The Redskins have a cornerback conundrum that spans across timelines. And it needs to be solved.
In the present timeline, the Washington Redskins are thin at one of the game’s most important positions. Quinton Dunbar and Fabian Moreau are both dealing with injuries and may not be ready to go against the Dallas Cowboys this week. Redskins seventh-round rookie Jimmy Moreland is slated to get another start under his belt, and newly-signed Redskins Aaron Colvin and Simeon Thomas might see action far too early.
It’s a recipe for defensive disaster, and even then, the immediate uncertainty shrouds the long-term precariousness that follows.
Dunbar and Moreau are both cornerbacks with exceptional athletic profiles, and both have potential as full-time starters, but at some point, one has to question their viability, particularly Dunbar’s, if they can’t stay healthy consistently. With Josh Norman set to serve as a likely cap cut in 2020, the Redskins have at least one starting cornerback spot to fill. And if this tumble continues in 2019, there could be even more turnover in the nation’s capital.
The Redskins have a cornerback conundrum, in both present and future. They can’t do anything about the future for now, but while they’re waiting for the opportunity, future NFL cornerbacks are tearing up the college stage. Here are three that deserve your attention in Week 3 of NCAA action.
This NFL Draft class is chock-full of long athletes with plus developmental profiles, so it’s an inherently impressive feat to be the very best athlete in this cornerback class. Florida’s C.J. Henderson has the honor of boasting that title.
Now in his junior season, and his third year as a full-time starter for the Gators, Henderson has plenty of game tape to put his extraordinary traits on full display. NFL-caliber athletes are in a tier of their own, but the cream of the crop stand out in their own ways.
Henderson was on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks” list this past offseason, and Pro Football Network’s Carter Donnick quantified Henderson’s athletic traits in a summer article, spotlighting Henderson’s 40.5-inch vertical and his 4.35 40-yard dash. All this, and Henderson stands at 6-foot-1, 193, and squats almost 550 pounds. He has the size and strength to go with his searing speed and explosiveness.
That said, Henderson, on the development spectrum, is a bit on the raw side. He hasn’t gotten off to a fast start in 2019, and tackling technique has been a concern for him. He relies on his athleticism too much at this point, but once he fully supplements his athletic profile with more mental refinement, perhaps this week against Kentucky, he could take his trend-setting ways to the NFL, and become the standard there as well.
The Redskins have shown a propensity to play soft coverage often in passing situations this season, and that method has yielded little success. That said, if Greg Manusky is somehow back again next season, the Redskins will need a cornerback to offset that initial separation with athleticism, short-range acceleration, and smooth moving skills.
Enter LSU Tigers cornerback Kristian Fulton.
Fulton offers some of the best explosion forward of all the cornerbacks in this class. It’s called a click-and-close, to so suddenly spring forward on a backward-breaking route and clamp down on the pass, and as scouts on Twitter echo, it’s one of the most exciting elements of Fulton’s game.
In press man coverage or in soft zone, Fulton has the ability to gear up insanely quickly and close a gap with no more time than the snap of one’s fingers. Fulton’s speed and acceleration also shows up in his ability to mirror receivers, and it allows him to always be in a position to make a play on the ball.
Fulton doesn’t have the all-encompassing length that other cornerbacks have, but he makes up for, and exceeds that potential, with his athleticism and his quick processing on the field. Even last season, scouts were saying Fulton could be a better prospect than Greedy Williams, who went to the Browns in the second round in April. Later today, against Northwestern State, Fulton has another opportunity to prove that.
This one’s for the ‘Hoos fans in the house. But Bryce Hall was, in actuality, going to headline this list no matter what.
You’ll find plenty of enticing traits in the 2019 NFL Draft’s cornerback class, but the complete cornerback prospect is a more seldom find. Henderson needs more seasoning. Fulton brings all the necessary coverage traits, but is lacking in other areas.
It’s a scenario that bodes well for the emergence of the class’ complete cornerbacks, and Bryce Hall fits that esteemed title as well as anyone else.
Hall has the NFL size at 6-foot-1, 200, and he supplements his stocky frame with excellent length to disrupt passes. He’s not necessarily a top-tier athlete, but he’s an easy mover nonetheless, and he’s able to match receivers stride for stride in man coverage, as well as close in quickly in zone.
Hall’s best trait, however, has to be his ball skills. When the ball is in the air, Hall is excellent at diagnosing how much time and space he has, and he’s relentless in the one-on-one competition for the pigskin. His elite length and focus at the catch point is evidenced by his whopping 21 pass deflections last season, and he’s starting to find his groove this year.
If you want a prospect with dominant length, exceptional footwork and hip fluidity, top-notch effort and competitive toughness, and the turnover generation to top it off, Hall is your guy. His Cavaliers play the reeling Florida State Seminoles today, and in that game, Hall will look to help knock off a former college football juggernaut.
Other guys to watch
Stanford CB Paulson Abedo: I’ve written about Abedo a few times, so I’ll spare you the extra long paragraph. Long story short, he’s probably my CB1 right now. He’s one of the longest players in this class, and he has elite physical traits to go along with prolific ball production. His Stanford team plays No. 17 UCF this week, so look for Abedo to be a key player in a potential upset.
Ohio State CB Jeffrey Okudah: Here’s another long, athletic cornerback to add to the list. Okudah needs to keep refining his mental traits, but he has a ton of physical upside as a cornerback with a lengthy frame and excellent movement speed. He’ll get a good test against Big Ten opponent Indiana today.
UCLA CB Darnay Holmes: Undersized cornerbacks will have a tougher time breaking through in this draft class, but UCLA’s Darnay Holmes will do his best with exceptional closing speed and lateral athleticism. Holmes is fast and packs a surprising punch for his size, and as Carter Donnick wrote earlier this year, he brings swagger at cornerback. For the Redskins, he’d be a game-changer in the slot for a relatively cheap price. He’ll see plenty of action today against the Sooners.
Cornerbacks are the cornerstone of stopping the modern passing attack, and the Redskins have an emergency situation brewing. Can any of these players put a stop to the collapse in 2020? In Week 3, they’ll do their best to convince teams they can.