Pros
One of the biggest things I look for in a cornerback is if they can play Off coverage both smoothly and effectively. What goes into a cornerback being successful in this coverage? That player must be able to quickly process the play mentally when in his backpedal, and when he is backpedaling, you want to see quick, but smooth feet. When the receiver makes his break in the route, you also want to see that cornerback be able to flip his hips fluidly without a false step or loss of motion. Having this fluidity is vital for a cornerback to get back onto the hip of the receiver and limit the amount of separation. In terms of Will Redmond, all of these aforementioned traits were checked off the box. Before the ACL injury, I thought Will Redmond had the best feet in his backpedal of any cornerback in the 2016 NFL Draft class. Recovery speed is one of Redmond’s better traits, as he is able to limit separation by getting to the hip pocket of the receiver as soon as that player makes his break in the route. Only time will tell if Redmond can show this to scouts before the draft, which is highly unlikely, but I believe his tape speaks for itself in terms of him being a premier Off coverage cornerback.
Regardless of position, Will Redmond is one of the most naturally gifted athletes in the 2016 NFL Draft pool. He is an easy mover that can keep up with any speed burner in the country, as well as being able to out-jump wide receivers that have almost a half of a foot on him in terms of height. It’s a shame that he won’t be able to light up the NFL Combine because of this ACL injury, but like I said earlier, the tape speaks for itself.
Not many young cornerbacks in college football can mentally process plays as quickly as Will Redmond. The Mississippi State cornerback always puts himself a step ahead of his opponent because he is able to receive things so quickly. This kid can read/react with the best of them, and he will break on the ball as fast as anybody in the nation as well as make a huge tackle on a screen. I will get to this on the next page, but he sometimes gets away with his lack of overall play strength because of his rare ability to read the play before it develops, then pouncing on it before the receiver can make his block.
Lastly, I love the physicality and competitive toughness that Will Redmond plays with. Despite his average size for the cornerback position, he never backs down from a fight and will light you up if you take him lightly. He gives it his all each down, each quarter, and each game, as he is constantly bugging the opposing receiver all game long both in his head and on the field. I have noticed that if a receiver gets the better of Will Redmond on a play, he comes back stronger and motivated from that play, and will in turn, make the quarterback pay if he looks his way again.
Cons
For how good Will Redmond’s feet and hips are in coverage, his inconsistent open field tackling is a primary concern of mine. From the tape I saw in 2015, especially the Southern Miss game, he looked much improved in this department, but in games against Auburn and LSU, he failed miserably. What I like though is that he has that “want to” to get dirty and physical in run support, but just doesn’t possess good wrap-up technique as of yet. The good news here is that the technique can be learned, while his kind of determination cannot. Overall, Will Redmond is a hit or miss open field tackler that needs a lot of work in this area.
Back to the run game here for a second in that I want to talk about Redmond’s inability to consistently shed blocks on screen passes or outside runs. To me, it seems like he is frozen whenever a receiver gets his hands on him, and he fails to get off the make the play. However, play strength is not just an issue in run support, as it is also a concern at the LOS in Press. Rarely do you see Redmond playing up tight on all three downs, but when you do, it’s probably not on a receiver that is bigger and stronger than him. I’m afraid that when he is asked to press the much bigger and stronger receivers at the NFL level, he will get overwhelmed. I also see his play strength as an issue when he is covering down the field on jump ball situations. He may be playing Off against these stronger receivers, but when the receiver is looking to high point the football, Redmond has trouble getting to it because he is getting boxed out by the receiver.
Although Will Redmond has outstanding athletic prowess and leaping ability, his inability to track and time the high point of the ball will be an issue that needs to be worked on before he can be relied upon to be a top cornerback for a team. However, we have seen in the past that some of these guys can learn this relatively quick. For example, Ronald Darby was driven down to the mid second round because he had trouble turning his head to find the ball. Now? He has two interceptions already and has established himself as a fringe top ten cornerback in football.
However, the MAIN concern with Will Redmond as of right now is the ACL. How will he recover? Will he be the easy, fluid mover in coverage that we all watched and loved at Mississippi State? We don’t know, and that is the hard part when scouts will evaluate Redmond over the course of the next year. I can confidently say that Will Redmond was far and away the best senior cornerback of this draft class, and actually warranted the 23rd spot on my big board at one point before the injury, but after this unfortunate turn of events with his knee, it is going to be a long shot to see him picked in the first round altogether unless he can dominate in the interview rooms and be able to pass medically at some point during the process.
NFL Comparison
– Kareem Jackson, CB, Houston Texans
In terms of pure talent at the cornerback position at the NFL level, there aren’t many better than Kareem Jackson. His ability to play at an elite level in both man and zone as well as being able to stick with an opponent’s top receiver all game was the underlying reason to why Houston gave him 9 million per year with 20 million guaranteed on a four year deal. Coming out of college, Kareem Jackson was arguably one of the best, if not the best cornerback of his class, but was driven down the board because of medical concern (shoulder surgeries). Like Kareem Jackson coming out of college, Will Redmond was as natural in coverage as anybody in the country with uber athletic ability, but lacked the technique in wrapping up the ball carrier. Like I mentioned earlier, the tedious medical process that Kareem Jackson had to go through before the draft will be just as crucial for Will Redmond in this upcoming draft. If he can get back to full strength from this injury, I expect Will Redmond to be one of the best young players at his position in the NFL.
Projection
Somewhere in the second round, but could sneak into the latter part of the first round if cleared medically.
Despite the major knee injury, I believe that Redmond will be able to make a full recovery to get back to where he wants to be. For Redmond, the tape speaks for itself as he was a sure-fire first round selection before this injury on my board, but the biggest thing for Will Redmond as he prepares for the draft process will be how he interacts with other teams in private interviews. How well he does in this category will determine where he will land on draft day depending on if he gets cleared or not.
