hagan714

Going Down

Marcus McCauley, Fresno State (6-0, 203) – McCauley isn’t a bad player, he’s just not a very good cornerback. I actually think he could move to safety in the NFL because of his aggressive style of play. McCauley has the size and toughness to play safety but not the instincts to be an effective corner. Despite having great timed speed, McCauley gets beat deep a lot. He’s a big hitter but has trouble jamming quicker receivers at the line. He doesn’t have fluid hips and that hurts him when he tries to turn and run with receivers downfield. McCauley gave receivers way too much cushion and allowed a lot of completions in front of him. Quarterbacks just picked McCauley apart with underneath routes. He did make those receivers pay once they caught the ball, which is why I think he would be more productive as a safety.

McCauley was benched during his senior season on a team that went 4-8. That can’t bode well for him in terms of becoming a Patriot. Fresno State head coach Pat Hill is good friend with Bill Belichick and runs his team similar to how Belichick runs the Patriots. McCauley just doesn’t look comfortable as a cornerback. He may have great computer numbers but a guy like Cal’s Daymeion Hughes is a much better corner because of his instincts and intelligence on the field. As a second or third round selection, he would be a good pick, especially if the team that drafts McCauley is planning on moving him to safety. However, as far as McCauley being a first round selection, forget about it.

This is Darnell Bing all over again. A couple of draft sites have this guy going in the first round to generate a buzz but trust me – much like I pleaded with people last year about Bing – McCauley is not a first round talent. Right now he’s a good athlete who may have to switch positions in the NFL (much like Bing did). If a team selects McCauley in the first round, it would be a monumental reach but I don’t expect that to happen. Look for McCauley to get drafted in the middle of the second round at best.

The bottom line is McCauley was benched on a bad team as a senior and more importantly, he played in 51 career games at Fresno State and only had 22 pass breakups and four interceptions. I’m sorry but that just isn’t the resume of a player who deserves to be selected in the first round.

Fred Bennett, South Carolina (6-0, 196) – A lot of people have e-mailed in asking our opinion of Bennett. I don’t really care for him and think he’s an average prospect at best. Bennett gets beat way too often and doesn’t appear to possess good instincts or awareness on the field. He doesn’t really have good ball skills either. Bennett has trouble locating the ball in the air and allows receivers to make the catch over him, even when he has position.

Bennett plays really sloppy and makes a lot of mistakes in coverage. The better receivers in the SEC really took advantage of him. He’s a good athlete with impressive physical tools but when you see him on the field, he looks lost at times. Bennett showed good speed by catching Tennessee’s Robert Meachem from behind but it was after he got beat for a long reception, of course. Bennett also doesn’t provide much in terms of run support.

I thought Bennett was one of the least impressive prospects I saw this year. He flashes some promise every now and then but not enough to garner a second or third round grade, where Bennett is likely to be drafted. I would much rather have Maryland’s Josh Wilson, Cal’s Daymeion Hughes or Tennessee’s Jonathan Wade in that area of the draft. In my opinion, Bennett is a second-day pick and likely a career backup in the NFL.

Sleepers

Jonathan Wade, Tennessee (5-10, 190) – Wade is a guy we all love here at PFW. I think he’s the most underrated corner in this draft. He’s projected to go in the third round and if New England doesn’t pick a cornerback early, Wade would be a nice selection in Round 3.

The thing that really impresses me with Wade is his physical style of play. He’s very good at coming up in run support. I think Wade is the best tackling corner in this year’s class. He breaks on the ball extremely well, showing great instincts on the field. Wade has the ability to bait the quarterback into thinking the receiver he’s covering is open, even though Wade is sitting back waiting for the ball to be thrown. He has great leaping ability and really defends bigger receivers well. Wade’s timed speed carries over to the football field, so even if he gets beat off the line, Wade can make up a lot of ground in a hurry.

Wade began his career at Tennessee as a receiver and while he’s already a pretty good cornerback, he still has a lot of upside. He needs some works on his technique but Wade has the swagger and physical tools to be a very good pro corner. Wade had his best year as a senior and I think he’s just starting to reach his potential. If he lasts into the third round, Wade could be one of the steals in this draft. A very underrated cornerback prospect.

C.J. Gaddis, Clemson (5-11, 203) – Gaddis is one of the more physical corners we saw on tape. With his size and aggressive style of play, Gaddis has the ability to play either cornerback or safety in the NFL. He causes havoc near the line of scrimmage, making a lot of tackles in the backfield. Gaddis also displays good ball skills in coverage. He may be a better fit at safety because sometimes his aggressiveness hurts him at corner. Gaddis has good speed and a lot of potential. As a mid-round pick he’s an intriguing prospect because of his versatility and overall physical ability.

Gaddis is similar to McCauley in a lot of ways. The reason I like Gaddis and not McCauley is because of value. If you told me I could get McCauley in Round 4 or 5, I would be all over him. However, McCauley could go as early as the second round and that’s just too high for him in my opinion. Especially when a team can draft Gaddis two rounds later. There’s very little difference between the two players. Gaddis is going to be a nice mid-round selection for some team on draft day and that team could very well be the Patriots because he can help a defense in a lot of different ways.

DeAndre Jackson, Iowa State (5-11, 193) – Jackson is another mid-round prospect I’m extremely high on. He’s one of the most athletic corners available this year and he really has a nose for the football. Jackson showed great instincts on tape.
He’s quick to react to the ball and knocks down a lot of passes. Jackson is a good tackler who doesn’t mind taking on bigger blockers.

Jackson is a player who could be a real steal because he’s coming off an injury. He tore his ACL last year and missed the second half of his senior season. If Jackson didn’t get hurt, he might have been a second round prospect but now he could slip to the fourth or fifth round. That’s great value for a player with Jackson’s physical skills.

Besides being an impressive cornerback, Jackson is also an exceptional kick returner and special teams player. He’s someone who is always around the ball and is very similar to another former Cyclone, Ellis Hobbs. Keep an eye on Jackson if he’s still around during Day 2 of the draft. Since he may not be 100 percent when the season starts, there’s a good chance he’ll slip into the fifth round area. If he comes back fully healthy from his knee injury, Jackson has the ability to go from mid-round draftee to starting NFL cornerback.

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"We may have lost the game, but you'll be hurting tomorrow." Doug Atkins