Part two of my 2022 Senior Bowl breakdown is highlighting the defensive backs. Look, playing defensive back in Mobile is hard. 1-vs-1s lend themselves to the receiver’s success without giving much love to the guys forced to cover them.
All corners and safeties have bad reps during this week, it’s the nature of the beast at this point. So, I tried to highlight some of the players who have had the least amount of bad reps the past couple of days while remembering that nobody is perfect.
Let’s get into it.
Jalen Pitre, Baylor
Baylor safety Jalen Pitre came into the season as one of my highest graded safety prospects outside of the Kyle Hamilton’s of the world. He rewarded me with a strong 2021 season that included 56 tackles, two interceptions, and seven passes defended.
At the Senior Bowl, Pitre has stood out both in coverage and when defending the run in team periods. In the rep above from Tuesday’s practice, you can see Pitre explode out of his break to undercut a pass for a PBU.
His versatility, man coverage prowess, and football instincts are all popping off the screen this week. He strikes me as a player set to gain a lot of money once teams review the practice film this weekend.
Coby Bryant, Cincinnati
Bryant is the reigning Jim Thorpe award winner and is probably the top cornerback at the Senior Bowl on a lot of people’s boards. He’s had his ups and downs this week, but overall, I’d say he’s performed fairly well on both days.
The rep above shows Bryant stick with Nevada wide receiver Romeo Dubos out of his break and then play through the catch point for a pass breakup. Bryant had a couple of these reps where he just kept competing and ended up with a win.
He’s not the longest or fastest corner in the world, but Bryant projects nicely as a quality starter or depth piece, and he’s done nothing this week to cast doubt on that.
Jaylen Watson, Washington State
I’ll be honest this Senior Bowl is serving as my introduction to Watson’s game. I watched a sad amount of PAC-12 football this past season, and I haven’t gotten to cornerbacks yet on my personal big board.
However, Watson has impressed me throughout the first two days of practice. He’s a player who just consistently competes and finds the football in coverage. His featured rep against Cincinnati’s Alec Pierce is a good example of that.
He sticks with him throughout the double move and then turns his head to find the ball and makes the PBU. Pretty much textbook, given the conditions.
I’m excited to see what Watson’s film from this past season looks like.
Mario Goodrich, Clemson
Goodrich spent a lot of time being overshadowed by his teammate and running mate at corner, Andrew Booth. Booth is probably a first-round pick, and while Goodrich won’t go that high, he’s played quite well this week.
It’s obvious he’s a physical corner will to hit during team drills, and he’s held his own in coverage against some pretty quick receivers.
The rep above sees him mirror, match, and then lock up South Alabama wide receiver Jalen Tolbert, who had won his previous two reps by bullying the cornerback across from him.
Goodrich didn’t pop as much on Wednesday as he did on Tuesday, but he had his fair share of wins still. Everyone I talk to says he’s going to higher than I think he will, and now I know why.