Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio St.
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The 6-foot, 194 corner was determined to leave school after his junior year but after speaking with coaches and deliberating he returned to school where he was able to do more than hold his own playing opposite teammate Jeffery Okudah. Arnette has excellent size for the position and makes his hay by being physical at the line of scrimmage, throwing receivers timing off. he has enough speed to stay on top of receivers and be sticky in coverage. He has good ball awareness and has a good feel for finding the ball in the air. He also is one of the better tackling corners in this draft. Arnette would be a great option at pick 51 for the Cowboys. He finished his senior season with 35 tackles, one interception, one touchdown, and one forced fumble.
What the experts say:
Inside/outside cornerback with NFL size and strength but a lack of fluidity and burst that might make him best-suited as a zone corner. Arnette will be at a disadvantage against vertical jackrabbits and will struggle to stay connected to NFL routes in man. However, he plays with good awareness in space and has the physicality in run support that zone defenses look for. His potential and success could be directly tied to what a team asks of him, which makes his evaluation and grade more of a sliding scale depending upon scheme fit.
Damon Arnette Jr. projects as a universal scheme prospect at the NFL level — he possesses great functional strength, quickness, body control and ball skills. Arnette has the technique to play press or off man coverage but the burst and anticipation to play in zone coverage as well. Look for Arnette to find his place in a starting lineup quickly at the NFL level, although he may never be the focal point of an NFL secondary due to lack of elite length to shadow top receivers. A plus starter.
Arnette has the physical skills, instincts and talent to be a top-20 pick, but team sources think there is a wide range in which he could be drafted, which stems from him having significant off-the-field concerns. Multiple team sources said they have Arnette graded somewhere in the second round or early in Round 3 because of character concerns. They feel his mental makeup could be a problem. Other team sources say they’ve heard Arnette has improved in the character department, and they think he could get first-round consideration. Thus, Arnette has a wide range in which he could go from late in the first round to early in the third round. Still, Arnette has the ability to be a No. 1 cornerback and Pro Bowler if he focuses on football and works hard to be the best he can be.