Man Coverage
Pros:
•Solid punches off the snap can give receivers problems
•When he is able to get his hands on he can consistently maintain physicality throughout the route
•Can stay in phase against more vertical routes in off-man
Cons:
•Takes false steps and little hops forward at the snap, which bring his feet into bad positions at times, especially against fast receivers
•Poor deceleration and gives too much cushion when covering deeper routes in off-man
•His focus on getting hands-on can lead to him being off balance
Zone Coverage
Pros:
•Decent zone awareness and doesn’t lose track of receivers
Cons:
•Poor change of direction when coming downhill after backpedaling
•Can get caught covering grass and not looking for work
•Don't see him communicating anything on film
Hand Usage
Pros:
•Good hand usage off the line with strong punches
•Decent hand fighting during the route, but can get kinda grabby
•Does well in rerouting receivers out of flat zone
•Smothers receivers at the catch point, making it difficult for receivers to complete the catch
Cons:
•Can get grabby during routes and at the catch point, which can lead to penalties
•Overcommits with the hands and gets off balance
Ball Skills
Pros:
•Does a good job of highpointing the football and not jumping too early or to late
•Good timing at catch point to jar the ball loose
•Decent at turning his head to catch the ball
•Good catch radius
Cons:
•None
Athleticism / Frame
Pros:
•Good height and weight for a corner
•Has the right arm length for the prototypical press corner
•Shows decent play strength and doesn’t get bullied when getting blocked
Cons:
•Lacks long speed/makeup speed
Agility / Recovery Speed
Pros:
•Good burst after changing directions
Cons:
•Stiff hips that lead to poor movement in general
•Clunky back pedal with false steps off the snap lead to poor change of direction
•Poor change of direction leads to him being late when coming downhill at times and taking poor angles
•Poor makeup speed and is beat if he gets beat off the line
Tackling / Physicality
Pros:
•Sometimes would go really low and ankle bite with varying degrees of success
Cons:
•Never tackles with good form
•Always arm tackles
•Takes poor angles consistently
•Overpursues and doesn’t stay square to runners
•Doesn’t wrap up well when hitting
•Isn’t good in run fits, allowing ball carriers to bounce outside
Versatility
Pros:
•Has all of his experience as a boundary corner
•Played all sorts of alignments and assignments
•Has limited experience on special teams
Cons:
•Outside of one snap, no experience in the slot
•Lacks tackling prowess to play in the slot or at safety
Games Watched:
•Week 1 vs TCU, Week 2 vs CLT, Week 8 vs SYR (h), Week 11 vs DUKE (h), Week 12 NCSU (h)
Ideal Situation:
•Marcus Allen is the true boundary corner coming out of North Carolina. His good arm length, combined with good hand usage, allows him to find a role in the NFL as a press-man/match corner. His poor hip fluidity and poor change of direction will limit him, though, and it will be tough for him to transition to the league's speed. He also needs to freshen up his tackling technique or get better at ankle-biting, because he missed a lot of tackles on tape. He has good ball skills and works well at the catch point, but gets grabby, and that leads to him getting a lot of penalties as well. He did lead his team in pass deflections in his senior year, and the Vikings picked him up in free agency following the draft, and this gets an A- grade. He will have the chance to work against one of the better receiving rooms in the NFL with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Juan Jennings, while also not having the steepest amount of competition if he is able to up his game. The Vikings' defensive scheme also calls for corners to play a lot of man press, so this would lean into his strengths if he sees the field.
Rating:
•Man Coverage – 6.0/10
•Zone Coverage – 4.9/10
•Hand Usage – 7.1/10
•Ball Skills – 7.6/10
•Athleticism / Frame – 6.1/10
•Agility / Recovery Speed – 4.7/10
•Tackling / Physicality – 2/10
•Versatility – 6.4/10
Total = 57.4/100 (F) Late 7th - UDFA Grade
UDFAMinnesota Vikings