mammalspod
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- Joined:
- Mar 6, 2014
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IF (big if) he is still available at pick #87, I don't think The Bears can pass on this guy. He played free safety in 2017 and mostly slot corner and some safety in 2018. He plays a very physical, reactive, downhill style. He has more of a zone feel to his play. He played a lot of off coverage at Florida, which allowed him to use his outstanding timing and reaction to play the ball. He has good size at over 200 lbs at 5-10, and plays tough in the box and is good against the run. Florida also had him rush way out from the slot, and he had enough short area burst to get to the QB and disrupt the play, even on quick strike college plays.
Why I like him so much: he perfectly replaces the long term value lost in Bryce Callahan. Buster Skrine is not the long term answer at slot corner, and nowadays a lot of NFL teams play withe three corners on the field often. The Bears project to be ahead a lot in games next year, so our slot corner will probably see more field than the average NFL slot (teams will pass more playing from behind). Really good NFL offenses know how to put slot corners in bad positions. I don't think Gardner-Johnson is the stickiest shutdown coverage type player, but I think he is smart and understands techniques and defensive schemes and how to anticipate plays. You see him on the field communicating changes to the coverage in response to things he sees in personnel and alignment, and this bodes well in the NFL. I think many defensive backs get by on physical talent in college, but the NFL challenges them between the ears when effectiveness depends on knowing how OC's think and when and why a QB might change a play and what to do about it. Gardner-Johnson seems like he likes trying to crack the code and not get outsmarted by deceptive play calls.
Also, most of the other corners that have mid-round grades project to be boundary corners in the NFL, where I think McManus and Tolliver provide us with solid depth currently.
Why I like him so much: he perfectly replaces the long term value lost in Bryce Callahan. Buster Skrine is not the long term answer at slot corner, and nowadays a lot of NFL teams play withe three corners on the field often. The Bears project to be ahead a lot in games next year, so our slot corner will probably see more field than the average NFL slot (teams will pass more playing from behind). Really good NFL offenses know how to put slot corners in bad positions. I don't think Gardner-Johnson is the stickiest shutdown coverage type player, but I think he is smart and understands techniques and defensive schemes and how to anticipate plays. You see him on the field communicating changes to the coverage in response to things he sees in personnel and alignment, and this bodes well in the NFL. I think many defensive backs get by on physical talent in college, but the NFL challenges them between the ears when effectiveness depends on knowing how OC's think and when and why a QB might change a play and what to do about it. Gardner-Johnson seems like he likes trying to crack the code and not get outsmarted by deceptive play calls.
Also, most of the other corners that have mid-round grades project to be boundary corners in the NFL, where I think McManus and Tolliver provide us with solid depth currently.
