Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU
Gladney ended his career at TCU with 31 tackles in his final season, one interception, 15 passes defended, and a half a sack.
The 6-foot, 183 pound corner is primed to be a top 40 selection in this years draft and with a good showing at the combine could potentially move into the first round. Gladney is an aggressive, scrappy press man corner who displays the route recognition to mirror receivers and compete at the catch point. He has good ball skills and is one of only two players in FBS with at least 15 passes defended each of the past two seasons.
He is also a reliable tackler who doesn’t have a problem stepping up and being a force player on the edge. Depending on how the Cowboys evaluate him he could be an outside-the-box option at No. 17, a trade up option from No. 51 or a trade-back target.
What the experts say:
Jeff Gladney projects as a starting cornerback at the NFL level. His versatility in man and zone coverage alike will serve him well and will allow him to be a fairly universal prospect. Gladney’s foot quickness and ball skills would be best served in defenses featuring a high implementation of man coverage. Playing him in a primary Cover 3 is probably the only role where his best qualities would be consistently mitigated. Gladney’s football IQ should yield early dividends to his NFL team.
Press cover irritant who plays an extremely competitive brand of football from snap to whistle. He has the twitch and route anticipation to stay close. Possesses ball skills to contest a good percentage of throws. His coverage traits should allow him to thrive in man or zone, but his desire to make every play on the ball could lead him into occasional bait-and-switch traps by smart quarterbacks. He’s slender so teams will need to decide whether to play him outside or in sub-packages, but no matter where he plays, this ball-hawking alpha has the talent to help his team on all three downs if needed.
Has lightning quick feet and loose hips. Has tremendous balance and body control when flipping his hips. Good click and close ability. Explosive when he plants and drives on the ball in both coverage and as a tackler. Ability to play aggressively due to his outstanding recovery speed. Love his competitiveness and football IQ
Physical player. Doesn’t get bullied by bigger bodied WRs. Has good ball skills and is aggressive at the catch point. Shows good route anticipation on film. Equally comfortable playing in zone or man coverage. Willing and able to mix it up in run support. Reliable tackler with solid hitting power for his size, but more of a wrap up tackler. Versatility to play outside or in the slot and on special teams as a gunner.