Each commanded more playing time as the season went on.
Each ended up with over 260 coverage snaps.
And both simply looked like they have the athleticism and mental makeup to be trusted against NFL competition.
And it’s not unfair to say he was the weakest link in the secondary.
If there’s a drain that needs to be plugged, that is it.
Bill Belichick’s pop in at this position has evolved over the years.
And the results were ugly.
Reflecting the need to be able to match up against the smaller, impossibly fast Tyreek Hill Class receivers.
Last weekDevin McCourty discussedwhat he thinks the Patriots look for in their corners.
That last part shouldn’t be overlooked.
As he’s told prospects before, “We don’t have ‘cover corners’ here.”
Which is why he let Asante Samuel walk.
So they’ll be shopping for the value picks.
After he transferred from Colorado he had a career year, with four interceptions and nine forced incompletions.
And he can tackle, with just 6% misses last year.
He’s already a polished, complete corner, with 24 games played in the last two season.
But there’s still room to improve with experience and learning to use his size better on 50/50 balls.
And three completions in a row wouldn’t get you a 1st down.
He also plays with a huge hair across his ass.
In a good way.
And that attitude should only get nastier once he gets his pump on in an NFL weight room.
And as a result, there are times when balls he should come away with end up as completions.
Still, his father’s general badassery did not skip a generation.
And in Man he gave up completions at a rate of just 20%, lowest in the nation.
But therein lies the rub.
That weight is not a typo.
Some people had him listed at 180, but I got the 166 from NFL.com.
To bottom line this, he’s a cover corner.
Meaning he’ll find a job somewhere.
Just not Foxboro, or everything I and McCourty know is wrong.
So he’s got experience, a high football IQ.
What he lacks is any sort of elite traits.
He’s got a rare size/speed profile and can keep up with practically anybody on a Go route.
But should end up leading the NFL as a rookie in exposure toSamuel L. JacksonPulp Fictionquotes.
Turner has the acceleration of a Tesla Cybertruck, if not its payload or towing capacity.
The problem comes, as you might imagine, when he gets overpowered by bigger-bodied receivers.
And his other greatest asset is his route recognition, particularly in pattern match zone.
And Kelly could be just the guy for that.
You will never iso him on anyone’s WR1.
He’s got the size profile of an NFL corner.
But he also tends to give a soft cushion that will cause him problems at the next level.
Plus there’s some question about his tackling, which is a deal killer, as we discussed earlier.
They’re looking to fill a particular need, and swiping right on the big fella from Kansas State.
And then later on, they’ll addNic Jones, just to mess with us.
Earlier previews:
Wide receivers
Offensive tackles
Tight ends
Edge
Safeties
