Feeling Cornered

Harry

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Of course selecting a corner depends a great deal on what defensive system you run most often. Joseph, for example, prefers zone. While draftees can be taught different systems, they can start quicker if they understand the philosophy to which they must adhere. One trait I ‘d love the Cards to get is a ballhawk. The Cards defense lacks a playmaker who can change to momentum of the game.

Derek Stingley is a legacy player and if you’ve read many of my previous emails you’ll know I highly value this. He is the surest choice among the corners (except for injury) and likely the best as well. He has elite speed and his athleticism is off the charts. Like Aeneas Williams he can literally take the other team’s top receiver out of the game with his man-to-man coverage. He can high point a ball. Stingley has fluid hips and comes out of his backpedal smoothly. He’s better than Peterson on his best day. He’s physical without being overly aggressive. He’s a decent ballhawk with very good hands. He is intensely competitive, willing to press as well as play off the receiver. Once a catch is made he tackles more like a safety. He willingly supports against the run, taking good angles to receivers and ball carriers. He certainly could play zone but was rarely asked to do so. He plays so physically he was frequently setback by injuries. The bigger, faster NFL players could aggravate this concern. He had recent foot surgery for example. At times he seemed bored in college and got beat by guys he could easily have covered.

Trent McDuffie plays wearing his deceased brother’s number. He has excellent speed. A good leaper, he can high point a ball. He is decent playing man or zone. His best skill is mirroring receivers. McDuffie is a fine wrap up tackler. He did a decent job as a punt returner.

Kaiir Elam is a true ballhawk who intercepts or deflects numerous passes. He’s has a spotty injury history. Like many corners, he is a little stiff and has trouble with double moves. He’s technically a legacy player though Uncle Matt had a shirt NFL career despite being a first round pick. He is intensely aggressive and fearless.

Roger McCreary is a student of the game who excels at route recognition. What he lacks in speed and athleticism he makes up in anticipation. Sometimes he actually runs a route better than the receiver. This along with good hands has yielded several interceptions. He flashed solid tackling form. He has experience blitzing. I think he’ll work better as a slot corner.

Ahmad Gardner busted his tail last off season to build up,his frame. In his last 3 years, he did not allow even 1 touchdown reception. He has long arms and uses them effectively to handle bigger receivers. Once a penalty machine, he’s learned to,play cleaner but stay in contact. He still tends to play physically. He’s a good press corner.

Martin Emerson is a power player with long arms. He likes to mix it up. He one of the few corners who has extensive experience as a blitzes. He does not possess elite speed, but does a nice job diagnosing routes. He displays good ball skills and leaps well to high point ball. Some evaluators prefer him at safety.

Andrew Booth is a fine athlete with great agility and precise footwork. He’s outstanding at Williams’ top skill, mirroring. He’s sound at man coverage. He can get over anxious in zone and take himself out of a play. This is fixable with good coaching.

Kyler Gordon is an outstanding athlete, near the top of this pool. He also displays good agility. He is still learning the position and has a major upside. He does look fluid and comes out of his backpedal smoothly. He’s decent against the pass and the run, displaying aggressive tackling skills. Sometimes he can get overly aggressive. He can play both man and zone, but is more effective in zone until his experience increases. He most often was the nickel corner.

Coby Bryant has the potential to develop into a true ballhawk. He lacks elite speed, but has good ball skills. Bryant watches much film and diagnoses routes and formation tendencies. He is enthusiastic in run support. He seems best suited as a press corner who plays the slot. He has good sideline awareness and uses it to squeeze receiver. He gambles too much which costs him TDs.

Marcus Jones is a true ballhawk who may allow an reception trying to make an interception. Unfortunately he’s only 5’8” and can be challenged by tall receivers. He seems best suited as a slot corner. He was an outstanding kick returner at Troy and a good punt returner at Houston.

Alontae Taylor a former wide receiver he understands what his target is trying to do. He’s still learning the position, but has decent speed. He’s smart and drives vertical routes to sideline. He’s played both man and zone, but he tends to hesitate in zone. He has modest hands and only mediocre ball skills, but he does turn when the ball is in the air. He’s a high effort tackler that needs work on techniques

Josh Jobe is an athletic, physical corner who excels at press coverage. However once beaten he becomes a penalty machine. He has good length but uses it to bully receivers. He show a flair for blitzing.

Derrion Kendrick this guy will fool many scouts. His numbers won’t impress because opposing QBs ceased throwing to his coverage area. He doesn’t have elite speed but makes up for that by being extremely fluid. Sadly Kendrick’s has discipline issues and was dismissed from the Clemson team. He then moved to Georgia and was a model citizen.

Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson reminds me of Winfield if you recall him. He very small (5’9”) yet he consistently outplayed larger receivers. He allowed only 37.5% of his targets to be completed. He has amazing agility and awesome leaping ability which he uses to high point a ball. He has the most fluid change of direction of any of this pool. He may have a tougher time with big corners in the end zone. He also needs to do a better job of ball location.
 

Snakester

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Thanks for all the info. Derrek Stingley sounds like our man. We need a shutdown cb and a great d-lineman to shore up the defense.
 

BritCard

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The fact the class is so deep is why I don;t think they go corner in round 1. Unless they see one they absolutely must have of course.

For me the smart play in round 1 is EDGE. I await your "Feeling Edgy" thread :)
 

azkcfan

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Thanks Harry don't watch a ton of college ball will watch the games this weekend and keep a note on these CB's
 

az jam

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Thanks Harry. Lots of good CBs in the draft which is good for the Cards as it is a position of need.
 

BritCard

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I would be ok with rolling again with Murphy, Wilson, resigning Alford, Hamilton and adding some decent vet depth or a 3rd/4th round rookie CB. I'd expect a leap from Marco. Murphy and Alford played pretty well and if you have a decent pass rush corner becomes much less crucial.

I'd have no issue with drafting a high round CB but Edge is a much bigger hole.
 

Stout

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I would be ok with rolling again with Murphy, Wilson, resigning Alford, Hamilton and adding some decent vet depth or a 3rd/4th round rookie CB. I'd expect a leap from Marco. Murphy and Alford played pretty well and if you have a decent pass rush corner becomes much less crucial.

I'd have no issue with drafting a high round CB but Edge is a much bigger hole.
Whoa, no thank you! Murphy and Wilson, yes. Keep Hamilton for depth, of course. We must add a top-end corner or a corner we can develop into top-end, though, rather than the oft-injured retread Alford. I said before the season he couldn't be counted on, and his injury history helped crush our chances again this season.
 

slanidrac16

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Whoa, no thank you! Murphy and Wilson, yes. Keep Hamilton for depth, of course. We must add a top-end corner or a corner we can develop into top-end, though, rather than the oft-injured retread Alford. I said before the season he couldn't be counted on, and his injury history helped crush our chances again this season.
Whoa, no thank you! Murphy and Wilson, yes. Keep Hamilton for depth, of course. We must add a top-end corner or a corner we can develop into top-end, though, rather than the oft-injured retread Alford. I said before the season he couldn't be counted on, and his injury history helped crush our chances again this season.
the reason the 49ers are so effective is they get pressure with 4 guys. If we could ever do that suddenly our cb’s would be better.
We need one or the other.
 

Stout

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Whoa, no thank you! Murphy and Wilson, yes. Keep Hamilton for depth, of course. We must add a top-end corner or a corner we can develop into top-end, though, rather than the oft-injured retread Alford. I said before the season he couldn't be counted on, and his injury history helped crush our chances again this season.

the reason the 49ers are so effective is they get pressure with 4 guys. If we could ever do that suddenly our cb’s would be better.
We need one or the other.
That would be great. I feel we need both edge and CB. If we end up with the CBs we had to end the season with, in the condition they were in, pass rush might not matter.
 

slanidrac16

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That would be great. I feel we need both edge and CB. If we end up with the CBs we had to end the season with, in the condition they were in, pass rush might not matter.
Yep. It’s pick your poison. I just don’t think we can turn this defense into a dominant defense in one year. I’d be fine drafting the best edge pass rusher.
But for us to be a player we are going to have to spend most of the money on offense. I think we need TWO o- linemen, Two wr’s , decide what the hell to do at te AND rb.
Geezus.
 

Krangodnzr

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I would be ok with rolling again with Murphy, Wilson, resigning Alford, Hamilton and adding some decent vet depth or a 3rd/4th round rookie CB. I'd expect a leap from Marco. Murphy and Alford played pretty well and if you have a decent pass rush corner becomes much less crucial.

I'd have no issue with drafting a high round CB but Edge is a much bigger hole.
Corner wasn't a huge issue most of the season.

I'd look to bring in a solid veteran and draft one of corners later.

Look for OL help and edge early.
 

Cbus cardsfan

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Good write up even though it was hard to get past Stingley being better than an 8 time pro bowler, 3 time first team all-pro, and likely HOF'er on his best day.
 

BritCard

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Whoa, no thank you! Murphy and Wilson, yes. Keep Hamilton for depth, of course. We must add a top-end corner or a corner we can develop into top-end, though, rather than the oft-injured retread Alford. I said before the season he couldn't be counted on, and his injury history helped crush our chances again this season.

49ers are in the championship game with a bunch of nobodies at CB. Rams have Jalen Ramsey then some guys. Bengals are in the AFCCG with Eli Apple and Awuzie at CB.

Hell even the Chiefs with Ward, Sneed and Hughes aren't a stellar group.

The days of WR1 lined up vs CB1 are gone. Teams are spreading the ball around. You no longer need a star CB, you need a bunch of decent guys. And the league has adjusted to that.

The average spend on the CB room last season across the league was $12.6m over 6 players.

Wilson, Murphy, Alford, Hamilton and someone like Bryce Callaghan or Xavier Rhodes would be a good group. The FA market is pretty stacked with quality roster depth this offseason and the market is depressed.

Someone like Casey Hayward (who I said we should sign last season but was told was cooked and then had a great year) would be a good addition.

What our backfield lacked last year was vet experience when Alford was out. I'm not really keen to add another 21 year old to an already young defense.
 

DVontel

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That would be great. I feel we need both edge and CB. If we end up with the CBs we had to end the season with, in the condition they were in, pass rush might not matter.
49ers, Chiefs, & Bengals say otherwise. Rams have Ramsey, but they also have one of the greatest defensive players of all time & one of the greatest EDGEs of all time.

These playoffs should be opening up a lot of eyes. You can get by with competent CBs if you have a very good pass rush. You CAN’T get by even with very good CBs if you don’t have a very good pass rush.
 

Cbus cardsfan

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pass rush is, without a doubt, the most important aspect. Can anyone name TB's corners from last year's Super Bowl? I doubt it. But you can remember the TB front 7 pressuring Mahomes and making him look pedestrian all game.
 

Stout

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49ers are in the championship game with a bunch of nobodies at CB. Rams have Jalen Ramsey then some guys. Bengals are in the AFCCG with Eli Apple and Awuzie at CB.

Hell even the Chiefs with Ward, Sneed and Hughes aren't a stellar group.

The days of WR1 lined up vs CB1 are gone. Teams are spreading the ball around. You no longer need a star CB, you need a bunch of decent guys. And the league has adjusted to that.

The average spend on the CB room last season across the league was $12.6m over 6 players.

Wilson, Murphy, Alford, Hamilton and someone like Bryce Callaghan or Xavier Rhodes would be a good group. The FA market is pretty stacked with quality roster depth this offseason and the market is depressed.

Someone like Casey Hayward (who I said we should sign last season but was told was cooked and then had a great year) would be a good addition.

What our backfield lacked last year was vet experience when Alford was out. I'm not really keen to add another 21 year old to an already young defense.
I understand and agree with the thought process here, but there's a major problem with bringing back the same guys we had: it didn't work. Sure, we looked good for a while when everyone was healthy, but the secondary grew into a major problem and really hurt us. I don't want anything to do with Alford. He can go. Keeping Hamilton, Wilson, and Murphy is a good start. Add a solid vet and draft a high CB and I think we'll be alright. Getting the band back together is probably going to net us the same end of season secondary results.
 

Stout

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49ers, Chiefs, & Bengals say otherwise. Rams have Ramsey, but they also have one of the greatest defensive players of all time & one of the greatest EDGEs of all time.

These playoffs should be opening up a lot of eyes. You can get by with competent CBs if you have a very good pass rush. You CAN’T get by even with very good CBs if you don’t have a very good pass rush.
Sorry, I wasn't clear. Pass rush is crucial; I meant that, if we have lousy CB play, even a good pass rush might not save our defense. That's on me for poor wording.
 

BritCard

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I understand and agree with the thought process here, but there's a major problem with bringing back the same guys we had: it didn't work. Sure, we looked good for a while when everyone was healthy, but the secondary grew into a major problem and really hurt us. I don't want anything to do with Alford. He can go. Keeping Hamilton, Wilson, and Murphy is a good start. Add a solid vet and draft a high CB and I think we'll be alright. Getting the band back together is probably going to net us the same end of season secondary results.

I'm fine with Alford going, I'd rather keep him because if he resigns for vet min again he already knows the defense and actually played well when he was healthy. I'm thinking as Alford as CB4 with Rhodes or Callaghan etc taking that 3rd CB spot. So Alford would just be very good value depth. And we need value this year.

Free Agent cornerbacks are pretty stacked this year. Sure, some will resign where they are but it's a long list of decent players. And we really need a vet guy rather than adding another young guy out there.

Murphy is the only "vet" we have but he's a quiet dude. I don't see much leadership from him.

The idea of a stud 1st round CB is nice, I don't think it's what this team needs though.
 
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Ouchie-Z-Clown

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49ers, Chiefs, & Bengals say otherwise. Rams have Ramsey, but they also have one of the greatest defensive players of all time & one of the greatest EDGEs of all time.

These playoffs should be opening up a lot of eyes. You can get by with competent CBs if you have a very good pass rush. You CAN’T get by even with very good CBs if you don’t have a very good pass rush.
I think there’s no doubt of that. But we don’t exactly have anyone collapsing the pocket. Our defensive linemen are subpar and our OLBs have become average. That likely ain’t changing overnight.
 

reebokalone2001

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Pass Rushers over CBs every day. I personally prefer interior pass rushers to Edge Rushers. I felt teams/QBs nowadays deal with edge pressure much better than interior pressure. A disruptive DT can be way more intimidating and do much more damage than an explosive DE/OLB.
 

Stout

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I'm fine with Alford going, I'd rather keep him because if he resigns for vet min again he already knows the defense and actually played well when he was healthy. I'm thinking as Alford as CB4 with Rhodes or Callaghan etc taking that 3rd CB spot. So Alford would just be very good value depth. And we need value this year.

Free Agent cornerbacks are pretty stacked this year. Sure, some will resign where they are but it's a long list of decent players. And we really need a vet guy rather than adding another young guy out there.

Murphy is the only "vet" we have but he's a quiet dude. I don't see much leadership from him.

The idea of a stud 1st round CB is nice, I don't think it's what this team needs though.
Can't argue with your logic here. I disagree about Alford, but we're not far apart.
 
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