Decamerion Richardson NFL Draft Overview
Position: Cornerback School: Mississippi StateHeight: 6’2 ”
Weight: 188 lbs
Arm: 32 3/8″
Hand: 8 7/8″
40 yard Dash: 4.34 seconds
Since Richard Sherman and the Legion of Boom, the quest for the next 6’1″ plus long, athletic corner has been fascinating. Hundreds of corners that fit that profile have been over-drafted. Some have lived up to expectations like Sauce Gardener, while most have flopped like Jeff Okudah. Ultimately, the Seattle scheme and other zone schemes continued the good fight to find the next Richard Sherman. A late-round gem in the making could come from one of the most underrated NFL draft pipelines, Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have had a successful NFL draft pipeline with NFL stars like Jeffery Simmons, Chris Jones, and Darius Slay. Next could be Decamerion Richardson.
Richardson was a three-star recruit from Louisiana who committed to Mississippi State. Richardson was a role player for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, appearing in every game. He became a full-time starter in his Junior and senior seasons, starting all 25 available games. Over his two years starting, Richardson became one of the nation’s best tacklers and improved in coverage. Could this translate to NFL success? Let’s dig into the film.
2024 NFL Draft: Decamerion Richardson Scouting Report
Richardson’s Strengths
- Great length and athleticism for the defensive back position for an NFL cornerback. Ran a 4.34 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.
- In the upper 80 and 90 percentile in most essential categories for a corner in the NFL. He has good arm length to support his speed.
- He is best in zone coverage to use his excellent vision and awareness. He has good route recognition and closing burst to “attack the ball.
- Once he hits his stride, he has great speed. He can run vertically with almost every receiver in the NFL.
- Richardson had nice ball skills and tracked the ball well. Most importantly, he got his head around to see the ball and broke it away from the defender, which is a must to avoid flags in the NFL.
- Gives effort in run support. He does not mind being physical as a tackler.
- When he plays press coverage, he has a tough strike and plays bail coverage nicely. His confidence in his speed makes him a legitimate press corner threat at the NFL level.
- In off-coverage, has good instincts and awareness of routes.
Richardson’s Weakness
- He has issues with his pad level as he Plays too high, which exposing his lack of hip flexibility.
- It is a pure zone-only corner as he Lacks the quickness and flexibility to cover good, quick NFL receivers man to man.
- He is a straight-line athlete. Get him moving and changing directions. His speed is not the same.
- He bites on double moves. Check the LSU tape. He bit so hard on the double that his poor quickness prevented him from getting back in phase. He gets caught too often looking in the backfield, and it’s game over for him.
Projection: Fourth Round Pick
NFL Comparison: Ahkello Witherspoon
Best Fits: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, and the San Francisco 49ers.
Bottom Line
Decamerion Richardson is a major upside-major bust NFL draft prospect. His raw tools, tackling, and ability in zone coverage will get him drafted while he works on his weaknesses. By his third year, he could prove to be a steal for an NFL team. Main Image: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsMore must-reads: