Slot Corner ~ Adoree Jackson ~ Southern California Trojans ~ 5096/187
Old Roles are getting dramatically transformed, and virtually every Front 7 ~ or Front 6!! ~ Defensive Job Description is transitioning into an Hybrid Role where the Defender is asked to excel in multiple Roles and in multiple Fronts.
For that reason, and in order to offer NomenClature that speaks not to archaic, obsolete "Positions", but rather to Skill Sets that accurately reflect the dynamic Changes of the 21st Century Game and the Roles they have spawned, I have undertaken to craft Terminology that is designed to break Skill Sets down as they really are.
Defensive Coordinators have, since Time Immemorial, employed highly creative terminology in devising Defenses and in designating Assignments. In that Spirit, I have admittedly indulged myself considerably in devising the following NomenClature. It is undeniably colorful, but I like to think that there's an underlying Logic, as well:
Slot Corners ~ Upon Further Review, I confess that I believe that I went A Bridge Too Far with this Business of rebranding NickelBacks as CenterFielders. CenterFielders ~ "Free Safeties" to you Earthlings!! ~ are optimally Hybrids capable of Direct Coverage, anyway, and my premise that NickelBacks ought to be able to manifest the Processing Speed that CenterFielders need, as well as the Run Defense Aspect of a CenterFielder was pushing Evolution too fast.
It would be terrific for Defenses if NickelBacks were all spry yet beefy 5090/210 Pounders whose Frames could stand up to the rigors of the Run Defense that is an important Aspect of a CenterFielder's Game.
But even then, their Height would be a Liability in surveying the Tactical LandScape.
NickelBacks are of course Pass Defense Specialists, but I will include Run Defense in my Evaluations. But I will note, of course, that as with Blocking as it pertains to WideOuts, it is desirable, yes, but its absence is no Red Flag.
This is how I break down Slot Corners:
Agility: Acceleration, Ricochet, Fluidity, and Verticity ~ that's Turn & Burn Acuity, to you Earthlings!!
Processing Speed: How quickly and effectively one Reads & Reacts to the developing Play.
Run Defense: Power, Agility, Combat Skills, Processing Speed, Motor, and Tackling.
Pass Coverage: Agility, Processing Speed, and Field Vision.
CatchPoint Capacity: Tracking, Timing, Combat Skills, and WingSpan.
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:
Agility
* Fluidity, above all things: Core Agility & Flexibility makes everything possible.
* Ricochet ~ How crisply and how rapidly one breaks in a new direction.
* Acceleration ~ Short Speed or Quickness. Closing Speed.
* Verticity ~ The Ability ~ or lack thereof ~ to Flips Hips and Turn & Burn in Pass Coverage.
Processing Speed
* How quickly and effectively one Reads & Reacts to the developing Play.
Run Defense
* Power
* Agility
* Combat Skills
* Processing Speed
* Motor
* Tackling
Pass Coverage
* Agility ~ Fluidity, Ricochet, Acceleration, and Speed, baby!!
* Processing Speed ~ Reading and Reacting with Speed & Precision to Offensive Tactics.
* Field Vision ~ Processing Speed with an emphasis on the Tactical LandScape.
CatchPoint Capacity
* Tracking
* Timing
* Combat Skills
* WingSpan
* Vertical Agility
Agility: Sensational. Magnificent Fluidity, extraordinary Acceleration, and blistering Speed.
Processing Speed: Mediocre, yet with tremendous Potential. Very Inconsistent. Even so, his extraordinary Tracking and Timing at The CatchPoint strongly suggest that a tighter Focus on FootBall may reap big Rewards.
Run Defense: Dubious. Good Motor, but he lacks Size, Length, and Power.
Pass Coverage: Impressive, though with extraordinary Potential. Jackson's Fluidity and Speed are World Class, but he may've gotten too spread out, split between FootBall and Track, to develop his Field Vision and Processing Speed effectively. Should he successfully play Catch Up in that Aspect of the Game, he could be magnificent.
CatchPoint Capacity: Tremendous. He lacks Power and Length, but he's got Tons of Vertical Agility, awesome Hands, and phenomenal Tracking & Timing. Despite his Size, he consistently excels at The CatchPoint.
That being my Perception, I believe that there's a very strong Chance that Adoree Jackson will develop into an extraordinary Pass Defender, to which Value one of course adds his sensational Special Teams Talents.
I characterize'm as a Slot Corner, but as the kind of Slot Corner who can play many Boundary Corner Downs effectively, provided that he's deployed correctly, and on many Downs at an extraordinarily high level.
Grateful Thanks, as always, for the invaluable Work done by the folks at Draft BreakDown!!
Market Value #18 | Yankee Grade 1st Round |
None of this is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning!! Caveat Emptor!