Tracking the Draft Prospects: Cornerbacks

mascho

Kane is Able
SoSH Member
Nov 30, 2007
14,952
Silver Spring, Maryland
Time to look forward.
 
Solicited suggestions in the Draft Thread about having dedicated threads to a few positions that the Patriots might need to address in the draft.  So far we have TE/OL/DL.  Open to more.  
 
Here is a list of the CBs available in the draft.
 
Obviously Talib may walk.  So CB might need to be addressed.  Given the nature of the NFL game, secondary depth is a lot like starting pitching, you can't have enough.  And Dennard/Arrington/Ryan probably isn't enough to go into the season with.  So...
 
Dennard #2 likely won't fall to the Pats.  The guy is like is Marcus Roberson from Florida.  Projected to be a late first round pick, but with knee and ankle injury history he might fall.  I like his size.  A big CB is worth looking into.  
 

ElcaballitoMVP

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 19, 2008
3,932
Some guys I'm looking to follow through the draft process:

Early:
Marcus Roberson, UF- I like him too, esp. in round 2.
Jason Verrett, TCU- Probably too small but he's a pretty dynamic athlete. May be limited to the slot due to his size. 
Bradley Roby, OSU- Physical CB who is willing to help in run support
 
Late:
Chris Davis, AUB- Can play man with his strength/speed, but a little on the short side. Bonus points for being a plus special teams player (returns punts and last second missed field goals)
Stanley Jean-Baptiste, NEB- Being compared to Richard Sherman due to his size. Definitely raw, but has improved every season after converting from WR two years ago. He's listed around 6'2", 215 and is currently being projected in the 4-6th rounds at most sites. Due to his history at WR, he's got great ball skills and scouting reports I've seen have him being a pretty fluid athlete despite the size. Excels in press man coverage. 
 
A lot will change once we get through the combine and see how these guys run, but these are the names I've got my eye on right now. I'd love Justin Gilbert or Darqueze Dennard, but I think both guys will be gone by the time the Pats pick. 
 

Super Nomario

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 5, 2000
14,012
Mansfield MA
ElcaballitoMVP said:
Stanley Jean-Baptiste, NEB- Being compared to Richard Sherman due to his size. Definitely raw, but has improved every season after converting from WR two years ago. He's listed around 6'2", 215 and is currently being projected in the 4-6th rounds.
I suggested in the other thread re-signing Talib but looking to add a big, raw CB late. This is exactly the kind of pick I'm talking about. They could have thrown him in after Talib got hurt, and while he undoubtedly would have needed help, he at least has the physical attributes to be competitive with Thomas, something Dennard doesn't. At that size, he might even be an option against move TEs.
 

ElcaballitoMVP

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 19, 2008
3,932
Another guy I'd consider for the secondary, albeit not a CB, is FS Calvin Pryor from Louisville. 
 
He has experience as a FS in college, but is strong in run support. Due to questions about how fast he'll run, he may be better suited for SS. With his ability to play against the run and his experience in coverage, he could give the Pats an upgrade over Gregory/Wilson. His hard hitting is being compared to last year's rookies DJ Swearinger and Jon Cyprien and has the size to match up against TE's (6'2, 205). I'm not sure if this position is enough of a need to justify using a 1st round pick, which is what it likely will take to get Pryor, but he would be a nice compliment to McCourty. 
 

SMU_Sox

queer eye for the next pats guy
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2009
8,878
Dallas
Didn't like what I saw out of Roby in 2013. Thought he got beat on too many routes, double moves, etc. He is fast and very athletic but his instincts as a corner are... well... I don't think he'll be a shutdown guy. Physically he fits the mold. But I've seen too many highlights that illustrate poor decision making and shoddy footwork and hip movement.
 
He has a lot of the physical tools but probably needs a lot more of the mental development side of the game. I say pass unless you can snag him very late. Even then... let someone else take the risk.
 

mascho

Kane is Able
SoSH Member
Nov 30, 2007
14,952
Silver Spring, Maryland
Stanley Jean-Baptiste:
 
Highlight package:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq-FztyrMqQ
 
-Love the break on the ball at 1:07
-And again at 2:03
 
Game film against Southern Miss
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6xHpOsSGQQ
 
And he seems to be impressing at Senior Bowl workouts so far, at least according to this one report:  http://boltbeat.com/2014/01/21/senior-bowl-watch-nebraska-cb-stanley-jean-baptiste/
 
Make it happen.
 

mascho

Kane is Able
SoSH Member
Nov 30, 2007
14,952
Silver Spring, Maryland
Two more big corners to look at from small schools:  LaVelle Westbrooks from Georgia Southern.  6' 0" 192.  Watching him in ball drills now.  Great footwork, great hip turn.  
 
Mayock is high on Walt Atkins from Liberty, another 6' guy who transferred to Liberty.  I think he looks a big slow but Mayock thinks he's a player.  
 

ElcaballitoMVP

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 19, 2008
3,932
mascho said:
And now Westbrooks is getting roasted in 1 on 1s.  Just got beat off the line on back to back matchups.  
 
I didn't catch the earlier stuff you were talking about, but I happened to see the 1 on 1s and boy was he getting torched out there. Doesn't mean we should write him off just yet as it was just a few plays, but for a bigger guy he seemed to have trouble getting his hands on the receivers and jamming them from getting off the line. 
 

Super Nomario

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 5, 2000
14,012
Mansfield MA
Mugsy's Jock posted an Erik Frenz mock that had the Pats taking Rice CB Phillip Gaines in the 6th. Gaines had a terrific combine, measuring at 6'0", running a 4.38 40, and excelling at the agility drills (2nd in 3-cone, 5th in 20-yard shuttle). He He's starting to get some late-riser pub:
 
Josh Norris ‏@JoshNorris  Jan 12
I also really, really liked Rice's Phillip Gaines. Had not heard anything about him. Plenty of solid flashes in press http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/45974/351/start-to-e-w-shrine-week?pg=1 
 
RiceFootball ‏@RiceFootball1  Feb 25
Mayock "As someone who projects as a mid to late draft pick, I'm not sure you'll find better value that Phillip Gaines."
 
TURRON DAVENPORT ‏@TDavenport_BSN  Feb 28
FYI Phillip Gaines went head to head with Dez Bryant as a freshman and held his own. Two years ago lead nation in pass breakups. #BallSkills
 
Chris Kouffman ‏@ckparrot  Mar 1
Jeebus. Where's Rice been hiding this CB Phillip Gaines guy? Those hips are lightning quick.
 
Joshua Gleason ‏@JGleas  Mar 2
"(Phillip Gaines) had 40 passes thrown his way this season with only 13 completions." - http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/dec/28/phillip-gaines-line-in-the-sand-sparks-rice/ 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WisofeuMIBk
 
He's probably worked his way up into the middle rounds - he did well in the East-West Shrine practices, had as good a Combine as anybody, and the folks who've looked closer at his tape have been impressed. I'm also not sure he's a Pats-type player: tackling isn't a strong point, so he doesn't project as much of a special teamer.
 

Reverend

for king and country
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jan 20, 2007
64,048
How the hell does he project to be a late round pick then? Just because he played at Rice? At some point, doesn't the "played at a great school" logic turn against itself as we watch players bust because they looked good while surrounded by other talent? So, Michael Sam goes low because his great performance is because he was on a great team, but this Gaines kid goes low because his great performance was on a lesser team?
 
I don't understand football.
 

Super Nomario

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 5, 2000
14,012
Mansfield MA
Reverend said:
How the hell does he project to be a late round pick then? Just because he played at Rice? At some point, doesn't the "played at a great school" logic turn against itself as we watch players bust because they looked good while surrounded by other talent? So, Michael Sam goes low because his great performance is because he was on a great team, but this Gaines kid goes low because his great performance was on a lesser team?
 
I don't understand football.
I don't think he'll end up being a late pick.
 
I think there are real concerns about level of competition, but I think a lot of this is just kinda the flow of things. The BCS conference guys are on everyone's radar through the college football season, but nobody's really paying attention to schools like Rice until later in the process. The Mayocks of the world get to their film late in the game, and suddenly they shoot up mock drafts. This time last year, not many folks were talking about D.J. Hayden (also a C-USA corner) but he ended up the first CB off the board in the draft. EDIT: to add more - last 4/18, Mayock called Hayden the best CB in the draft; at the time, NFL.com had him as the #23 corner. Here's a mock from 3/7 pegging Hayden as a 6th-rounder.
 
What's not clear to me is whether the teams themselves also follow into this trap and get turned on to the smaller-school guys late, or whether the teams have been onto these guys for a while and it's just the draft media who catch on late. I'm guessing a little of column A and a little of column B.
 

Super Nomario

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 5, 2000
14,012
Mansfield MA
Dick Pole Upside said:
Aaron Colvin blew out his ACL at Senior Bowl practice today. Scratch him from the list. Unfortunate for a kid a few months from the draft.
Since the Pats have (in dramatic fashion) addressed CB since this post was made, Colvin's ACL injury makes him a great fit - they don't have a 2014 roster spot with Revis / Browner / Dennard / Ryan / Arrington, but there are enough future question marks based on contract structure and Dennard's proclivity for unfortunate run-ins with law enforcement that adding another body for 2015-on makes sense. Colvin would be a guy they could stash on PUP this year (maybe emerging as a special teams option late in the year) with an eye towards him possibly contributing in 2015. Florida Atlantic's Keith Reaser is another option in this vein.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwouFg3lYs8
 

Super Nomario

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 5, 2000
14,012
Mansfield MA
Another year, another Rice corner for me to plug, this time Bryce Callahan. He doesn't have the size or straight-line speed of former teammate Philip Gaines (who ended up starting for the Chiefs in his rookie season) so he probably won't be drafted as highly (Gaines went in the third), but he just knows how to cover. I see him as a Logan Ryan type - just so/so measurables but plus instincts and competitiveness, and inside / outside versatility. He shut down Fresno State's Josh Harper in the Hawai'i Bowl and is reportedly having a good week of practice for the East / West Shrine game:
 
Michael Schottey:
 
Speaking of Rice, one of my plays of the day was by cornerback Bryce Callahan from Rice. He had good, tight coverage on a number of plays as many of the defensive backs struggled with an emphasis on illegal contact. His best was on a deep route down the near sideline, where he stayed right in the receiver's hip pocket and then showcased his athleticism by jumping and shielding the receiver with his body. Neither player came down with the ball, but it was a fantastic pass defensed. 
 
He made Mayock's list of 10 players that impressed him in the East / West Shrine game practice.