for a lack of pass rush.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

I like Carlton Davis from auburn. I know he’s got a similar build to Gilmore, but I see that as a good thing. His arms are longer than most people’s legs! Two good press corners on both sidelines will make up for a lack of pass rush.

I like but tbh he kinda scares me. Loses balance, I think bc his feet n lower aren't up to speed with his mind & what he wants to do. Good r/r will give him problems if post-los imo. Haven't graded him tbh.

 

[WaterfallJumper]

I like but tbh he kinda scares me. Loses balance, I think bc his feet n lower aren't up to speed with his mind & what he wants to do. Good r/r will give him problems if post-los imo. Haven't graded him tbh.

That's all true. He would probably get eaten up inside against an Edelman or Baldwin. I don't think he's as versatile as some of the other corners in this draft.

With his 33" arms and 6010 #206 frame, though, he's an imposing presence in the secondary, and he can compete against big guys for jump balls. This year we play some big boys this year. Bills and Jets both have several receivers over 6'2 who play a physical brand of jump ball football. As much as I like Rowe, he's just not as physical off the line, and seems to lose sight of the ball in the air. Davis could help fix that.

2018 Patriots Opponents

When Davis is outside in press man, he's a monster. I've rarely seen someone so adroit at winning at the LoS. He has long arms and a strong frame, and even if he doesn't land a good punch (a lot of times he's content to just soft step and mirror), he's really good at squeezing the route to the sidelines. Half the time I can't tell if the receiver is run blocking or if he's pressing, because the handwork around the LoS looks the same for either scenario. They just get locked up and never make it out into a route. Even so, he's got the size and speed to handle vertical routes, as long as there aren't a ton of double moves and quick cuts.

He's a round 1 guy for me, as long as he's deployed in the right matchups.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

That's all true. He would probably get eaten up inside against an Edelman or Baldwin. I don't think he's as versatile as some of the other corners in this draft.

With his 33" arms and 6010 #206 frame, though, he's an imposing presence in the secondary, and he can compete against big guys for jump balls. This year we play some big boys this year. Bills and Jets both have several receivers over 6'2 who play a physical brand of jump ball football. As much as I like Rowe, he's just not as physical off the line, and seems to lose sight of the ball in the air. Davis could help fix that.

2018 Patriots Opponents

When Davis is outside in press man, he's a monster. I've rarely seen someone so adroit at winning at the LoS. He has long arms and a strong frame, and even if he doesn't land a good punch (a lot of times he's content to just soft step and mirror), he's really good at squeezing the route to the sidelines. Half the time I can't tell if the receiver is run blocking or if he's pressing, because the handwork around the LoS looks the same for either scenario. They just get locked up and never make it out into a route. Even so, he's got the size and speed to handle vertical routes, as long as there aren't a ton of double moves and quick cuts.

He's a round 1 guy for me, as long as he's deployed in the right matchups.

Yea we agree. I think we just like him in different neighborhoods.

Match up guy but struggles against good rr. Agholor, Baldwin etc. Inside/Outside guys.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Godwin Igwebuike

 

[maineman209]

Since the Combine, I've begun to see a lot of Jessie Bates and Terrell Edmunds (Tremaine's older brother) in play in the media. "Workout warriors", or can either of these guys actually play? Wondering if anyone here has scouted them yet (or have I just missed it)?

 

[WaterfallJumper]

Since the Combine, I've begun to see a lot of Jessie Bates and Terrell Edmunds (Tremaine's older brother) in play in the media. "Workout warriors", or can either of these guys actually play? Wondering if anyone here has scouted them yet (or have I just missed it)?

I'm a bit sour on Bates. He's awfully thin and his tackling leaves something to be desired. That said, he's got plus range and ball skills. A team looking for a true center fielder should be excited about his potential.

Edmunds can play. He's a strong blitzer, wraps up, moves well, and shows promise in man coverage. My biggest complaint is that sometimes he loses sight of the ball. Still, he's generally in good position downfield, and he's gifted at picking up crossing routes. He definitely flashes explosive speed to run with receivers. He can man up TEs, and he looks like he has the fluidity to flip his hips and stay with big receivers, too. It play him at corner against someone like Benjamin. He can be physical at the catch point. He'll trackle.

Funny you mention Edmunds, because I've been putting him in my mocks lately, and thinking he probably would be better value in the 2nd/3rd than Reid in the 1st. Reid could play McCourty's role better, but Edmunds is a perfect fit for an understudy to Chung.