STRENGTHS
Deonte is a big, strong, physical cornerback with excellent speed and agility to frustrate and defend the best receivers you can throw at him. He is smart, understands routes, and has the makeup speed to stay with just about any size receiver. Deonte has the quickness to be used on the outside covering wide receivers, and the quickness and strength to cover those big slot Receivers/Tight Ends. If you use Deonte as a slot corner he is big enough and physical enough to Blitz as well as smart enough to disrupt any size receiver off the line or cover them down the field because of his speed. Deonte has the size to be moved to safety and could play any one of the safety positions in the box or as a single high safety because he is a solid tackler.
CONCERNS
Deonte hasn’t shown on tape, the ball-hawking and ability to intercept the ball and make plays other than defending. He is an excellent defender and there is nothing wrong with his hands catching the ball. The issue is, looking to intercept the ball. He reads the receiver and knocks the ball away because that is his job but to be more of a playmaker, Deonte needs to work on being more aggressive when the ball is in the air and not just defending the pass. He will do it, give him time, he has the hands.
BOTTOM LINE: 1.50
If a player has the hands to catch the ball and make interceptions but doesn’t, that is more of a coaching issue, very much like a player who is a good tackler but doesn’t cause fumbles. It’s up to the Defensive Coordinator and position coach to accept that if the player goes after the ball he may miss defending the play, or miss the tackle and that is ok. Some coaches will not accept missing defending the ball for an interception. I suspect that Deonte’s coaches drilled it into him to make sure the receiver didn’t catch the ball and that’s why Deonte is not looking to intercept the ball. Deonte can play any position in the defensive backfield but to be a playmaker he has to look more for the ball instead of just settling to defend. He is such a good cover corner and I suspect that using him to play in zone coverage more than single coverage, where he could make more plays on the ball, could be a reason why he lacks this one skill. Great corners are playmakers and until Deonte proves he can make a play on the ball and change the momentum of a game for his team, he will be considered as an excellent cover corner but he will not be feared.
