Man Coverage
Pros:
•Very patient in man coverage, he almost never seems to bite on press releases or head fakes
•Doesn’t gamble or open his hips too early to give the receiver leverage
•Can run the route for the receiver
•Turns when the receiver turns (looks for the ball)
•Was trusted to be left on an island or in man
•Bump and run technique is exceptional
•Mirriors route releases really well
Cons:
Can get caught on his heels in his backpedal or in press Can struggle to keep up with speed routes and releases
Zone Coverage
Pros:
•Reads QB's eyes very well in coverage
•Takes some gambles in zone and it usually pays off
•Doesn’t get beat deep
•Does his job well
Cons:
•Might try to bait a little too much
•Can get too deep and get beat underneath
•Doesn’t always try his hardest to get back to the ball when he gets beat underneath in zone coverage
Hand Usage
Pros:
•Gets his hands on the hip to reroute the receiver
•Hand on hip to keep track of the receiver while looking for the ball
•Decent jab
•Normally doesn’t work to get in a hand fight with him
Cons:
•Can a jab a little high or grab a little too much at times
•Gets away with some holds at times
Ball Skills
Pros:
•Attacks the ball at the highest point
•Consistently jars the ball free or deflects it when in position to
•Tracks the ball well
•Really love how he attacks the ball instead of the receiver
•Rips at the ball through the entire play
Cons:
•None that I can tell
Athleticism / Frame
Pros:
•4.38 40 speed is blazing
•Pretty elite straight line speed
Cons:
•Below average arm length, sitting at 30”
•Slightly undersized
Agility / Recovery Speed
Pros:
•Very light on his feet
•Quick footed
•Solid recovery speed
•Great hip movement and fluidity
•Transfers from backpedal to sprinting very quickly and efficiently
•Good twitch
•If he makes a mistake he has plenty of speed to get back into position if needed
Cons:
•Does a full circle turnaround rather then exploding out of his lateral steps
Tackling / Physicality
Pros:
•Willing tackler when they run to his side
•Good pad level
•Wraps up legs and ankles very well
•Hits with the correct shoulder/chest area well
•Clean tackling mechanics
•Uses sideline to his advantage
•Solid physicality overall
•Doesn’t fall for juke moves in open space
•Slightly above average block shedding
•Hits hard when presented with the right opportunity
•Keeps that inside shoulder free for hits
Cons:
•Occasionally takes a bad angle to make a hit
•Forgets his only main responsibility in the run game is outside contain
•Will give up a lane to the outside in run defense
•When he isn’t expecting to make a hit his pad level can be high and he only grabs
•Sometimes struggles to shed a good blocking receivers blocks
•Doesn’t breakdown enough on occasion and overpursues
•Has no chance of taking on a pulling OL block
Versatility
Pros:
•Can take some snaps from the slot
•Good blitzer that uses that motor effectively
•Gets hands up on blitzes to try to get bat downs
Cons:
•Might have to switch to slot depending on the team
•Pretty much only an outside corner
Games Watched
•Week 1 vs CLEM, Week 3 vs FLA, Week 5 vs MISS, Week 7 vs VAN, Week 8 vs TA&M, Week 9 vs ALA, Week 10 vs ARK, Week 12 vs OU
Ideal Situation:
•As I am writing this, the Kansas City Chiefs already traded up to the 6th overall pick in order to draft Mansoor Delane. I don’t think they needed to trade up for him, but they dang sure got a great corner. Being a Raider fan, this pains me to see them making such a good pick. Delane is a true clamp-down corner in man coverage, has good ball skills, agility, recovery speed, and hand usage. The only thing he is lacking is true length. Delane’s arms sit at 30,” and he is 5’11 ¾,” but that is pretty much 6 ft in cleats and a helmet. Delane is truly an incredible CB, and I am scared to face him 2 times a year for the next couple of seasons. I probably would have said the Dolphins or Cowboys would have been his next-best fits, aside from the Chiefs.
Rating
•Man Coverage – 9.4/10
•Zone Coverage – 8.7/10
•Hand Usage – 9.5/10
•Ball Skills – 9.2/10
•Athleticism / Frame – 8.5/10
•Agility / Recovery Speed – 8.9/10
•Tackling / Physicality – 8.5/10
•Versatility – 7.0/10
Total = 89.6/100 Top Ten or Mid 1st
DraftedR1 • P6Kansas City Chiefs