Brandin Echols - Inside Cornerback Kentucky Wildcats Scouting Report

BRANDIN ECHOLS | Kentucky | DC | #26 | Sr | 5106 | 178 | Memphis, TN | Southaven HS | 10.16.97

Overview: 

Echols arrived at Kentucky in 2019 as a JUCO transfer out of Northwest Mississippi CC and went on to start in 22 straight career games after not starting his initial two. His presence in the Kentucky secondary has come as the field cornerback mostly, while also playing valuable reps as their starting nickel. Echols shows impressive foot speed to carry vertical routes and noteworthy recovery speed to get back in phase when he has lost leverage on vertical routes. Excels when he can play downhill and utilize plus short-area quickness out of his breaks. Echols shows excellent football intelligence when playing as an underneath defender from the nickel position, displaying the talent to reroute and leverage routes properly with vision on the quarterback. He is an inconsistent tackler in the open field who struggles to come to balance as an over-aggressive tackler in space. Echols struggles with only having marginal fluidity when he needs to burst out of his hips to transition to stay in phase with receivers. An inconsistent finisher at the catch point, he lacked ball production in his 22 games as a starter. Echols’ best fit at the next level will be as a nickel defender who is best utilized in underneath zones where he can excel with his short-area quickness and mental processing in zone.

Background: 

Raised in the Memphis, Tennessee area. Three-star recruit according to 247Sports. Community & Leadership Development major. Three sisters. Played in junior college 2017-2018. Started 11 of 13 games played as a junior. Played in 11 games as a senior.