He wasn’t as good outside for sure, but I think he’d be able to play out there in year two if he had to. His fundamentals are so good for a young guy from a smaller school. He’s just a really natural corner and I would trust him just about anywhere in the secondary, but I love the guy’s game.
But to your point, yeah, Bland is a natural in the slot, which is kind of unexpected for a longer CB to play so well inside. Usually the better slot defenders are kind of shorter like Lewis or Asante Samuel. But Bland is such a natural player and gets low on his breaks when he changes direction. It is just in his DNA. How does someone like that slip through the major college cracks?
We all knew we had something big in him in his first preseason game last year. He looked like a polished vet in game 1 of the PS. It is very unusual. Dallas got lucky big time.