Man Coverage
Pros:
•Good eyes when in press and when in stride with the receiver
•Good at mirroring receivers off the line and gaining depth with the receiver
•Decent anticipation when in off man and doesn’t give up too much space to the receiver
•Doesn’t open gate early when having a cushion
•Good deceleration when running in stride when the receiver runs stop routes
Cons:
•Can overpursue when the receiver uses diamond releases, getting beat and giving the quarterback a much bigger window to throw
•Struggles to stay in stride with receivers when running deep routes
•Can let receiver get into his chest during routes, letting them use that physicality to get open off breaks
Zone Coverage
Pros:
•Comes downhill hard out of zone
•Violent hitter out of zone as well
Cons:
•Can carry routes for too long instead of passing them off
•Will hesitate at times to come downhill
•Can lose track of the receiver/get indecisive about which receiver to cover at times
Hand Usage
Pros:
•Can reroute well out of a flat zone
•Good hands at the catch point and smothers receivers
•Good at keeping hands on and staying physical throughout vertical routes
Cons:
•Punch isn’t as violent as you would want it to be
Ball Skills
Pros:
•Plays the ball very well at the catch point
•Very good at not being grabby and getting head around in vertical route situations, which avoids penalties
•Highpoints the ball well and bats it out of the air
•Had a nice interception at the Senior Bowl with a toe drag
Cons:
•Hesitation out of zone coverage can lead to him being late to the catch point when coming downhill
Athleticism / Frame
Pros:
•Height and arm length aren’t terrible and allow him to be very disruptive at the catch point
•Weight is solid
•Big hands as well
Cons:
•Lacks true long speed/makeup speed
•Doesn’t have the arm length to be an elite press corner
Agility / Recovery Speed
Pros:
•Good athletic ability mixes well with fluid hips
•Quick hip drops make his change of direction quick when he doesn’t hesitate
Cons:
•Does not have true makeup speed if he gets beat off the line
•Long speed also just isn’t there
Tackling / Physicality
Pros:
•Runs through pass catchers and hits hard
•Can slip blocks if he is coming downhill
Cons:
•Shows a significant lack of interest in the run game most of the time
•Doesn’t come with the same intensity in the run game as he does when hitting pass catchers
•Didn’t tackle with good form and will not be a reliable tackler at the next level
•If the blocker gets hands on, he has big struggles with getting hands off and can get bullied by bigger players
Versatility
Pros:
•Split snaps between slot and outside corner
•Even spent a couple at safety
•Played every single coverage, but doesn’t specialize in any
•Played on field goal block in college
Cons:
•Only played in 7 games due to injury, while also suffering a season-ending injury in training camp before rookie year
•Doesn’t specialize in any particular role, so he could struggle to find consistent work on the field
Games Watched:
•Week 1 vs TCU, Week 2 vs CLT, Week 11 vs DUKE (h), Week 12 NCSU (h)
Ideal Situation:
•Thaddeus Dixon was a very solid corner for North Carolina before getting injured against Clemson and being forced to sit out the last 5 games of the season. He shows very good footwork, combined with hip fluidity, that gives him a really solid change of direction. He can mirror receivers in the press very well while also gaining depth and keeping them from blowing past him off the line. His lack of long speed/makeup speed will make the transition to the next level very difficult, as he struggles to make up ground when beaten and is overall sloppy when playing from the trail position. He hits hard when coming downhill to hit pass catchers, but can sometimes hesitate when coming downhill out of the zone. He is also not a difference maker in the run game and lacks the hit power he shows against pass catchers. The Giants picked him up as an undrafted free agent, and this gets a B grade. The Giants ask corners to be up and physical on the line of scrimmage, but also frequently offer a safety net over the top. This will allow Dixon to flash his strengths in the press game while also covering up his weakness in long speed. He will need to toughen up in the run game, as the scheme also asks corners to be aggressive there.
Rating:
•Man Coverage – 6.7/10
•Zone Coverage – 6.1/10
•Hand Usage – 6.9/10
•Ball Skills – 8.2/10
•Athleticism / Frame – 7.1/10
•Agility / Recovery Speed – 6.3/10
•Tackling / Physicality – 4.5/10
•Versatility – 6.8/10
Total = 67.05/100 (D+) Mid 5th Grade
UDFANew York Giants
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