NFL
By: Steve Atkinson
With the draft around the corner the Patriots will have a decision to make at the cornerback position. J.C. Jackson will not be coming back to the Patriots in 2022, as Mr. INT wants to get paid as a top cornerback in the league. He won’t be getting top cornerback money from the Patriots and will find it in free agency. As we look ahead to the draft, I’ve picked three cornerbacks the Patriots could draft this year to help improve the team.
Kaiir Elam (Florida)
https://twitter.com/Ryan_Spags/status/1500827225662316550
Strengths:
- Tracks the ball well in the air – had an interception and three passes broken up last season, and his 13 pass breakups in 2020 tied for the fourth-most in the country
- Very aggressive in coverage with good top-end speed – ran track in high school and it shows
- Aware in coverage – has a natural feeling for the game
- He has the vision, range, hitting ability, and ball skills teams want at free safety in the pass-heavy NFL.
- Closes to the ball quite well and possesses the hands to snatch throws away from his frame.
- Good instincts and anticipation reads . Dangerous with the ball in his hands.
- Aware in the red zone, stays on the backline to take away fade throws. Capable of making quarterbacks pay for late throws.
Weakness:
- Inconsistent getting off of blocks – needs to improve his footwork.
- Takes questionable angles to tackles and will overshoot by being overly aggressive
- Elam has the height/weight/speed to match up well against bigger players on the outside but quicker players on the outside will be a concern for him.
- Questionable technique and he gets lazy with fundamentals, sometimes getting high in his backpedal and will breach the coverage call seeking flashy plays
Christian Braswell (Rutgers)
Strengths:
- Good instincts and anticipation reads and reacts with discipline. Dangerous with the ball in his hands.
- Anticipation skills and explosive, downhill burst could make him a star in zone-based scheme.
- Fast and he sticks to receivers and closes on the ball.
- Understands what’s coming and has good ball skills.
- Has at least adequate straight-line speed and good balance, fluidity to change direction.
Weakness:
- He overcomes his lack of bulk with a sharp jaw and fighter’s approach but can be overmatched against NFL receivers.
- Bites on play-action and isn’t always in tune with rest of secondary.
- Fails to maintain inside technique in man coverage. Not a press corner.
- Somewhat small, will give up catches to big receivers even when he has tight coverage. Does not consistently deliver a stout chuck in press coverage.
I picked him because Bill Belichick loves taking players from schools that he knows well. Michigan, Alabama, Florida, Rutgers, etc. are all programs Belichick looks at when he prepares for the draft.
Roger McCreary (Auburn)
Roger McCreary: CB__ in the Draft pic.twitter.com/Uf7TjmNrhZ
— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 15, 2022
Strengths:
- Solid in run defense and Is a strong tackler
- Has the ability to read the quarterback’s eyes and the experience to know where the pass is going
- Closes to the ball well and possesses the hands to snatch throws away from his frame.
- Plays the ball as if it was thrown for him, showing burst back to the ball as well as good timing for the jump ball.
- Anticipation skills and explosive, downhill burst could make him a star in a zone-based scheme.
- Always seems to find the ball quickly enough to at least get a hand on it. Not afraid to stick his nose into traffic against the run despite his size.
- Reads the QB and gets good breaks on the ball. Bigger hitter than his slight frame implies. Closes quickly and generates explosion.
Weakness:
- Needs to get stronger.
- NFL quarterbacks may take advantage of his aggressiveness in man and zone to eye up short routes and go over the top
- Has tense ankles and hips with choppy footwork when attempting to redirect and doesn’t always look natural changing directions.
- Has managed to stay injury-free throughout his college career.
McCreary is predicted to go day one in the draft this year. He may have the ability to be a number one cornerback someday.
