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NFL Supplemental Draft: Scouting CB Sam Beal’s fit with the Redskins

By Jacob Camenker

EVANSTON, IL- SEPTEMBER 03: Clayton Thorson #18 of the Northwestern Wildcats is tackled by Sam Beal #18 of the Western Michigan Broncos during the second half on September 3, 2016 at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois. the Western Michigan Broncos won 22-21. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
EVANSTON, IL- SEPTEMBER 03: Clayton Thorson #18 of the Northwestern Wildcats is tackled by Sam Beal #18 of the Western Michigan Broncos during the second half on September 3, 2016 at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois. the Western Michigan Broncos won 22-21. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /
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KALAMAZOO, MI – NOVEMBER 19: Marcus McGill #7 of the Buffalo Bulls catches a pass in front of Sam Beal #18 of the Western Michigan Broncos in the first quarter at Waldo Stadium on November 19, 2016 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
KALAMAZOO, MI – NOVEMBER 19: Marcus McGill #7 of the Buffalo Bulls catches a pass in front of Sam Beal #18 of the Western Michigan Broncos in the first quarter at Waldo Stadium on November 19, 2016 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

What Beal does well

It’s easy to see why Beal is one of the more hyped supplemental draft prospects in years. Beal has very good coverage skills and ran well with receivers at Western Michigan. Beal is a former receiver, and his tape shows that he is very good at figuring out where his opponents will run, and that allows him to stay with them in coverage.

Beal possesses a lanky, 6-foot-1 frame and great physicality for the corner position. He’s only 185 pounds, so he could add some weight to his frame at the NFL level and really make a name for himself as a hard-hitter at the line of scrimmage.

WalterFootball.com’s Charlie Campbell agreed with this sentiment and said the following of Beal in a recent scouting report.

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"Beal has a lot going for him as a cover corner. In speaking with team sources, they felt that his ball-reaction skills were his best trait. Beal tracks the football extremely well while running downfield. He high points the ball and is adept at breaking up passes to prevent completions. Beal doesn’t panic when the ball is coming toward him and is a real competitor with receivers. He is a physical corner with good length to take on big receivers. At his size, Beal has the ability to be an outside starter in the NFL."

Those ball tracking skills will be particularly important for him, as he will look to become a playmaker at the NFL level.

What Beal could improve

Beal’s biggest weakness is his apparent lack of speed. On tape, Beal struggles at times to stay with faster receivers, and that could be a problem at the NFL level. Given that he has shown good recovery speed at times, there’s a chance that he could end up improving in this aspect in the pros, and perhaps his weakness is tied to instincts. Still, this is an important area for Beal to work on moving forward.

It’s also worth noting that Beal’s tackling form isn’t great and he could have trouble with that early on in the NFL. He can fix that by adding some strength to his frame and utilizing better technique. That said, he wasn’t a poor tackler and did put forth solid effort to try and stop opponents. He just has to improve this at the next level.

Beal has the skills necessary to be a solid corner at the NFL level. The biggest concern is the speed, as he may get torched frequently if he can’t fix that. Still, he could be a playmaker and will be worth a shot for one team in the draft.

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