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http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/nfl-draft/post/_/id/4046/4046
As the NFL continues to trend toward being more of a passing league, wide receivers have never been as transcendent as they are today. Calvin Johnson, Dez Bryant, AJ Green, Demaryius Thomas and Alshon Jeffery, a group that could be mistaken for a basketball lineup, are creating nightmares for defensive coordinators trying to match up with downfield.
Historically, any trend that begins on one side of the ball -- offensively or defensively -- coordinators always seem to have an eventual answer to try and counter that trend. In speaking with talent evaluators in the past year, it seems the longer and more physical press cornerbacks are in vogue. Teams are starting to sacrifice a little in terms of fluidity and top-end speed for size that can hold up with the bigger receivers when on an island.
Looking at this year's cornerback class, there is an abnormal number of bigger prospects who project as press corners at the next level.
Below are players who could bring a strong return in each of the three days of the upcoming draft.
Day 1: Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State
Dennard currently ranks as the top cornerback on our board. He is a hard edge-setter against the run and is most effective when locked up in press man technique. At 5-foot-11, he doesn't have exceptional height but he has long arms (32¼ inches) and above-average strength to get physical near the line of scrimmage to disrupt receivers' releases.
One area that really stands out on Dennard's tape is his ability to shadow a receiver in trail technique. He has quality balance and fluidity as a mover. In addition, he displays very good patience and rarely becomes overzealous in taking the bait with head and shoulder fakes or double moves.
Finally, Dennard has strong overall ball skills. He tracks, turns and locates the ball well and also can decipher when to play the ball or the man. Dennard will clutch and grab downfield, which he must scale back at the next level. However, he has the strength and leaping ability to hold up one-on-one downfield on an island.
Overall, while this cornerback class has ample depth, it lacks elite talent at the top. Dennard isn't an exceptional athlete like Ohio State's Bradley Roby and he doesn't have as much playmaking ability as Oklahoma State Justin Gilbert. However, he is the most complete player of the bunch and should start drawing attention beginning with Pittsburgh at No. 15 in the first round.
Day 2: Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB, Nebraska
The nearly 6-3, 218-pound cornerback has long arms and presents a physical presence on the outside. Jean-Baptiste has some tightness, which can be exposed in off-man coverage and he is far from a burner in terms of top-end speed. However, when his technique is sound, his ability to utilize his length and strength and effectively use his hands to reroute can quickly become a neutralizer against quicker and faster receivers on an island.
Jean-Baptiste started as a wide receiver at Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College and his first year at Nebraska (he redshirted) before switching to cornerback in his second season with the Cornhuskers. His wide receiver background is evident on tape, where he shows natural ball skills. He tracks the ball well and shows explosive leaping ability while playing the ball in contested situations.
Jean-Baptiste still has some developing to do in terms of instincts and awareness, and he can clean up some technical issues as a tackler. However, his high ceiling in terms of size, length and playmaking ability has scouts intrigued as a Day 2 prospect.
Day 3: Pierre Desir, CB, Lindenwood
Similar to Jean-Baptiste, Desir displays some tightness, especially when having to gear down and quickly change directions. He still needs a lot of polish using his hands to jam receivers and he doesn't have elite recovery speed to make up ground when initially beaten at the line of scrimmage.
However, at 6-1 and 198 pounds, along with 33-inch arms, Desir's physical tools will be appealing to scouts. In addition, he flashes playmaking instincts, above-average range and has had a lot of ball production throughout his two seasons at Lindenwood (20 pass breakups and 13 interceptions).
Desir was one of the bigger winners from the all-star circuit. He showed well at the East-West Shrine Bowl while parlaying that performance into an invite to the Senior Bowl, where he held his own. Scouts I have spoken with were impressed with the improvement Desir made throughout the two-week span, which speaks to his ability to absorb and apply coaching.
Desir has the skill set to develop into an early contributor and potential starter within one or two years of development for a heavy press-man or press-zone scheme. Ideally, he will bring strong return in the early part of the fourth round, but it won't be a surprise if he comes off the board in the late third because of his appealing upside.
As the NFL continues to trend toward being more of a passing league, wide receivers have never been as transcendent as they are today. Calvin Johnson, Dez Bryant, AJ Green, Demaryius Thomas and Alshon Jeffery, a group that could be mistaken for a basketball lineup, are creating nightmares for defensive coordinators trying to match up with downfield.
Historically, any trend that begins on one side of the ball -- offensively or defensively -- coordinators always seem to have an eventual answer to try and counter that trend. In speaking with talent evaluators in the past year, it seems the longer and more physical press cornerbacks are in vogue. Teams are starting to sacrifice a little in terms of fluidity and top-end speed for size that can hold up with the bigger receivers when on an island.
Looking at this year's cornerback class, there is an abnormal number of bigger prospects who project as press corners at the next level.
Below are players who could bring a strong return in each of the three days of the upcoming draft.
Day 1: Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State
Dennard currently ranks as the top cornerback on our board. He is a hard edge-setter against the run and is most effective when locked up in press man technique. At 5-foot-11, he doesn't have exceptional height but he has long arms (32¼ inches) and above-average strength to get physical near the line of scrimmage to disrupt receivers' releases.
One area that really stands out on Dennard's tape is his ability to shadow a receiver in trail technique. He has quality balance and fluidity as a mover. In addition, he displays very good patience and rarely becomes overzealous in taking the bait with head and shoulder fakes or double moves.
Finally, Dennard has strong overall ball skills. He tracks, turns and locates the ball well and also can decipher when to play the ball or the man. Dennard will clutch and grab downfield, which he must scale back at the next level. However, he has the strength and leaping ability to hold up one-on-one downfield on an island.
Overall, while this cornerback class has ample depth, it lacks elite talent at the top. Dennard isn't an exceptional athlete like Ohio State's Bradley Roby and he doesn't have as much playmaking ability as Oklahoma State Justin Gilbert. However, he is the most complete player of the bunch and should start drawing attention beginning with Pittsburgh at No. 15 in the first round.
Day 2: Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB, Nebraska
The nearly 6-3, 218-pound cornerback has long arms and presents a physical presence on the outside. Jean-Baptiste has some tightness, which can be exposed in off-man coverage and he is far from a burner in terms of top-end speed. However, when his technique is sound, his ability to utilize his length and strength and effectively use his hands to reroute can quickly become a neutralizer against quicker and faster receivers on an island.
Jean-Baptiste started as a wide receiver at Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College and his first year at Nebraska (he redshirted) before switching to cornerback in his second season with the Cornhuskers. His wide receiver background is evident on tape, where he shows natural ball skills. He tracks the ball well and shows explosive leaping ability while playing the ball in contested situations.
Jean-Baptiste still has some developing to do in terms of instincts and awareness, and he can clean up some technical issues as a tackler. However, his high ceiling in terms of size, length and playmaking ability has scouts intrigued as a Day 2 prospect.
Day 3: Pierre Desir, CB, Lindenwood
Similar to Jean-Baptiste, Desir displays some tightness, especially when having to gear down and quickly change directions. He still needs a lot of polish using his hands to jam receivers and he doesn't have elite recovery speed to make up ground when initially beaten at the line of scrimmage.
However, at 6-1 and 198 pounds, along with 33-inch arms, Desir's physical tools will be appealing to scouts. In addition, he flashes playmaking instincts, above-average range and has had a lot of ball production throughout his two seasons at Lindenwood (20 pass breakups and 13 interceptions).
Desir was one of the bigger winners from the all-star circuit. He showed well at the East-West Shrine Bowl while parlaying that performance into an invite to the Senior Bowl, where he held his own. Scouts I have spoken with were impressed with the improvement Desir made throughout the two-week span, which speaks to his ability to absorb and apply coaching.
Desir has the skill set to develop into an early contributor and potential starter within one or two years of development for a heavy press-man or press-zone scheme. Ideally, he will bring strong return in the early part of the fourth round, but it won't be a surprise if he comes off the board in the late third because of his appealing upside.
