STRENGTHS
Riley Has the size and athletic talent to play more than one position for the team that selects him in their defensive backfield. He has excellent cover skills and is a sure tackler. Riley has those quick feet that make it easy for him to change direction and the lateral burst to limit the receiver’s ability to separate in and out of breaks. He is quick to support the run and is quick, to shed blocks to make tackles. He also has excellent recovery speed. He has a high football IQ and understands zone coverages and combination coverages better than most in this draft. Because of his overall athletic talent and hidden receiver talents Riley has the instincts and hands to make the interception and the speed to score the pick-six.
CONCERNS
Most “experts” are labeling and downgrading Riley and suggesting that he should be moved to safety because he has played a lot of zone, off-coverage, and combination coverages and that he doesn’t have true man coverage skills. It’s a big mistake. Riley has the athletic talent to play man-to-man, he just needs time to develop and gain confidence in those skills and techniques. He has surprised and shown that he is more than just a zone cover defensive back recently at the Senior Bowl practices.
BOTTOM LINE: 2.17
As I stated earlier Riley needs a little development time but given that time to develop, Riley will be one of the best corners in this very deep corner back draft. Riley knows he has excellent athletic talent but needs to develop his confidence in single coverage and know that he has the skills to make the step up to the next level. He accepted that challenge at the Senior Bowl going up against bigger and faster receivers and you could see that confidence growing every day. Riley has the size and quickness to play in the slot against any size receiver. He has the needed size and speed and agility to play on the outside. Yes, he has the high football IQ, he can be moved to safety because he has the speed and ball-hawking instincts to cover sideline to sideline and that is intriguing also. Riley even has the speed and receiving ability to be used on the other side of the ball on offense too. That’s Riley’s potential to be an impact player for the team that selects him if given the time to develop his confidence and I believe that will not take that much time.
