NFL Draft Profile: Mykael Wright, Cornerback, Oregon Ducks

#2
Pos: CB
Ht: 5110
Wt: 182
DOB: 6/15/_
Eligible: 2022
Antelope Valley, CA
Antelope Valley High School

Mykael Wright 
Oregon Ducks

Pros:

Ezring: To stand out among multiple future NFL defenders as a true freshman is a notable accomplishment. Mykael Wright has been a steady, noteworthy defensive back for his whole college career to this point. The talented cornerback boasts a flexible, fluid frame and has loose hips to change direction. He also exhibits clean feet in his transitions and hip turns. The Oregon defender is at his best in man coverage. Wright is extremely patient and uses his movement skills and above-average play strength to stay in phase through route breaks. Similarly, he uses physicality to throw off a route’s timing and spacing. Further, he displays an impressive understanding of leverage and plays very well from the top shoulder. Additionally, the standout corner typically practices sound eye discipline to improve his reaction time. While Wright has the potential to mirror with pure movement skills, he thrives when keeping his hand in the receiver’s hip pocket to better anticipate their movements. What’s more, the defender has the long speed to cover deep routes. Wright also has a knack for evading contact against rub routes. When playing from a recovery position, he typically takes proper angles to meet the receiver. At the catch point, Wright wins with his physical playstyle. After the reception and against the run, the Ducks’ star is an active tackler. He is exceptional at working to the ball carrier through or around blocks. Finally, Wright is an exciting kick returner.

Cons:

Ezring: Despite his promising skillset, the Oregon cornerback is not a perfect prospect. First and foremost, he is fairly small. His play style in his frame may be disconcerting for some NFL teams. Indeed, longer receivers can separate against Wright by pushing off at the top of their route stem. Similarly, pass-catchers can control the Ducks’ defensive back when he surrenders his chest at the line of scrimmage. Additionally, Wright occasionally takes false steps or flips his hips in the wrong direction against nuanced releases. More often than not, though, his mistakes stem from his tendency to turn his hips late. Further, he lacks the explosiveness to consistently recover after receivers force separation. Moreover, the former four-star recruit’s technique must be fine-tuned. He falls out of phase whenever his eye discipline wavers and lets his hands and feet out of sync. Wright, likewise, allows separation when he fails to keep his hand in his opponent’s hip pocket. The Oregon star’s worst play comes in off and zone coverage. He cannot consistently mirror with pure movement skills and does not always capitalize on leverage. In zone, Wright exhibits unreliable spatial awareness and zone discipline; he also struggles with underwhelming click and close speed.

Summary:

Ezring: A prospect whose name has been in the draft spotlight since his freshman year, Mykael Wright is a talented man-cover corner who thrives thanks to his fluidity and physicality. While he must fine-tune certain technical aspects of his game, the active run defender can be an early contributor at the nickel and can even contribute on special teams while he develops. Wright projects as an inside-outside option in a man-heavy scheme. 

Background:

An elite high school recruit from Antelope Valley, California, Mykael Wright played for two different high schools. The talented corner began his career at Valencia High School. As a sophomore, he was named an All-CIF Southern Section Division 2 honoree. After his junior year, he was awarded CIF Southern Section Division 2 co-Offensive Player of the Year and Foothill League Player of the Year. Wright played his senior season at Antelope Valley High School. In his final high school season, he was named to the PrepStar Top 150 Dream Team. He was also invited to the Under Armour All-American Game and the Polynesian Bowl. Additionally, his team advanced to Nike’s The Opening Finals. Wright’s stellar career made him a highly sought-after recruit. ESPN Recruiting listed him as the top cornerback in his class. 247Sports Composite Rankings named him a four-star recruit, the 41st-overall player in his class, the 4th-best cornerback recruit in the nation and the 5th-ranked recruit in the state of California. After choosing Oregon, Wright became an immediate impact player for the Ducks. In his freshman season, he made The Athletic Freshman All-America second team, Coaches Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention and PFF All-Pac-12 honorable mention. He also was named Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week twice. Wright built upon his stellar debut campaign in 2020. As a sophomore, he made the AP Pac-12 All-Conference first team, Coaches Pac-12 All-Conference first team and Phil Steele Pac-12 All-Conference first team. Wright led the Pac-12 with nine pass breakups last year. 

One-Liners

Ezring: While he must fine-tune certain technical aspects of his game to be a reliable starter at the next level, Mykael Wright has early-impact potential thanks to his promising man coverage profile, aggressive mentality in run defense and special teams value.

Grades

Current Player Value/Potential Player Value

Ezring: 7.5 / 8.6