STRENGTHS
Mike is a physical corner with good cover skills and the quickness and change of direction skills to play against most any style of receiver. He can play on the outside or play as a cover slot because he is strong enough to hold up and tackle against the run. Mike does a good job communicating and has some leadership skills and that along with his size and physical nature makes him available to be used as a safety as well as being a good cover corner. Mike is strong and quick and will come up to support the run. He is one of the better shed and tackle corners because of his strength and quickness. Mike will not be maneuvered when he covers those big receivers and because of his quickness and strength will handle those small quick receivers too. Mike’s strong hands are the key to his ability to defeat receivers and shed blocks and make tackles. If a team is looking for a defensive back that can play multiple positions in your defense at a high level I think you might want to turn the tape on and discover Mike and select him early in this draft.

CONCERNS
Mike struggles when tackling running backs in the open field. He seems to be unsure of his techniques and how he wants to make the tackle. He has no problems defeating a blocker and making a tackle but does struggle when left one on one to make a secure tackle. He is not shy but you can see the wheels turning in his head as too the best way for him to accomplish this feat. As soon as he figures this out Mike will defeat this little problem.

BOTTOM LINE
I look for players who can play more than one position on defense. Most of the time the talent is there but the football IQ and physical nature are the big question marks. For Mike there is no doubt he has the size, athletic talent, mental strength, and mental toughness to play multiple positions and that makes Mike a valuable position player to me. Mike is quick and has the bulk to handle the way he plays. He is a good tackler in spite of my concerns about being one on one and hesitant. That’s an issue I think with good coaching he can figure out and deal with. If he doesn’t than playing safety in the future might not happen but that is not a reason not to consider Mike as one of the top defensive backs in this draft. The quickness and strength and ability to shed blocks and make tackles up close to the line is without question. His ability to make tackles in single coverage is without question also so this man on man in the open field tackling issue…I really think when he figures it out playing any defensive back position doing a game, all over your defense will be in Mike’s future.

Drew Boylhart   MAR.2018