Tag: cornerbacks

Chargers Scouting Report: LSU CB Derek Stingley Jr.

While likely to be taken before the Chargers pick in the 2022 NFL draft, LSU CB Derek Stingley Jr. is a polarizing prospect.

As we are just months away from the 2022 NFL draft, we are doing our annual evaluations on prospects.

With the Chargers having needs at various positions, we will do our best to evaluate the players that we feel fit the team precisely.

Today, we are taking a look at LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.

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Career: Consensus All-American and All-SEC in 2019 as one of the most impactful true freshmen in LSU history. Recorded 73 tackles, six interceptions, and 20 passes defended in 25 games.

Red Flags: Has missed 13 games over the last two seasons after starting every game as a freshman in 2019. 

Strengths: Phenomenal mover that quickly slides and sticks to the receiver’s hip. Excellent at mirroring his assignment on all levels, keeping pace through breakpoints and closing gaps of separation quickly. Hard to fool vertically due to top-notch recovery speed and exercises good discipline in man coverage. Changes direction fluidly without losing speed and has great burst to the catch point. Stays balanced during press with swift strikes and commanding hand-fighting technique. Gets head around to play the ball often while in phase with the receiver, showcasing solid tracking and soft hands. Willing, physical tackler with sound form and confidence that launches his frame accurately to take down ball carriers in open space.

Weaknesses: Struggles to disengage from blocks when attempting to help the run. Can allow himself to drift in zone coverage reading the quarterback. After dominant freshman season, saw less action in his final two years at LSU, which caused him to become a more disinterested defender when his target was not in the play.

Final Word: With hips oilier than a salad vinaigrette dressing, the ability to wipe away an area of the field in man coverage, and a great blend of athleticism, toughness, and play instinct, Stingley projects as a future starter at the outside cornerback position that has the option to fill in at the slot if needed. 

Fit Likelihood: High, but unlikely based on where he is projected (top-10)

Grade: 1st

Film Highlights
Stingley’s press man coverage talents, stickiness, and physicality versus Texas A&M in 2019.

Stingley’s play recognition, adaptation, and athleticism on display in the 2019 SEC Championship against Georgia.

Stingley making a critical 3rd-and-1 tackle on dual-threat UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson in 2021.

Georgia’s Derion Kendrick could provide needed cornerback depth for Chargers

Improving cornerback depth should be a priority for the Chargers this offseason, which is why Derion Kendrick makes sense.

The Chargers officially begin their offseason preparations on Monday after losing in stunning overtime fashion to the Raiders on Sunday night. As the College Football National Championship gets underway in Indianapolis tonight, all eyes in Los Angeles should undoubtedly turn to the play of the Georgia Bulldogs, the No. 1 ranked defense in college football, and the potential help that could be acquired from the roster in the 2022 NFL Draft.

One of those pieces is cornerback Derion Kendrick, a former five-star recruit at wide receiver who converted to the ball’s defensive side in his sophomore season at Clemson. Kendrick transferred to Georgia ahead of his senior season and fit like a glove in the secondary, excelling in both man and zone coverage. Given his background, it comes as no surprise that Kendrick’s headlining traits are his impressive ball skills, production in coverage, and effortlessly fluid hips that mirror receivers throughout their routes.

Kendrick has good length and sure hands, making him a worthy challenger to receivers when the ball is in the air. He attacks 50-50 balls and contested-catch opportunities with unabashed confidence, showcasing an instinctive knack for high-pointing the ball at the perfect time. But it is his quick-twitch lower body and oily hips that allow him to stay silky-smooth in coverage and read the eyes of the quarterback, yielding him great play awareness and a natural feel for the nuance of his assignment in space.

Kendrick’s best qualities as a cover cornerback were on display in the College Football Playoff semifinal as Georgia suffocated Michigan’s aerial attack. No Wolverine had more than four catches in the outing and all but one receiver was held under 50 receiving yards. Kendrick’s prowess on the boundary certainly was a big factor in the unit’s dominating performance. He represented well in his two interceptions on back-to-back drives that netted him the Orange Bowl Defensive Player of the Game Award.

Kendrick ran bail technique out of press alignment from the snap on the second interception. Kendrick honored the receiver’s cut inside on the Sluggo (slant and go) but mechanically slid back into position when his opponent changed course. Kendrick’s eyes coolly flicked from quarterback to receiver throughout this progression before he finally located the ball. He mirrored the Sluggo perfectly from start to finish, essentially running the receiver’s route for him while he backpedaled in the opposite direction. Kendrick finished by snagging the ball in the end zone, taking care to get both feet in bounds.

Although there are questions about his pure speed and effectiveness as a tackler in run support, Kendrick projects to be capable of holding his own outside in the NFL. His ability to multitask and hawkeye quarterbacks while in coverage, along with his clean movement skills and ballhawk, is an enticing combination that should pique the Chargers’ interest in the second round of the draft.

‘He should’ve had help:’ Cowboys’ Quinn defends CB Anthony Brown after Tampa torching

Kelvin Joseph was drafted to push Anthony Brown for the starting role, Brown’s Week 1 performance will speed up that conversation in Dallas. | From @ToddBrock24f7

As Cowboys fans continue to look for reasons why they came up short in their Week 1 upset bid, lots of fingers are pointing at one goat in particular. Not the all-caps G.O.A.T., although the Buccaneers’ quarterback played an excellent game. Yes, Tom Brady racked up 379 passing yards and four touchdown throws overall, but a large chunk of that production came against a goat of the lowercase variety, Dallas cornerback Anthony Brown.

The 27-year-old starter now in his sixth year as a pro had a night in Tampa he’d just as soon forget. Brady and the Bucs picked on the former sixth-round draft selection heavily, and Brown proved to be an easy mark.

For what it’s worth, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn defended Brown this week in the postgame analysis. But the fanbase that watched Tampa Bay wideout Antonio Brown repeatedly blow past the Purdue alum is already counting the weeks until rookie prospect Kelvin Joseph can return from the Injured Reserve/Return list.

Brown was targeted by Brady ten times over the course of the game. He allowed nine of those balls to be caught for 134 yards and one touchdown, that one a gutting 47-yarder that gave Tampa the lead toward the end of the first half.

That’s as easy as it gets for a seven-time Super Bowl-winning passer.

But Quinn maintains that he never considered benching Brown. In fact, he revealed that Brown wasn’t entirely at fault, according to the Cowboys’ coverage plan on the play.

“I think it’s fair to say I thought Anthony did an excellent job tackling,” Quinn said in his Monday press conference. “The one deep ball that went for a touchdown was actually a coverage; we were playing a trail technique. He was playing underneath with some help over the top. Another player fell down, [and] the safety tried to help that one instead of Anthony. So it looked like he was in a bad spot, but he was actually doing the technique that he should, knowing that he should’ve had help. One problem caused another problem.”

Replays do show that Jourdan Lewis stumbled, and Damontae Kazee adjusted to go cover Chris Godwin. With the Cowboys’ Brown playing too soft on his man, he was never able to catch up once Antonio made his move and turned on the jets.

Quinn shrugged it off as just one of those unfortunate things. If Kazee hadn’t gone to help, Godwin would have been all alone, and Brady almost certainly would have found him for the score instead.

“The message of the story is: don’t trip. That’d be a good start,” Quinn explained casually.

Though costly and egregious, that was just one play. Brown gave up plenty more on the night.

Brown’s past deficiencies in coverage were a big part of why Joseph was drafted in the second round and is expected to push for the starting role. It’s also why Nahshon Wright followed in the third. And why Maurice Canady’s outstanding camp was received as such welcome news. And why every new free agent corner is immediately suggested as a possible pickup for the Dallas front office.

The Cowboys have brought in back-end help to play opposite second-year phenom Trevon Diggs, but Brown was the one out there Thursday night.

Expect Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert to go after Brown the same way if he gets the opportunity in Week 2. If Brown can’t defend the pass better than he did in the opener, Quinn may find himself defending his player in the face of ever-louder questions until a new answer is found.

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The NFL’s cornerbacks trade carousel keeps skipping the Saints

No team has broadcast their interest in trading for a cornerback more loudly than the Saints. So why haven’t they done it yet?

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Few teams have broadcast their intentions more loudly and more broadly than the New Orleans Saints have this year: they want to trade for another cornerback. Ever since the NFL’s unprecedented salary cap plunge forced them to cut Janoris Jenkins as a cap casualty, the Saints have searched high and low for more help in the secondary. Sean Payton has repeatedly described the position as his top priority for months.

Their efforts go back to the draft in April, when the Saints called anyone picking in the top 10 who would pick up their phone, targeting top prospects Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain II. More recent reports in early August linked the Saints to the Jacksonville Jaguars and mercurial starter C.J. Henderson. But more trades continue to be completed across the NFL, and none of them have involved the Saints. What gives?

On Friday, Sept. 3, the Steelers traded a 2023 fifth rounder for benched Seahawks starter Akhello Weatherspoon. On Oct. 30, the Seahawks traded a sixth round pick for Jaguars corner Sidney Jones IV. Days earlier, the Patriots acquired Ravens rookie Shaun Wade for a 2022 seventh rounder and 2023 fifth round choice. Back on Aug. 23, the Texans swapped a 2022 seventh rounder for Packers backup Ka’dar Hollman, who was later cut and landed with the Saints practice squad. Other options like Isaac Yiadom (Giants to Packers) and Josh Jackson (Packers to Giants), and John Reid (from Texans to Seahawks, for a conditional seventh rounder in 2023) have all been dealt.

For the folks keeping score at home, that’s seven different cornerbacks changing teams in less than three weeks. And the Saints, for all the chatter surrounding their interest in the trade market and the clear need on the roster, have stayed out of it.

Have they been unable to seal the deal? Were they unwilling to put future draft picks on the table? The salary cap for once wasn’t an obstacle (the team currently boasts cap space in the double digits). The team has a ton of picks to use next year between their own selections and multiple compensatory choices in the forecast. To make sense of their inaction, we’ve got to consider the context of the players being moved.

So far, no cornerback has been traded over the last month for much better than a fifth rounder two years from now. The players being offloaded aren’t likely to be ready to start, at least not over the Saints’ own in-house options of Ken Crawley and Paulson Adebo. A rookie fifth rounder like Wade wouldn’t get the nod over Adebo, a third round pick this year, for example. Maybe Jones would have made sense but his up-and-down play in the NFL and significant injury history are a tough sell.

At this point, there haven’t been any corners available for trade that would be worth the Saints’ while. None of those players are upgrading Crawley and Adebo. There’s an argument for improving the depth chart behind those top three corners but you shouldn’t burn a future draft pick for that when there are still free agents available.

Still, it feels inevitable that the Saints are going to add another corner soon — one way or another. The 53-man roster currently has three and a half corners between Marshon Lattimore, Crawley, Adebo, and part-time free safety P.J. Williams, with three others held in reserve on the practice squad (KeiVarae Russell, Bryan Mills, and Ka’dar Hollman). How many of those players are you ready to throw into a game against Calvin Ridley, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Robby Anderson, DJ Moore, or Terrace Marshall?

If they can’t make a splash through a trade, maybe the Saints convince someone like Desmond Trufant or Josh Norman to sign for near-veteran’s minimum to warm up and wait on the sidelines on game days. But given the team’s need for greater help and the resources burning a hole in their wallet, you’ve got to think the clock is already ticking on some sort of move.

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Report: Ken Crawley injured vs. Jaguars, expected to miss several weeks

Report: Ken Crawley injured vs. Jaguars, expected to miss several weeks

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The hits just keep coming for the New Orleans Saints. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reported Tuesday that veteran cornerback Ken Crawley was injured in the team’s preseason game with the Jacksonville Jaguars and is “going to be out a couple of weeks.”

It’s a crushing blow. Crawley played some of his best football this summer against the Jaguars and was projected to start across from Marshon Lattimore in their Sept. 12 home opener against the Green Bay Packers. He had a very strong training camp and looked to have rebounded from his time away from New Orleans, which he spent on other teams’ practice squads and even out of football for a time until this opportunity came up again. Here’s hoping for a full and quick recovery. The door is hardly shut on Crawley recovering to play in Week 1, but it shouldn’t be considered a given.

While the Saints have time to get him back to good health, they also have a promising rookie who was already pushing Crawley for that starting gig: Paulson Adebo. The third-round pick out of Stanford has held his own through two preseason games and continued to impress in practice. Still, throwing him into action against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers receiving corps isn’t an ideal welcome to the NFL for any rookie.

After losing veteran backup Brian Poole to injured reserve on Tuesday, the Saints are left with the following healthy corners: Lattimore, Adebo, 2020 practice squad holdover Grant Haley, part-time free safety P.J. Williams, and the recently-signed Natrell Jamerson and Bryan Mills.

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Report: Dolphins hosted four cornerbacks for tryouts on Thursday

Report: Dolphins hosted four cornerbacks for tryouts on Thursday

The Miami Dolphins’ ongoing standoff with cornerback Xavien Howard is something to monitor as the team ramps up for the upcoming season. The Dolphins are looking to build upon a 10-win season in 2020 and Howard himself is specifically looking to build upon a 10 interception campaign. But he’s still hopeful that he’ll be able to do so with a revised contract, be it by the Dolphins or someone else.

Howard’s public trade request at the start of camp is still very much lingering, but the request has lost some of its sting as Howard has continued to attend Dolphins practices (while nursing an ankle injury) and has alluded to he will do what is needed to avoid fines.

But Howard does have one thing going for him: the rest of the corners in attendance at camp have done little to provide relief to the Dolphins’ organization that they have the depth and/or talent needed to replace Howard if they’re committed to playing hardball. And so, with Miami holding contractual leverage and Howard holding the leverage of talent, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear that Miami, perhaps in an abundance of caution, hosted a handful of cornerbacks for tryouts on Thursday.

The report comes from Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald:

Cause for panic? Not yet. But this is certainly something to keep an eye on given just how much depth the Dolphins have collected at the cornerback position coming into this year’s camp. The depth of the room is considered one of the strengths of the team — but when the top-level piece is out of commission, as Howard has been this week, things look out of sort. And none of the candidates here will fix that if Howard doesn’t suit up for the Dolphins this year.

But if someone is going to have to play a bigger role than anticipated, Miami may be ready for alternative options. Just in case.

Jaguars CB group is the youngest in the NFL

With an average age of 23.73, Jacksonville has the NFL’s youngest cornerback group.

Jacksonville’s secondary may have struggled tremendously last season, but one thing it has going for it is youth — especially at cornerback. The Jags’ group of corners is the NFL’s youngest at an average age of 23.73, according to The 33rd Team’s Ben Elsner.

That’s nearly two years younger than the league average of 25.35. The most experienced veteran in the group is starter and offseason free-agent signing Shaquill Griffin, who is 25. C.J. Henderson, a 22-year-old first-round pick in 2020, is expected to start opposite him. Depth players Sidney Jones IV, Tre Herndon and Chris Claybrooks are all 25 or younger.

Further, the likely Day 1 starter at nickel is a rookie in Tyson Campbell. Between Griffin, Henderson and Campbell, Jacksonville hopes it has a solid core for years to come at the position. With Griffin just entering his prime and Henderson and Campbell still early on their rookie deals, the unit has the potential to improve significantly in the coming years.

The Jags were one of the league’s worst teams against the pass in 2020, but after heavily investing in the corner position this offseason, they’ll hope to see big strides on the field in 2021.

Two of Texas’ top defensive back targets set to visit Alabama, Nick Saban this weekend

UT will be sweating over the weekend as two priorities travel to T-Town. Denver Harris and Terrance Brooks are set to take an OV to Alabama.

Going up against Alabama in the recruiting world has its pros and cons.

Pro: If the Crimson Tide are recruiting the same guys you are, the talent is there. Nick Saban could handpick his class if he wanted. The fact he wants the same prospects as you is a good sign about talent evaluation.

Cons: Alabama doesn’t lose.

Texas will be sweating a bit over the weekend as two of their top priorities on the board travel to Tuscaloosa. Cornerbacks Denver Harris and Terrance Brooks are set to take an official visit to Alabama, where Saban and his defensive staff will be pushing hard.

With Saban’s background being in coaching defensive backs, he takes these types of recruitments personally. And the record speaks for itsself. Naming off Alabama defensive backs in the NFL could paint a picture as to how successful Saban has been over the years but it would get redundant.

Where Harris and Brooks seem to be going into the official visit is yet to be seen. Both are being nationally recruited, proving they are more than SEC-quality defensive backs. Texas could have been seen as the favorite for Harris for some time, while Brooks has been open to all schools.

Steve Sarkisian and Pete Kwiatkowski got their chance with the two defensive backs with an official visit the weekend of June 18. Harris seemed to enjoy his time in Austin, posing with family and friends in the uniform. The five-star has always been the No. 1 defensive priority on the Longhorns’ board and made sure to make him feel like that.

As for Brooks, straight after his visit to Texas, he went up north to see recent recruiting killer Ohio State. The son of former Texas A&M player, Chet, Brooks has been a wild card throughout the process.

If Saban decides to push hard for the defensive backs, the Longhorns could be in trouble. Looking at their 2021 class and their talent from the state of Texas would prove that enough. A nerve-wracking weekend is in store.

Looking for a sign of positivity: Texas seemed to fend off Alabama when four-star safety Bryce Anderson made his trip to Tuscaloosa. Hopefully, history repeats itself with Brooks and Harris in town.

Robert Saleh preaching patience as young corners learn new scheme

Robert Saleh told reporters the focus is on the current group of cornerbacks as they learn a new defense.

Robert Saleh remains committed to the Jets’ current cornerback group.

Despite the unit’s youth and inexperience, Saleh believes the Jets have the right collection of players already on the roster. He’s already said he doesn’t want to rush to add a veteran who would “eat up reps” for younger players. Now he’s preaching patience as the group learns a new defense.

“They’re growing,” Saleh said Friday. “It’s a learning curve. With coach [Gregg] Williams a year ago it was more of a Cover-2 base and we’re here with a more single-high base, so they’re being asked to learn completely new techniques.”

Blessuan Austin and Bryce Hall are the likely starters and backups Javelin Guidry, Lamar Jackson and Corey Ballentine could make the team as well after playing in 2020. That group has a combined 35 starts between them.

The rest of the group is made up of first-year players like late-round picks Jason Pinnock, Michael Carter II and Brandin Echols or undrafted free agent Isaiah Dunn. The average age of cornerbacks on the Jets roster is just 24 years old, which would make the group one of the youngest in the league.

Saleh isn’t worried about any of this just yet, though. He apparently likes what he’s seen so far in practice to stay content with the current depth chart. Saleh did say the team will re-evaluate the position after next week’s mandatory minicamp, but for now, the team wouldn’t add new bodies to the group.

“It’s an opportunity for them to continue to grow,” Saleh said. “They still have two more minicamps obviously and then from there we’ll sit down, reassess, see where we’re at.

“As of now, the focus is just on them.”

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Sooners Wire staff picks position groups to watch for the Oklahoma spring game

Sooners Wire staff makes the case for which position group to watch for the Oklahoma spring game.

After discussing the Oklahoma Sooners spring game ad nauseam it seems, the time has come to put on the pads and lace the cleats. Saturday evening when the lights come on, the football team will prepare to go to war, with each other.

There are plenty of position groups on full display that have questions that need to be answered. Can Isaiah Thomas fill the void left by Ronnie Perkins? What about the return of Jalen Redmond on the defensive line, and how will Marcus Stripling perform backing up Nik Bonitto at rush linebacker?

This is the first game action for top 2021 signee Caleb Williams. Will the game prove to move too fast for him, or will he show the staff why he was the top quarterback of his class? A pair of teammates wearing No. 4 will also have their opportunities, Mario Williams and Jaden Davis.

The staff takes a look at which position group they have their eyes on for Saturday.

First up Josh looks in the trenches

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