Darrelle Revis CB Pittsburgh
STRENGTHS
Darrelle is a shut down, playmaking CB. He has excellent size, strength, speed and quickness to play this position. He shows good hands to intercept the ball and when he does, he always looks to take it back all the way. Darrelle has good man-to-man cover skills and is a ball hawk when playing in zone coverage. He has excellent recovery speed and is a very good tackler. He likes to be physical when he plays against bigger WR’s, but is still quick enough to handle the smaller and quicker WR’s. Darrelle has the potential to be an excellent CB for the team that drafts him and as an added bonus, he has excellent return skills and will be a big impact player on Special Teams.
NEEDS TO IMPROVE
At the next level, for the first time in his football life, Darrell’s athletic skills will be challenged. The big question I have of Darrelle is how well will he handle the pressure at the next level -– mentally? Can he bounce back after he gets burnt and is he mature enough to deal with the off field pressures? He does need to work on some techniques, but this is all very normal for a CB coming out early. To tell you the truth, I think he will handle the pressure very well and on film, looks like he is having a lot of fun out there – both on the field and with his teammates.
TALENT BOARD ROUND: 1
Darrelle’s athletic talent is not a question mark at all, but -- as with all talented juniors, you have to wonder how well he will handle being challenged for the very first time in his athletic career. Sometimes it is difficult for a player who can do everything at the college level to struggle initially at the next level because they have never struggled before at any other level. I think Darrell’s special team skills along with his ball hawking skills will make him a big hit right away for the team that drafts him. But the Pittsburgh team does not play the most challenging schedule and as we all know, things can come pretty fast for a CB at the next level. Darrelle will have to start working on his techniques, but that will not stop him from most likely being a top pick in this draft. If I needed a CB, I would pick him first off the board; however, I would go slow and let things come to him at an emotional speed that he can handle. Special teams and cover corner in nickel-dime packages for the first year, then cut him loose the second year and let him fly because this kid should be something special.
- Drew Boylhart (thehuddlereport.com)
************************************************** *****
Chris Houston CB Arkansas
STRENGTHS
Chris is the type of player that plays bigger than his size because of his strength and confidence. He has good quickness and speed and is a very smooth CB who has no wasted movements or false steps when he is covering a WR man-to-man. He is an excellent shutdown cover corner that loves a challenge. Chris is a decent tackler, but the truth is, he would rather cover a receiver so that the ball is not even thrown his way at all. Chris shows good mental strength to go along with a smooth stride, excellent hip-flip and is smart when reading a WR to anticipate when the ball is ready to be knocked down. Chris should help a team as a cover corner the day after he is drafted.
NEEDS TO IMPROVE
Chris is an excellent cover corner, but he doesn’t seem to have very good hands to intercept the ball. He is not much of a playmaker and because he does not show very good hands, he will have difficulties helping out for the team that drafts him in the return game on special teams. Also, Chris is not quick to leave his man and come up and support the run game against sweeps to his side of the field.
TALENT BOARD ROUND: 2
In my mind, for a corner to be rated as a 1st round talent, he has to be a playmaker and a corner that tackles in all phases of the game. Right now, on the film I have of Chris, he is lacking in those two areas. He has excellent cover skills and has gone up against some big time talent, but for the next level, the WR’s are better at catching balls with CB’s hanging all over them and RB’s that will sweep around your side all day long if they smell a corner who is not energetic enough to come up and attack the sweep. Chris has some excellent 1st round talents and he could improve his attitude towards defending against a sweep without much trouble at all; however, I don’t see many CB’s that improve their abilities to intercept the ball because they lack the true hand-eye coordination to catch a ball. Antoine Winfield (CB Vikings) is a hell of a CB, but he is not an impact CB because he just does not get enough interceptions. Now, he has made a lot of money, but the fact is that he would make even more if he could just intercept a few passes a year. The fact is, no QB is afraid in an important part of a game to throw his way because they know the pass will not be intercepted. So no harm, no foul -- so to speak. Chris will be an excellent cover corner for the team that drafts him, but unless he shows in his workouts that he can catch the ball for an interception, then he just won’t be an impact cover corner.
- Drew Boylhart (thehuddlereport.com)
