Tag: Jeff Gladney

3 cornerbacks Texans need to target in the 2020 NFL Draft

The Houston Texans are, once again, in need of a cornerback. The Texans Wire looks at three potential targets.

The 2020 NFL Draft is still on schedule, and the Houston Texans possess eight picks with three in the top-100.

One position group that coach and general manager Bill O’Brien’s side would be smart to target is cornerback, which has been something of an Achilles heel for the team the past few years. Despite having drafted four corners in the last three years alone, 2019 second-round pick Lonnie Johnson is the only selection remaining on the roster.

Here are three options for the Texans to look at, one second-round target, one mid-rounder, and one potential late-round steal.

2nd round, No. 40 overall: Jeff Gladney, TCU

3-nfl-draft-targets-texans
(AP Photo/AJ Mast, File)

Standing at 5-10, 191 pounds, Gladney instantly catches the eye with his speed and ability to read the quarterback. A first-team all-Big 12 standout who notched up 14 pass breakups his senior year, the Texas native has the build and athleticism to be used both inside and out. Given O’Brien’s emphasis on versatility, this will surely appeal to the team especially given their tendency to draft from in-state. If they are to go for Gladney they would be wise to either use their 40th overall pick or possibly trade up to the early second.

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Touchdown Wire’s mock draft 4.0: Anticipating trades and surprises

In Touchdown Wire’s mock draft 4.0, trades alter the strategy of several teams, with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa at the heart of the action.

NFL mock drafts can take on a variety of forms. You can see a predictive mock draft, where the author assembles selections based on what he or she expects to see happen. You can see a what I would do mock, where the author makes selections based on what they would do with each pick.

Touchdown Wire’s 2020 Mock Draft 4.0 for blends the predictive with the suggestive. While the majority of positions for each team are predictive, there are some suggestive elements based on scheme fit and potential usages for each player upon arrival in the league.

So sit back, pour your #QuarantineLife drink of choice, and enjoy.

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2020 NFL draft: Jeff Gladney scouting report

Everything NFL draft fans need to know about TCU cornerback prospect Jeff Gladney

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

College Stats

College Bio

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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Titans take TCU CB in Lance Zierlein’s latest mock draft

The Titans could get a boost in the secondary by selecting the former Horned Frog.

The Tennessee Titans head into the 2020 season with less holes to fill than other years when they finished with a 9-7 overall record in the regular season.

But there are still some tweaks to make, considering the team did come up one win short of representing the AFC in Super Bowl LIV.

One way the Titans could start that process in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft is by selecting TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney — which is exactly what NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein has the team doing with the No. 29 overall pick in his latest mock draft.

“The Titans must get better in the back end and there is no question that Gladney is one of the most tenacious ballhawks in this draft.”

Zierlein has a point here, as the Titans could certainly use the help of a new member of the secondary who’s aggressive around the football like Gladney.

Last year with the Horned Frogs, the 6-foot, 183-pound corner recorded 31 total tackles(24 solo), half a sack, one interception and 14 passes defensed.

Over four seasons at TCU, Gladney has racked up a total of 146 tackles (107 solo), 1.5 sacks, five interceptions and 38 passes defensed.

Whichever team selects him in the latter half of the first day will add a boost to its defense, and it will be interesting to see if that team is the Titans next month.

Draft Wire: Texans fix cornerback, offensive line with 2nd-round picks

The Draft Wire ran its latest mock, and they have the Houston Texans taking CB Jeff Gladney and LSU OL Lloyd Cushenberry in the second round.

The Houston Texans have two second-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, and Draft Wire has the perfect plan for how the AFC South champions should use them.

In Luke Easterling’s latest mock, the Texans use their No. 40 overall pick they obtained in the trade with the Arizona Cardinals to take TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney. That would help the Texans figure out which direction they wanted to go at cornerback with Bradley Roby on a three-year contract, Vernon Hargreaves back in the fold, Lonnie Johnson waiting in the wings, and Gareon Conley also available. Gladney could easily work his way into playing time without being seen as the savior across from Roby.

With the Texans’ 57th overall pick, they go with offensive line and take Lloyd Cushenberry from LSU. Cushenberry played center for the Tigers in 2019, which means he would have to transition to playing one of the guard spots since the Texans signed starter Nick Martin to an extension last season.

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TCU CB Jeff Gladney played entire 2019 season with meniscus injury

One of the best cornerback prospects in the 2020 NFL draft played his entire 2019 season with a knee injury

One of the best cornerback prospects in the 2020 NFL draft just dropped an intriguing nugget on a popular NFL podcast.

TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney revealed to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that he played the entire season with a knee issue, specifically with his meniscus.

The injury likely contributed to Gladney’s times being a bit slower than expected at the NFL Scouting Combine, but this should keep his stock from being impacted.

Gladney is one of the most talented cornerbacks in this draft. His superb ball skills and coverage abilities have him in the first round discussion. It’ll be interesting to see if this news has any impact on his final landing spot.

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8 NFL draft prospects 49ers could target in trade back

The 49ers need to get creative with their use of picks in the 2020 draft.

The 2020 draft will be a new experience for 49ers general manager John Lynch. For the first time since he took over in 2017, the team won’t have a top 10 pick. They pick No. 31, and then they’re off the clock until early in the fifth round. Lynch and the 49ers are slated to go another 108 picks without a selection.

While Lynch has been aggressive moving up in drafts, including a trade up into the back end of the first round to select linebacker Reuben Foster in 2017, it stands to reason they’ll be aggressive in the opposite direction this year.

Scooping up additional draft capital is going to be essential, which likely means a move backward instead of picking 31st overall.

Moving back in the draft doesn’t necessarily mean the 49ers won’t find a quality player with their first selection, especially if their first pick is in the second round. Here are eight players who may be available early on Day 2 of the draft that San Francisco might target.

RB JK Dobbins, Ohio State

Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

The 49ers under head coach Kyle Shanahan have had a lot of success finding running backs late in free agency and in the undrafted free agent pool. With other needs lingering, it’s easy to see them passing on a running back until later in the draft, but a trade back into the middle of the second round where Dobbins falls to them might be too good of a value to pass up. Dobbins was a monster for all three years with the Buckeyes. He racked up 4,459 yards and 38 touchdowns on the ground to go along with 645 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. He also has the athleticism, vision and versatility to be effective in Shanahan’s scheme. Running backs are losing value in the NFL, and the 49ers could take advantage with a very good player falling to them.

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Report: Potential Titans draft target Jeff Gladney to undergo surgery

Potential Titans draft target Jeff Gladney is set to undergo surgery.

Potential Tennessee Titans draft target, TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney, will have surgery to repair a torn meniscus.

The report comes from Drew Davison of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram.

Gladney initially injured the meniscus during TCU’s fall camp last August, but played through it at a high level. He finished his senior season with 31 tackles and 14 pass breakups, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors.

Gladney was able to play well through the injury during the 2019 season and even participated in the combine with impressive results. The surgery has been deemed a “simple fix” and Gladney should be ready for minicamp.

Here’s a look at Gladney’s measurements and results from the combine:

  • Height: 5’10”
  • Weight: 191 pounds
  • Arm Length: 31 7/8″
  • Wingspan: 75 2/8″
  • 40-yard dash: 4.48
  • Vertical: 37.5″
  • Broad: 124″
  • 3-cone: 7.26

Whether or not this surgery hurts his stock remains to be seen, but Gladney might be an option for the Titans with the No. 29 overall pick. He was one of the prospects Tennessee met with during the 2020 NFL Combine.

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The Titans’ need at corner comes from the fact that Logan Ryan is set to hit the open market this month, and fellow corner Malcolm Butler is a candidate to be cut, either this year or next.

As of this moment, the only starting corner from the 2019 secondary who is a surefire bet to return in 2020 is Adoree’ Jackson.

Gladney totaled 146 total tackles (107 solo, six for loss) during his college career. In his final two seasons with TCU, the corner finished with 1.5 sacks, three picks and 26 passes defensed, including a career-high 14 PDs in 2019.

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6 defensive prospects for Jaguars fans to watch at the NFL Scouting Combine

With workouts scheduled to begin tomorrow, here are 6 defensive prospects for Jaguars’ fans to watch at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Starting Thursday, this 2020’s crop of draft hopefuls will be poked, prodded, and interviewed by NFL teams. Whilst the most important aspects of the NFL Scouting Combine for teams are all conducted off the pitch, the spectacle of public workouts has drawn fans’ attention to Indianapolis for years.

With an additional first-round selection thanks to Jalen Ramsey, Jags fans will have a wide variety of early round selections to watch, making the 2020 Combine the most interesting in years.

The Jaguars’ defense is somewhat undergoing an overhaul at the moment. Ramsey’s subtraction left a hole, as did the release of Marcell Dareus (at least temporarily). Meanwhile, Calais Campbell isn’t getting any younger or cheaper.

Oh yeah, add to this the looming uncertainty surrounding pending free-agent Yannick Ngakoue, too.

Clearly, it would be wise for the Jaguars to use some of their draft capital on reshaping what was once a dominant force. With that in mind, here are some defensive prospects for fans of the team to watch this week:

(AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State

With his teammate and fellow top-five talent Chase Young opting to sit out of workouts this week, many feared that Jeff Okudah would do the same. Thankfully for fans, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound corner is set to tear up the variety of defensive back drills that the 2020 Combine has to offer.

Many are calling Okudah the best cornerback prospect since Ramsey left Florida State, so Jaguars fans should be hoping that an early run on quarterbacks allows another blue-chip corner fall straight to them.

The former Buckeye has elite man coverage skills, good length, and the quickness to thrive in Todd Wash’s scheme. Scouts expect Okudah’s vertical and broad jumps to be impressive, but they will likely be matched with a low 4.4 in the 40-yard dash.

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Vikings select cornerback Jeff Gladney in CBS Sports mock draft

No surprise that CBS Sports predicted a cornerback going to the Vikings in a mock draft. The player might surprise you, though.

The corner is a big question mark for the Vikings this offseason, due to Mackensie Alexander and Trae Waynes becoming free agents.

Those two might not come back, and Xavier Rhodes could possibly get cut due to the salary cap situation. The cornerback position has been a large part of Mike Zimmer’s scheme on defense, which adds up to the Vikings possibly taking a corner in the first round.

At least, that’s what CBS Sports thinks.

The outlet predicted that TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney would go off the board to Minnesota at No. 25 in a recent mock draft. 

The outlet had this to say about the pick:

Mike Zimmer loves drafting young cornerbacks, and you can argue that the position is one of their biggest needs this offseason. Gladney is a versatile corner prospect who can do anything you ask of him.

Gladney had just one interception in his final season of college, but he also tallied 14 pass deflections. 

Personally, I think Gladney will go a little later in the draft, given the other talent at cornerback this year, so it’s surprising to see his name at pick No. 25.