Washington Redskins: Which cornerbacks are worth the No. 13 pick?
By Ian Cummings
Isaiah Oliver – Colorado
At 6-foot-1, 195, Colorado’s Isaiah Oliver surely passes the eye test.
When you first turn on the tape, Oliver is easy to spot. He has an NFL frame, and with his size, he stands out among his teammates. Much like his size, his play stands out as well.
At his best, Oliver is a sticky cover man. His footwork and the use of a jump step at the line is superb, and when facing a receiver with better quickness, he doesn’t lose a step. On go-routes, Oliver is a shadow to his receiver. It’s impossible to gain vertical separation from the former Buffalo.
I can see you’re lining up to grab him at No. 13 already. Not so fast.
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At his best, Oliver is ready to start at the next level. But at his worst, he’s a liability to the defense. For his size, Oliver plays with a startling lack of aggression. He can easily shed blocks in run defense, but he doesn’t always engage such blocks, and in press, he doesn’t use his hands as well as one would like. The aggression issue spans into tackling as well. When presented with an opportunity to bring the ball carrier down, Oliver, more often than not, lets the dog pile handle the job. He’s hesitant to use his size.
Furthermore, Oliver doesn’t have the agility to succeed on day one in the NFL. He struggles with comeback routes and quick direction changes. In the NFL, facing quicker receivers, Oliver will only continue to struggle. If facing an agile wide receiver, he could get beat every time.
His downfield awareness is also an issue. On go-routes, he doesn’t always turn his head toward the ball. This can get him into trouble with costly flags, and when he’s tested, his technique can be sloppy. My belief is that if Oliver has a sizable role in his first year, quarterbacks will throw his way specifically to draw pass interference calls. He needs to improve.
I would take Oliver at the right place. And No. 13 is far from the right place. Oliver has great potential at the next level. But there are some serious flaws in his game that he has to correct, or he might not be in the league very long.