Best of the Bunch

Chris Houston, Arkansas (5-9, 185)

Strengths: Houston is blazing fast and has great leaping ability. He really closes well on the ball and if he picks off a pass, he’s usually off to the races. Houston is only 185 pounds but he plays much bigger than that. He’s strong and extremely physical at bumping receivers off the line. On tape, Houston manhandled both Robert Meachem and Sidney Rice with his jam technique. Last year Houston held first-round prospects Meachem, Dwayne Jarrett and Dwayne Bowe to a combined 14 receptions for 168 yards and one touchdown (Arkansas plays primarily man-to-man coverage, so Houston was defending these receivers by himself most of the time). He also does a very good job of covering kicks on special teams.

Weaknesses: Houston doesn’t have many weaknesses in coverage. The only thing you can really penalize him for is sometimes he takes a chance when he doesn’t need to but all the great corners are aggressive. Houston makes many more plays on the ball than he does getting beat for a touchdown. The other negative with Houston is he needs to be more physical against the run. At times, he misses tackles he should make near the line of scrimmage.

Overall: Houston is the best cornerback available this year in my opinion. He has all the physical tools to be a shutdown corner in the NFL, including having a nose for the football. He doesn’t get fooled often and makes a lot of big plays. Some might think Houston is just a workout warrior and his draft stock is rising because he had a great Combine but that’s not the case. They have a name for those people. They’re called Tim Shaw. Houston has the strength to jam bigger receivers at the line and the speed to run with quicker wideouts down the field. His overall skills are very impressive and Houston played his best against the top receivers he faced last year. I expect Houston to be one of the top two corners picked on draft day, which means he should be off the board relatively early in the first round.

Draft Projection: First round

Darrelle Revis, Pittsburgh (5-11, 204)

Strengths: Revis is a smart corner who does a good job of baiting the quarterback. He has a lot of confidence in his game. Revis is such a good athlete that he makes things look easy on the field. It’s hard to put into words but Revis just has that “it” factor about him. He has the mentality of an NFL corner and a knack for making big plays. He’s tough to beat deep because Revis usually has solid position, making it hard for receivers to get to the ball. Revis is dangerous in the open field once he intercepts a pass. He has good awareness and field vision. Revis is a physical corner who plays like a safety against the run. He’s also a dangerous punt returner, adding to his impressive resume.

Weaknesses: To be honest, Revis doesn’t have a lot of holes in his game. He doesn’t have blazing speed but his instincts on the field help make up for that because he’s usually in good position. Revis is solid in pretty much all facets of his game, although he does struggle against taller receivers sometimes. He doesn’t have the makeup speed that Houston possesses but overall Revis is a polished, consistent cornerback.

Overall: There are many differing opinions regarding the top four corners in this draft but I think Houston and Revis are clearly the top two. Revis does a great job of sticking to receivers and is a tough player to fool. He reads routes well and usually beats the receiver to the ball. Very few teams threw his way last year and that’s why he doesn’t have the eye-popping numbers. However, Revis is a corner that rarely gets beat and those guys tend to stick around in the NFL for a while. With all his football intelligence and physical tools, Revis should be able to come right in and contribute as a rookie.

Draft Projection: First round

Aaron Ross, Texas (6-0, 193)

Strengths: Ross made a ton of plays at Texas and a lot of that has to do with his gambling nature. Ross has the Deion Sanders-mentality where he’s always breaking on the ball trying to make a big play. He was known as a cover corner in college but Ross is much more physical than he’s given credit for. He has no problem coming up and laying the lumber. Ross plays well against taller receivers because of his great leaping ability. He has all the physical tools to become a solid starting corner at the pro level. Ross is also a very dangerous punt returner and an overall playmaker in general.

Weaknesses: As Ross himself admitted at the Combine, one of his greatest strengths is also one of his weaknesses. While Ross makes a lot of plays breaking on the ball, he can also get beat deep when he guesses wrong. Ross agreed that he gambles a little too much and sometimes that costs both him and his team. He’s physical for his size but Ross still needs to get bigger and stronger if he wants to hold up against the elite NFL receivers. He gets in trouble sometimes when he has to turn and run with receivers downfield. Ross relied a lot on his God-given natural ability in college, so he still needs some work on his technique and overall coverage skills.

Overall: Ross is the real wild card out of the first round cornerback prospects. He certainly has the physical skill and demeanor to be a good corner in the NFL. However, Ross also has to work on not taking so many chances. It paid off for him most of the time at Texas but in the NFL – facing quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning – being overly aggressive can be costly. Ross is a notch below Houston and Revis right now and battling Hall to be the third corner off the board in my opinion. He's the classic boom or bust player.

Draft Projection: First round

Leon Hall, Michigan (5-11, 193)

Strengths: Hall breaks on the ball extremely well. He gets his head turned around and locates the ball while it’s in the air, something a lot of corners – even many at the NFL level – don’t always do. Hall is a very sure tackler, especially against receivers in the open field. He reads the quarterback well and does a good job of coming off his man to make a play on the ball. Hall plays with good technique and is really tough to beat on shorter routes. He’s an experienced, technically sound corner.

Weaknesses: Unlike Houston, Hall struggled against the better receivers he faced last year. Both Ted Ginn and Dwayne Jarrett had their way with him late in the season. That’s the biggest question mark I have with Hall. Led by Alan Branch and LaMarr Woodley, the Michigan defensive front dominated in almost every game the Wolverines played. However, the two times they didn’t (Ohio State and USC), Hall got lit up like a Christmas tree. Even though he recorded an impressive 40-time at the Combine, Hall lacks elite football speed and can get beat deep, despite usually playing off receivers.

Overall: Even though he struggled at the end of his senior season, Hall had a productive overall career at Michigan, so that can’t be overlooked. I think Hall is a decent prospect but a bit overrated. In my opinion, he’s not worthy of being one of the top 15 picks in the draft. I think Hall is going to be a pretty good pro and warrants being selected in the first round, but I would take both Houston and Revis over him for sure. Hall is a solid cornerback but I don’t see a lot of room for upside. He’s probably better suited for a Tampa 2 system. I don’t think Hall will ever be a shutdown-type corner in the NFL, although, he should be a decent starter in the right system. He kind of reminds me of Brian Kelly of the Buccaneers. Not a premier player but a solid, consistent starter and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that.

 

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