Day 2
Trevon Diggs | Alabama
Size: 6’1″, 207 lbs.
Diggs is a big dude, fitting the profile of the longer, physical corners NFL teams covet. He doesn’t always play as big as his frame would suggest, however that shows up more against the run than in coverage.
Speed: Did not run at the Combine.
Long speed is average. His adherence to press coverage made him particularly vulnerable to the deep ball if he couldn’t disrupt the receiver at the line. His tracking with his back to the football will need some work. It’s not exactly where he shines. Nevertheless, he saves himself a bit with incredible ball skills. There aren’t many corners more tenacious than Diggs at the point of catch.
Off Man: Diggs has the ability to really shine as a physical press corner. He imposes his strength on receivers throughout the route. However, his lateral quickness and change of direction may fail him against better route runners in the NFL. In a perfect world, you wouldn’t have him playing a whole lot of off-man. He played a lot more zone in college and is really aggressive attacking the point of the catch coming forwards to the QB. Zone allows him to use his football IQ a little more, which pays massive dividends. Jim Schwartz’s scheme is a tricky fit, but he has the athletic profile to be an immediate upgrade regardless of scheme. He’s a really heady player and ball fakes and double moves rarely cause false steps — although he’s not immune.
Run Support: Disappointing in a lot of ways. For a big guy with a notable edge, you expect more desire and physicality. He’s not a strong tackler and struggles to disengage blocks despite his physical tools. Because of these shortcomings, there is some tendency to cheat on run fakes and step on play action.
Bottom Line: As a rookie, he’ll make a fantastic number two for a team with an already entrenched starter. He might end up being one of the better redzone defenders in the league early on in his career. Realistically, he’s just not a good fit for the Eagles defense. Diggs is a very similar player to Rasul Douglas, even though he’s a better athlete, and we’ve seen Douglas fail to convince the coaching staff he’s ready for starting minutes. He’s got the physical attributes and acumen to play corner at a high level for any team, but this just feels like trying to fit a round block into a square hole.
C.J. Henderson | Florida
Size: 6’1″, 204 lbs.
Henderson has good size for the position and fantastic length, but has a pretty wiry frame. He plays strong in coverage and has good press technique, but isn’t very physical in the run game.
Speed: 4.39 (40-yard-dash).
No issues here. Henderson is a fantastic all-around athlete. He’s got a good top speed and very smooth hips which allow him to turn and run with the best of them. Great click-and-close, especially in man coverage. He’s also got impressive footwork which lends to lateral quickness and change of direction. Tracking with his back to the football looks natural, and his length and ball skills make him a terror at the catch point.
Off Man: Henderson is a really solid man corner with some noteworthy upside. His ability to mirror routes and his sudden break on the football make him a very good candidate for early slot reps. Overall, he’s a very fluid athlete, with dancers hips. Moving to the outside, physically, he’s definitely strong enough, but there are some issues with willingness. He’ll need to get stronger to physically compete in press with the bigger receivers of the league. No cause for concern on double moves and he has the requisite recovery speed to make up for any mistakes. However, he can sometimes be caught relying too much on his athleticism and will need to show some more consistency with technique.
Run Support: Not good. His tackling is poor and there’s a real lack of want-to. That being said, he’s got room to grow. His length and functional strength should allow him to at least be a solid contributor, if not an enforcer. It will be up to him.
Bottom Line: Henderson is a very impressive cover corner that has the ability to blanket even the best route runners. He has the long speed that the Eagles desperately need in their secondary. Consistency and desire are the biggest question marks. Henderson will be as good as he wants to be on any given play. I don’t know if he’s a player the Birds spend a second-round pick on, but if second-round receivers start going early or if he falls to the third round — unlikely — he could be an interesting option.
Jeff Gladney | Texas Christian
Size: 5’10”, 191 lbs.
On paper, he’s one of the smallest corners on the list. He’s got some good length for his size, but he won’t out-muscle many opponents. However, he’s certainly got a brawler’s mentality and doesn’t back down from contact.
Speed: 4.48 (40-yard-dash), 7.26 (3-cone-drill).
4.48 is nothing to scoff at, but it’s a bad time for Gladney. A multi-sport athlete with a track background, he ran 4.34 coming out of high school to earn himself an offer from TCU. On top of that, he’s got polished footwork and great suddenness and COD, despite not being the most fluid athlete. He flies all over the field and makes electric breaks on the football. Long-speed-wise, he’s someone you can leave on an island with a burner and feel pretty comfortable. Ball skills are adequate, but he’s more of a PBU guy than an INT.
Off Man: Gladney has a fantastic toolbox for man coverage. His athleticism alone makes him hard to beat, but he also brings a great understanding of leverage and space to the table. Overall he has no trouble mirroring opponents and has all the recovery speed necessary to make a play if beat. He has pretty good trail technique, but needs to do a better job of turning his head and locating the football. He can tend to take too many steps, rounding his breaks or tangling his feet. Fakes and double moves might be an issue for him simply due to his play style. He loves to bait quarterbacks and use his surprising burst to make plays, but that can also get him into trouble. Zone coverage and press technique are not strengths, but not bad enough to be a liability.
Run Support: No lack of effort. There are some obvious question marks regarding his size. His technique is good and he has good speed and pursuit angles. He might never be a great tackler, but he’s good enough — plus he’s laid a few big hits in his time in college. He does a very good job of identifying runs or screens; you can tell he watches film. He will struggle to disengage against bigger receivers.
Bottom Line: A fantastic all-round athlete with some length and great man cover skills, Gladney seems like a perfect fit for Jim Schwartz’s defense. He gives the needed effort in run support and has the long speed to avoid getting beat deep. Frankly, he’s got a really inciting upside and may see his draft stock rise pretty rapidly as the process goes on. Plus, he was an accomplished gunner for TCU, which raises his rookie floor. Ideally, whatever team drafts him would have a plan in place to ease him into the starting lineup. At this point, he may be an early second-round pick, he may fall near the third. If the Eagles don’t go receiver with their second selection, Gladney should garner a long look.
Continued on the pages below.
Mandatory Photo Credit: AP Photo/AJ Mast
