Corner position putting less emphasis on man skills
It's all about scheme versatility with the Class of 2009 corners, writes Billy Tucker.
Janzen Jackson
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As we have stated before, cornerback could be the most difficult position to project to the college level. With so many different schemes these days and the influx of so much Cover 2 shell, having that elite cover-corner is not always the main concern. Scheme is now dictating what coaches want more than ever, and a well-rounded and well-versed corner with good scheme versatility is often more coveted.
Cornerbacks can be so difficult to evaluate because often times many teams at the high school level do not have the personnel to matchup and run a ton of true zero or Cover 1 man coverage. It can be a struggle to get a feel for a player's true cover skills. Cover 3, Cover 2, quarters, quarter-quarter-half and versions of combo coverage are more the norm in high school. Also, this position is one with a ton of "transplants" at the next level, with prospects who were undersized running backs, wide receivers or quarterbacks in high school making the transition to cornerback in college.
Aside from quarterbacks, corners require the most mental toughness of any player on the field.
What Scouts Inc. looks for: The ability to plant, pedal and turn in coverage when locked up against a wide receiver. Smooth transitional quickness is a must in mirroring receivers tightly out of their breaks. Hip-fluidity is the biggest factor. Top-end speed and ability to recover if caught out of position is key. Sudden quickness and closing burst on the ball is also important.
The Alabama native can do it all in coverage: press with superior physicality, mirror with exceptional quickness and close with striking burst. His natural athleticism and coverage skills are excellent and extremely rare for a corner with his large frame. He has very smooth hips, turns and transitional quickness in and out of his pedal. One of the nation's most coveted defensive prospects is an extremely difficult corner to create separation on in a variety of coverages.
Not much separates Winston from Kirkpatrick in terms of coverage skills. While ESPN's No. 1-rated corner has better transitional quickness than Winston, the future Razorback has the edge in makeup speed. Winston does a great job utilizing his long arms to press off the line as well as separate the ball from the receiver in tight man coverage. He has deceptive lateral foot quickness mirroring receivers in off-man, the size and strength to re-route and strong plant-and-drive skills jumping throws in zone. Winston possesses the physical tools and skill set needed to develop into a great press and underneath zone corner.
A one-time Oklahoma commit and now recent Cal pledge, we still feel Williams is an underrated cover corner in this 2009 class. He excels in off-man coverage with his loose hips, great stop-start skill and foot quickness. The future Golden Bear is smooth in all of his movement skills and possesses great recovery burst. There might not be a better corner at limiting initial separation off the line. Well-versed in a variety of coverages, Williams chose Cal over Oklahoma because he thought its defensive scheme may better exploit both his man and zone skills as a corner.
What Scouts Inc. looks for: These guys play the ball, not the man, in coverage with receiver-like skills. They have soft hands, sound concentration tracking the deep throw and know how to adjust their body and high-point the football. They always seem to be around the tipped ball with uncanny natural instincts. Good arm extension and leaping skills are key attributes for making plays on the ball.
One of the more underrated prospects in this entire class, it's hard to find a player with better natural ball awareness skills than Reid. He consistently comes up with the big grab on both offense and defense and looks comfortable making plays with the rock as a return specialist. The future Cane plucks the ball effortlessly with his soft, big hands and excellent concentration. He is a very fluid athlete for his size when adjusting to the throw. Recruited to play corner, Randy Shannon is going to have a difficult time not lining him up on offense.
Reid may not be the biggest or fastest, but he is one of the more instinctive skill players around the football in this class. Despite his lack of great height, he is difficult to beat on the jump ball with his great timing, leaping skills and natural athleticism adjusting to the ball in the air. His body control and high-pointing skills plucking the difficult grab are excellent. Urban Meyer has another defensive playmaker with impressive ball skills headed to Gainesville.
The future Nittany Lion is one of the more athletic and instinctive cornerbacks in his class. He consistently positions himself correctly between the ball and the receiver to come up with the big catch. Givens soundly tracks the deep throw with great concentration and body control; he basically turns into a receiver when the ball is in the air. He can leap and extend for the ball with the best of them. Givens just has an uncanny ability to always be around the ball making plays on defense.
What Scouts Inc. looks for: With Cover 2 being so prevalent, run support is becoming more of a factor for today's corners. Being big, strong and having the ability to outmuscle receivers on the stalk block is imperative. A player must be physical and a strong tackler. Explosion plant, drive skill and closing burst are key attributes.
A prototypical hard, Cover 2 guy, LSU landed perhaps the best form tackler in this quality class of physical corners. He generates great power in the short area and packs the punch of a much bigger defender on contact. Don't let his physicality fool you; he has great closing speed, athleticism and range chasing down defenders on his perimeter. Jackson is a complete football player.
One of the bigger and more physical corners in this class, Kent could easily grow into a safety at the next level while retaining his great athleticism. He did tell us Randy Shannon loves his size on the perimeter, and it's tough to argue with him; the 6-foot-3 corner effortlessly escapes the stalk block with his long, strong arms and fills with the strength of an outside linebacker. A true "force" corner whom it's difficult to gain outside leverage on, Kent explodes through ball carriers with great pop on contact.
Barnett has impressive size and physicality while still showing the hip fluidity needed to mirror quicker ball carriers in space. He fills hard and quickly on the perimeter with explosive plant and drive skill. The future Buckeye does a great job setting the edge and forcing the run inside with his strong frame. Barnett is an aggressive, collision tackler who sells out his body for the big hit. The Ohio native is a true Cover 2 corner.
What Scouts Inc. looks for: These players have great burst, acceleration and explosion to the ball when caught out of position. This is where the short shuttle test can sometimes determine a player's ability to catch up even more so than the 40 time. Recovery speed is not just measured on deep routes, but also on deep comebacks, in-routes and corner routes.
Smith is listed in the athlete category but this blazing skill player will more than likely line up at corner in college. There is track speed and football speed; he is one of fastest 100-meter sprinters in the state of Georgia and certainly has great "play speed" when breaking on the football between the white lines. His burst and explosion out of cuts to limit separation are excellent, only making the undecided Smith more highly coveted on the recruiting trail.
Winston utilizes his long, high-cut frame to make up ground quickly when the ball is in the air on deep throws. His burst and acceleration when breaking on the downfield pass are excellent for his size. He flashes great closing and recovery burst blanketing his underneath zone as well. Expect early playing time for Winston in Fayetteville with his rare combination of size and make-up speed.
Hands down, Bobby Petrino has the fasted cornerback duo in the country currently committed to Arkansas. Gordon may be one of the fastest pure corners in this class. Still a bit raw in technique, but the Arkansas pledge makes up a ton of ground with his long, smooth stride when caught out of position. He flashes striking acceleration and top-end speed. Another top-echelon sprinter, Gordon's speed is equally impressive on the gridiron.
