You don’t need to stand over six feet tall to play defensive back at a plus level in the modern NFL. If you can diagnose on the field, you have the movement skills to work receivers through the routes, you’re agile enough to mirror and match all over the field, and you can overcome your height issues against bigger receivers with the right technique (yes, that’s a lot of “ifs”), you can play cornerback or safety in the NFL without being relegated to the slot.
Not that the slot isn’t an important position — it certainly is, and more than ever — but when you ask defensive backs about the slot, their responses will tell you that even with that importance, many in the NFL still see the slot as the kids’ table in a “You must be this tall to ride this ride” mindset.
That mindset didn’t affect Asante Samuel, who played cornerback in the NFL from 2003 through 2013 for the Patriots, Eagles, and Falcons. Samuel played at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, totaled 51 interceptions in just 11 seasons (tied with Donnie Shell and Bobby Bryant for 32nd all-time), and led the league in picks twice — with 10 in 2006 for New England, and with nine in 2009 for the Eagles. Samuel overcame his alleged height deficit at times by playing receivers off until the last possible millisecond, using his closing burst and gambling mentality to jump routes with the best of them.
Now, we have the matter of Samuel’s son to consider, and where Asante Samuel Jr. fits in the NFL with the same basic measurements. More physical than his dad with not quite the same ball skills (just yet), Samuel Jr. improved drastically in each of his three seasons at Florida State, closing out his collegiate career with a 2020 season in which he allowed 19 catches on 32 targets for 179 yards, 81 yards after the catch, one touchdown, three interceptions, and an opponent passer rating allowed of 46.2.
Were I to make an NFL comparison for the younger Samuel, it wouldn’t be his dad — it would be another defensive back who has seen his son find NFL success. That would be Antoine Winfield Sr., father of Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. The elder Winfield played 14 years in the NFL from 1999 through 2012 for the Bills and Vikings, mostly at outside cornerback, and well enough to make three Pro Bowls and amass 1,094 tackles ()the seventh-most in NFL history for a cornerback) and 27 interceptions.
Before his Friday pro day, Samuel was more than happy to field questions about the “slot or outside” schism some people have with him because of his size. After all, in 2020, he played just 11 snaps in the slot, allowing one catch on one target for five yards. To Samuel, the slot is less an option than a demotion.
“Of course, I feel that I’m an outside guy,” he said. “I’ve been playing outside all my life. I’ve played nickel sometimes, in my freshman year (when he allowed seven catches in the slot on 10 targets for 81 yards and a touchdown), but at the end of the day, I make my plays on the outside. I feel that I’m a dominant corner on the outside. They try to look at my height and things of that nature, but I’m the same size as Jaire Alexander, and he’s a dominant NFL cornerback right now – one of the best in the league. I feel like size doesn’t matter; it’s about the heart, and the dog mentality you have on that field.”
Samuel has a point about Alexander, one of the five best cornerbacks in the NFL today. Alexander is a bit thicker at 196 pounds, but the play styles are similar — Alexander may be smaller than your average guy at 5-foot-10, but he can cover anyone and he has no issue sticking his nose in wherever it’s required. When Samuel refers to a “dog mentality” (as he did quite often in his interview session), that’s what he means. It’s also why he takes particular pride in his man coverage abilities. Last season, per Sports Info Solutions, Samuel allowed seven catches on 12 targets in man coverage for 101 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 85.8.
“Man coverage is a dog mentality,” he said. “It’s like, you versus me, and you’re not going to win your rep against me, because I’m a dog, and I’ve been working hard all year for it. You’re not going to outwork me for the week, so I feel like that leads into the game. FSU really brought out the man coverage in me, because we played it a lot. Especially last year – I felt that the scheme was really good, and I was able to showcase my talent.”
Samuel has proven his ability to mirror and match in man coverage, but given his diagnostic skills and advanced on-field acumen, I really like him in combo and other more advanced concepts. When I wrote a recent piece about the best draft prospect cornerbacks in every type of coverage, Samuel was my pick for Cover-6 (quarter/quarter/half) coverage because he’s quick and smart enough to play the Cover-2 and the Cover-4 side of the equation.
His 2019 interception against Virginia was of particular interest. Samuel (No. 26 at the top of the screen) was playing the Cover-2 side of the formation, and he did a great job of following the deep route at first, and then moving quickly to jump the short stuff.
“The Virginia game – Coach Barnett (defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett), he wanted to make sure we [pressured] the quarterback,” Samuel told be about that play. “He couldn’t really throw well rolling to his left side, so we wanted to [pressure] him from that side. I just tried to split the defenders, and make sure I stayed top-down. I just played my technique, and trusted my technique, and came up with the interception.”
As far as keeping up with receivers who might be 4-5 inches taller and 20-30 pounds heavier, Samuel had a ready answer when I asked him how he deals with that from a technique perspective.
“First, you have to have a dog mentality,” he said. “Some guys, they don’t have that dog in them, so when you have that, it makes a difference. You just have to stay true to your techniques you’ve been working on all week – staying square at the line, and making sure you’re getting hands on and doing what you need to do. So what you’ve been working on, and you’ll be fine.”
Yes, the dog mentality again. Well, you can ask Georgia Tech how that worked out. Samuel more than held his own against the Yellowjackets’ collection of behemoths both against the run and in the passing game, picking off two passes, deflecting two more, allowing an opponent passer rating of 15.5, and amassing six tackles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjyxv0J93jI
Not that Georgia Tech’s passing game is going to set the world on fire, but this game (and others) proved that the size of the dog in Asante Samuel Jr. is ready to bark — and bite — at the next level.