NBS Presents: Bill Carroll’s New Scout’s Eye View

By: Bill Carroll

Bill Carroll’s New Scout’s Eye View will take a look at one of the most difficult positions in football. To put it in perspective here is the quote that was first attributed to a ‘Frank and Ernest’ comic in a Los Angeles newspaper, as the two see a poster for a Fred Astaire film festival. The caption reads: ‘Sure he was great, but don’t forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did…backwards and in high heels.’

While defenders who play on the corner at least have the luxury of cleats, much of the sentiment of the quote is apt. They must defend elite athletes, while they can only guess as to where they are going, quite often while moving backwards. The rules governing defense have steadily tightened for around 50 years. While rules governing offense have largely either remained the same or loosened.

The general consensus among football’s cognoscenti is that this is a very talented corner and nickel-back class. On the whole, I agree, however, I am not as convinced about some of the “usual suspects that many have atop this class. To be clear, I think that players like: Malachi Moore, Joey Porter Jr., Kelee Ringo, and Cam Smith are exciting prospects. Each of them is most likely a top 50 prospect, however, I am going to devote Bill Carroll’s New Scout’s Eye View to corner-backs outside of the consensus top 10 that I see as having real, legitimate pro potential.

1. Jakorian Bennett was good last year, but he has raised his game more than just one notch this year. He has been consistently excellent but he was exceptional versus Buffalo with five pass breakups, allowing only three receptions for 28 yards on 37 pass coverage snaps. Versus Purdue, he was simply special. He picked off Aidan O’Connell on the Maryland 24-yard line for his first interception of the season. In his career, he has four and I feel confident more are coming this year. He has a compact, powerful frame, reminiscent of Jaylon Johnson. His speed is well above-average, he has impressive ball skills, and is a solid tackler.  He would be a good fit on the Steelers scheme.
   
2. Elijah Jones of Boston College reminds me so much of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from his slender, wiry build to his ability to accelerate and ball skills. He has been productive. On the season he has 23 solo tackles and an assist, with two tackles for loss, to including a sack, nine passes defended, and an interception.

   

3. Riley Moss of Iowa is amongst the rarest of prospects. He’s a White corner and he is very, very good. In his career, he has compiled 113 solo tackles, 30 assists, 5.5 TFL, 2 forced fumbles, 27 passes defended, and 10 interceptions, of which he scored on three. His physical testing and the league’s perception of him will decide if he has a chance to stay on the corner and join the likes of Troy Apke.

It was Apke who broke the NFL’s 18-year run of not drafting and playing a White corner.  When The Commanders drafted him as the 109th pick of the 2018 Draft history was made. Prior to that Dustin Fox took about a dozen snaps at corner-back for the Eagles and the Bills in 2006 and 2007, Ethan Kilmer played many spots and took a snap or few at corner-back with the Bengals in 2006. Even, friend of Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr., and slot receiver turned commercial pitch-man, Julian Edelman was on the corner for a few snaps with the Patriots in 2011. 

But among players who were supposed to be primarily corner-backs, Kevin Kaesviharn had five starts at corner for the Bengals, and played in 26 games, some of them at CB, from 2001 to 2003. While a more well-known player, Jason Sehorn had 107 starts at corner for the Giants. He was released on March 7, 2003. Bringing his corner-back, days to an end. He played 10 more games with the Rams at safety.

4. Maxwell Anderson of Weber State is simply pretty to watch, while he’s more slender and slight at about 169 and 5’10 3/4″, he has the kind of smoothness and explosion that could make him special in coverage. He has broken up five passes and intercepted another five. This is despite the fact that opponents do their best to avoid him. He also has 24 tackles, 18 of them solo, one and a half tackles for loss, he even has blocked two kicks. The Raiders should consider him in 2023.

5. Kahlef Hailassie of W. Kentucky is over six feet tall and 201 pounds, he moves well, but he’s a striker with three sacks among his 8 total tackles for loss. He reminds me of Andre Woolfolk, physically. His toughness and tackling may see him bring moved to safety.

6. Ridge Texada of N. Texas currently leads the nation in defended passes with 13. Texada also has three picks on the year, the first Mean Green defender with 3 or more interceptions in a single season since 2018. He’s 5’8″ 181 so he is most likely seen as a nickel at the NFL level. I think he could hold his own the outside but I understand the concerns.

7. Devon Witherspoon of the University of Illinois, came to football relatively late. Prior to his junior year of high school, he had been a high jumper and part of multiple championship relay teams, including a Florida Class 3A state runner-up, finish in the 4×100-meter relay, his track speed is quite apparent on the field.

This season, only his sixth as a football player, has been very impressive so far in 2022 he has posted 18 solo tackles, a pair of assists, an interception, and a phenomenal 11 pass-breakups. Arizona should have him on their board.

8. Shaun Lewis of UT-Martin by way of Houston is a player that made a strong impression in his days as a Cougar. I am close to the person who headed his recruitment and Lewis was discovered on D’Eriq King’s father’s 7-on-7 squad. He was signed to become a special teams berserker. Once he transferred his hands, strength for his size and work ethic were fully on display. He has had a banner year with 39 total tackles, 27 of them solo, four interceptions, and seven pass-break-ups.

9. Eli Blakey of Miami [OH] is technically speaking a red-shirt freshman, but, due to the COVID year, he is a third-year player and therefore could request early eligibility for the 2023 NFL Draft. He has enough size that he fit’s the “Seattle Corner” prototype at 6’1 3/4″ and 204, he’s playing safety. I think that’s most likely his NFL fit, unless he gets a call from a 425 area code, when he’s drafted. They have converted safeties to CB in the past and he’d be a good candidate. In just five games he has 13 solo tackles, helping on 14 more, with a QB pressure, a recovered fumble, and an interception with six pass breakups.

10. Tyrek Funderburk of Richmond is on a Spiders defense that has some NFL talent and the All-CAA CB entirely looks the part of an NFL corner, he has speed, [he was a seven-time high school Conference Track Champion (4x100m relay, Long Jump, Triple Jump, and 100 Meters), he holds school records in: Long Jump, Triple Jump, 4x100m and 4x200m relay] ball skills and balance. I think he’s massively underrated.  In 2022: 14 solo stops, 5 assists, a forced fumble, six pass break ups and two picks, including one he cashed in for points.

Honorable mention: Joey Sinclair of W. Oregon is a “Super Duper Senior” in his sixth year of college. and he is a Super Duper tackler with 27 solo and 21 assists in only eight games. He also added a forced fumble, three pass break ups, six interceptions , including a pick 6. He’s the best Division II corner I have graded so far.