STRENGTHS
Julian has good size, speed and change of direction skills to be an excellent cornerback for the team that selects him. He shows leadership skills through his play on the field. Julian is smart and does an excellent in zone coverages working well with his teammates. He has the skill set to be used in single coverage, using good techniques and fights for the ball in the air. Julian in man to man coverage does a good job reading his opponent and making a play on the ball in the air with excellent timing to knock balls down and frustrate receivers, quarterbacks and offensive play caller’s. He has good enough hands to intercept the ball and make plays when he knows he will be challenged. Julian is smart and understands the importance of working in concert with other defensive backs to make a dominating defense for the team that selects him.
CONCERNS
Julian at times, has his weight back on his heels when he seems not to be confident with what he is seeing in front of him. This is not a problem at the college level but in spite of his makeup burst and speed it can cause him to get beat deep at the next level. He also needs to get stronger in his upper body and form tackle with more consistency. He has no problems coming up and supporting the run but he tends to fall of his opponent, lunging and not bring his feet. At the next level this will be a problem with broken tackles. Getting stronger in his upper body will allow Julian, not to get abused by the more physical receivers at the next level also.
TALENT BOARD ROUND 1.72
Julian is a quality football player and has the coverage skills to be an impact corner at the next level. His versatility to be used in any style zone coverage and singe coverages is what will make him attractive to any team in this draft that plays any style of defense. When he gets stronger he will be able to work in the slot and this will make him more valuable. Julian will get stronger because of his high football IQ and an obvious excellent work ethic. When you turn on the film it surprises me how many teams went after Julian in spite of his talent but he stood up to the challenged and wound up with 18 PD’s in 2017 and another 16 PD’s in 2018 showing that Julian was used to defend and cover every teams number one receiver, both years. He also had 42 solo tackles in 2017 and 49 solo tackles in 2018, showing that Julian can tackle and will support the run, he just needs to get a little stronger to continue to impact the way he has at the college level for the team that selects him at the next level.
