NFL Draft Needs: Rams NEED Dennard (Shutdown Corner)

[The Rammer]

I like Dennard. He is extremely physical and aggressive both in coverage and making tackles. He has great hand placement and he rips the ball out several times even if the WR manages a catch. If you ask me, he displays perfect press coverage. You can grab jersey in press coverage as long as you don't pull. If you are Richard Sherman, you can rip a guys jersey off and it's ok so I don't see any issue here.

lol right? Sherman routinely ends the game with 4-5 of the opposing teams WR's wallets from mugging them all game

 

[duckhunter]

If you can't first man cover on an island by yourself, then I don't think GW wants to go that route. He likes to blitz so much.

When he was in NO, he left his corners in press man way to much. Was crazy blitzing every play. No balance or doubt what he was going to do and his guys couldn't do play press man that well. GW can be a maniac like old Martz.

 

[jrry32]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think Greg Williams is mostly a press man to man guy when it comes to the CB's for the most part right?

Don't know what he'll be. His system tends to depend on his personnel. He'll definitely be aggressive and blitz a lot though...which tends to mean press coverage.

 

[V3]

Come on man your breaking down things and nit picking.... I can do that with Justin Gilbert, Trumaine Johnson, or Janoris Jenkins. I look at overall what he offers and what he gives and what that is is a hell of a CB that isn't going to consistently get beat for huge plays and knocks a wR and QB out of sync just enough to get the job done. It might not be pretty but it works.

What I did is looking at what he offers overall. I look at the bad and the good. Not just the highlight videos. When I see all of the plays, I can see where he's deficient and where he's strong. For a player that people expect to take around 13, I see a lot of issues. Issues that keep showing up in every video. You may call it nitpicking but that's exactly what teams do. They look at every play and evaluate his performance.

 

[Memento]

Would much rather have E.J. Gaines in the third or fourth round.

 

[NJRamsFan]

I have Dennard behind Evans, Donald, and Lewan for guys I want with our second pick

 

[jrry32]

Would much rather have E.J. Gaines in the third or fourth round.

IMO, Gaines might be better suited moving to FS in the NFL.

 

[Memento]

IMO, Gaines might be better suited moving to FS in the NFL.

Have to disagree. In my opinion, Gaines could end up as one of the better nickel cornerbacks in the NFL. Doesn't have the ballskills that I'd like to see from a FS, but he can cover, can tackle, and he's cat-quick.

 

[Ramrasta]

IMO, Gaines might be better suited moving to FS in the NFL.

FS is a more pressing need than CB anyway if you ask me. McLeod seems to be the weakest link in our defense.

 

[duckhunter]

Would much rather have E.J. Gaines in the third or fourth round.

I love Gaines so much, I drafted him in one of my mid season dream drafts last year.

I think the long center pole in the tent with this line of reasoning is a GM has to have two similar very desirable CBs that they like very much in the same round to pass an earlier round talent at a critical need area. When one goes, they have to be willing to trade up for the other and the feelers out prior to the draft telling them it could happen.

 

[Ramhusker]

I'm pretty torn on who I want the Rams to draft as far as DBs go but I know if we get Dennard, Gilbert, Verrett, Clinton-Dix, Pryor. Roby or the like, the Rams will be better regardless of which one wears horns. So get me at least one of those guys please!

 

[Alan]

I don't believe there is a shutdown corner in this draft.

Ha-Ha at #13 is the right move.

 

[jrry32]

Have to disagree. In my opinion, Gaines could end up as one of the better nickel cornerbacks in the NFL. Doesn't have the ballskills that I'd like to see from a FS, but he can cover, can tackle, and he's cat-quick.

I don't agree. One of the biggest weaknesses I saw on tape with him was his "smoothness" and feet. His feet didn't seem overly nimble to me, his quick-twitch athleticism wasn't impressive for a guy his size, and he just wasn't a graceful mover. I was impressed by his instincts, tackling ability, and aggressiveness. He has straight-line speed. I just don't think he's smooth and quick enough to be a top tier NFL cover CB. Think if he sticks at CB in the NFL, it'll be in a Tampa 2 type scheme.

 

[duckhunter]

I don't agree. One of the biggest weaknesses I saw on tape with him was his "smoothness" and feet. His feet didn't seem overly nimble to me, his quick-twitch athleticism wasn't impressive for a guy his size, and he just wasn't a graceful mover. I was impressed by his instincts, tackling ability, and aggressiveness. He has straight-line speed. I just don't think he's smooth and quick enough to be a top tier NFL cover CB. Think if he sticks at CB in the NFL, it'll be in a Tampa 2 type scheme.

Jrry old buddy. Hope you are doing well. You might like this. Are you describing a ballerina (smoothness, nimble, graceful) or a football player? I do agree with the line of thinking somewhat. He's not overly quick-twitched, he seems to mirror/diagnose, adjusts and gears accordingly. Kind of like scratching gears as he shifts. He's not often giving up any separation whether on an island or in the slot. But in the third, it's hard not to like a slot cover guy with the other items you mentioned.

You know the drill better than me. Now if you agree somewhat with waiting on a corner and the Rams very well could wait if they pick Clowney or OL at 2, you might be able to take guys like Evans or Donald at 13. That wouldn't break your heart, would it?

You may be right about the Tampa 2 scheme as a best fit because Gaines is not a grabber in his press and his chuck/redirect is not real strong or important to his coverage game. He seems to turn himself into the nickel festering in your pocket. Drives guys crazy and off their game. I've been on both sides of that fence.

 

[SierraRam]

FS is a more pressing need than CB anyway if you ask me. McLeod seems to be the weakest link in our defense.

McLeod ended up in the slot by default too often last year. A CB at 13 will push him out of the CB rotation, and the right Safety in the 2nd or 3rd will eventually start over McLeod. Don't get me wrong. McLeod is a good player and will give us quality depth. Plus, he'll make our draft picks earn a starting spot...

 

[jrry32]

Jrry old buddy. Hope you are doing well. You might like this. Are you describing a ballerina (smoothness, nimble, graceful) or a football player? I do agree with the line of thinking somewhat. He's not overly quick-twitched, he seems to mirror/diagnose, adjusts and gears accordingly. Kind of like scratching gears as he shifts. He's not often giving up any separation whether on an island or in the slot. But in the third, it's hard not to like a slot cover guy with the other items you mentioned.

You know the drill better than me. Now if you agree somewhat with waiting on a corner and the Rams very well could wait if they pick Clowney or OL at 2, you might be able to take guys like Evans or Donald at 13. That wouldn't break your heart, would it?

You may be right about the Tampa 2 scheme as a best fit because Gaines is not a grabber in his press and his chuck/redirect is not real strong or important to his coverage game. He seems to turn himself into the nickel festering in your pocket. Drives guys crazy and off their game. I've been on both sides of that fence.

I definitely want to wait on the CB and safety positions. Would prefer to trade back from #13 than take a CB or Safety there.

 

[duckhunter]

I'm not opposed to trading up or back early. Just depends on how the draft unfolds.

The Stacy trade up made Snisher look very smart last year, so some of that going up and getting a guy late would be welcomed with the number of picks we have.

 

[BigRamFan]

This keeps coming up so I'm going to do a quick rundown on what I'm seeing. Here's just one video:



The first play of the video, he shows poor ball skills. He just looks completely lost trying to find the ball.

The second play you see him do the exact same thing. He's not even looking for the ball. On this play, however, you see him grabbing him as early as the 20 but it gets really bad in the endzone. Just look at 10's jersey. That's a flag in the NFL.

The third play[:43] Solid coverage. Maybe slightly beat by the WR but I'd call it solid.

The 4th play[1:00] he actually gets called for holding this time. This is what I see from him pretty often. He grabs the WR to prevent them from beating him.

[1:21] The WR was open if the QB just throws the ball in the right spot. Mayock even mentions it.

[1:38] Pretty similar to the last play, only in the middle of the field. The QB overthrows the WR. Dennard was pretty close to him so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

[1:53] The WR has Dennard beat for a while but he closes the gap at the last second but the WR still beats him for the ball.

[2:20] Looks like pass interference from the WR first and then Dennard.

[2:33] Dennard grabs him so badly that he throws the WR to the ground. Gets called for it.

[3:06] Should have caught that, IMO

[3:13] Hard to see anything. I'll just leave off the plays that don't show much from now on.

[3:25] Good coverage there.

[3:50] Gets beat again so you'll see him grab the jersey of the WR.

[4:04] I don't know how he isn't flagged. Grabs and then pushed off the WR to get the INT. It's after 5 yards.

[4:16] Coverage is kinda irrelevant on the play but you get to see his poor tackling skills. I could do another video on that if people want. This video mainly just shows coverage, though.

[4:40] He goes back to his grabbing. Should have been called but isn't. You can see his shoulder being pulled back by Dennard.

[5:00] Not the best tackle, but not bad either. He did rip the ball free, too.

[5:11] Good play. Times it perfectly to disrupt the catch.

[5:30] QB probably could have connected with the WR but at least Dennard showed decent coverage. You do see him grab again, though. Wasn't as bad on that play.

[5:58] He's beat and the WR makes the catch.

[6:15] He's beat again but WR drops the ball. QB could have thrown it a little better.

This is just one video. Others show the tackling aspect of his game. I'll do this to another video if people want me to but I don't even know if people care what I think. I'm mainly just doing this to show my thinking when I watch him. I see a guy that grabs A LOT, doesn't have the best ball skills, and isn't a very good tackler.

Sounds like he attended the Richard Sherman school of DBs.

 

[V3]

Sounds like he attended the Richard Sherman school of DBs.

If he could get away with it like Sherman, that'd be great, but does anyone honestly believe a Rams DB could get away with that stuff? Our DB's were getting called for sneezing last year.

 

[OnceARam]

This keeps coming up so I'm going to do a quick rundown on what I'm seeing. Here's just one video:



The first play of the video, he shows poor ball skills. He just looks completely lost trying to find the ball.

The second play you see him do the exact same thing. He's not even looking for the ball. On this play, however, you see him grabbing him as early as the 20 but it gets really bad in the endzone. Just look at 10's jersey. That's a flag in the NFL.

The third play[:43] Solid coverage. Maybe slightly beat by the WR but I'd call it solid.

The 4th play[1:00] he actually gets called for holding this time. This is what I see from him pretty often. He grabs the WR to prevent them from beating him.

[1:21] The WR was open if the QB just throws the ball in the right spot. Mayock even mentions it.

[1:38] Pretty similar to the last play, only in the middle of the field. The QB overthrows the WR. Dennard was pretty close to him so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

[1:53] The WR has Dennard beat for a while but he closes the gap at the last second but the WR still beats him for the ball.

[2:20] Looks like pass interference from the WR first and then Dennard.

[2:33] Dennard grabs him so badly that he throws the WR to the ground. Gets called for it.

[3:06] Should have caught that, IMO

[3:13] Hard to see anything. I'll just leave off the plays that don't show much from now on.

[3:25] Good coverage there.

[3:50] Gets beat again so you'll see him grab the jersey of the WR.

[4:04] I don't know how he isn't flagged. Grabs and then pushed off the WR to get the INT. It's after 5 yards.

[4:16] Coverage is kinda irrelevant on the play but you get to see his poor tackling skills. I could do another video on that if people want. This video mainly just shows coverage, though.

[4:40] He goes back to his grabbing. Should have been called but isn't. You can see his shoulder being pulled back by Dennard.

[5:00] Not the best tackle, but not bad either. He did rip the ball free, too.

[5:11] Good play. Times it perfectly to disrupt the catch.

[5:30] QB probably could have connected with the WR but at least Dennard showed decent coverage. You do see him grab again, though. Wasn't as bad on that play.

[5:58] He's beat and the WR makes the catch.

[6:15] He's beat again but WR drops the ball. QB could have thrown it a little better.

This is just one video. Others show the tackling aspect of his game. I'll do this to another video if people want me to but I don't even know if people care what I think. I'm mainly just doing this to show my thinking when I watch him. I see a guy that grabs A LOT, doesn't have the best ball skills, and isn't a very good tackler.

yeah... you're right. He consistently lets WR's cross in front of his face. His LOS technique is not good. He relies on his athletic ability to make up ground. That is NOT going to work in the NFL. He needs a good CB coach, for sure