Jeff Gladney | CB | TCU
Elevator Pitch
Gladney isn’t the biggest cornerback in the upcoming draft class but one of the more well rounded corners that will be in play during the first round. A corner who will do a good job of getting under the skin of wide receiver that he is covering. Hoping to force a mistake and that is where Gladney will take over.
Vitals
Height | 5-10
Weight | 191
Class | Senior
Strengths
Gladney plays well in press man situations. He can jam his man at the line to re-route the receiver and throw off the timing between him and the quarterback. That sometimes leads to passes batted down, incompletions or interceptions. He is able to use his length to his advantage with almost 32″ arms.
In coverage, Gladney does a good job of reading both the receiver and the quarterback. He plays with good anticipation in order to disrupt the pass. In man coverage, he does well to stick to the receiver. Unlike some corners who play the eyes of the receiver, Gladney plays the ball in the air. He is also physical enough to take the ball right out of the receivers hands.
Does a good job of mirroring receiver in coverage. He also possesses the speed to recover and close the gap if he gets over aggressive in playing the receiver. He is no stranger to playing bigger receivers. He did very well against Collin Johnson who stands in at 6’5″. Also he can be very physical as a tackler.
Weaknesses
Gladney will need to fix the focus drops at the NFL level. His numbers would be a lot better had it not been for dropped interceptions during his time at TCU. Not to mention as a tackler, he can take improper angles that could cause some issues for his potential team. Both fixable issues with proper coaching and technique.
Being a sticky defender is one thing but Gladney will need to learn to play better coverage downfield. He tends to be a bit grabby during the route which will cause flags to fly his way. Once those issues get fixed, he will be a good cornerback in the NFL.
Projection: Top 40
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