CornerBack ~ Rashard Robinson ~ Louisiana
State Fighting Tigers ~ 6015/171
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:
CornerBacks ~ I find it quite amusing that the very last Skill Set on my list is the only Defensive Skill Set ~ so far!! ~ for whom I haven't adapted or invented a new Term. The Prototype would be about 6000/195.
CornerBacks 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.
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, Navigating Traffic, Processing Speed, Motor, and Tackling.
Pass Coverage: Combat Skills, Agility, Processing Speed, and Catch Point Capacity.
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
* Navigating Traffic
* Processing Speed
* Motor
* Tackling
Pass Coverage
* Combat Skills
* Agility
* Processing Speed
* Catch Point Capacity
Processing Speed: Effective, both in Run Defense and in Pass Coverage.
Run Defense: Mediocre. Horrible Core Power but an outstanding WingSpan. Mediocre Motor.
Pass Coverage: Competitive. He's not Quick, Smooth, Explosive, or Strong, but he's Fast, and he's Long. And he's smart enough, too: He can read the Field, or at least he could back in 2013, the last time he saw it. As dangerously thin as his Skill Profile is ~ and as thin as he is ~ his WingSpan and Long Speed mean that he's never really out'f the Play.
Without getting buried in Character Issues, I'll just say that that's a legitimate Red Flag in my Book, but not necessarily a Deal Breaker, as word around the CampFire is that he's genuinely remorseful, or at least claims to be.
As far as FootBall is concerned, I certainly don't care for his Skill Set: He's not Quick, Smooth, Explosive, or Strong. He's a Liability on Run Defense, and those spindly legs and that wafer-thin Frame tell me that he's liable to be Injury Prone.
And I don't read good things about his Work Ethic, which is certainly verified by his anemic Run Defense, and the evident lack of Commitment in the Weight Room over the Years. That is a major Red Flag in my Book.
But I will not deny his Talent. Robinson brings an outstanding fusion of Long Speed and Length ~ WingSpan ~ to the Field of Battle, and that combination compensates enormously for his lack of other Agility. And indeed he exhibits an effective level of Processing Speed ~ or did, in 2013 ~ and while he's presumably rusty, in all regards, as a matter of fact, it'd surprise me if, having shown such acumen as a Freshman, he didn't build dramatically on that Success.
Grateful Thanks, as always, for the crucial Work done by the folks at Draft BreakDown!!
Market Value #133 | Yankee Grade 4th/5th Round |
This is not is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning: Caveat Emptor!!