As the NFL Scouting Combine concluded on Sunday, cornerbacks and safeties sprinted, jumped and went through drills inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Even if big-play cornerback Rasul Douglas leaves in free agency, the Green Bay Packers are in pretty good shape at those spots, with starting cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes and starting safeties Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage under contract. However, starting nickel Chandon Sullivan is set to be a free agent this year and Amos and Savage are scheduled to be free agents next year. There does not appear to be a starter-in-waiting in the pipeline at either spot.
One of the top slot prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft is Nebraska’s Cam Taylor-Britt, and he was listed among Sunday’s winners by NFL.com’s Chad Reuter.
“Running a 4.38 40 at 196 pounds helped Taylor-Britt's cause to be selected among the top 100 picks in April,” Reuter wrote. “He had one of the best performances on the floor, as well, changing directions and catching everything in sight. Taylor-Britt transitioned forward from his backpedal more smoothly than I expected. I thought he might have to move to safety in the NFL, but Sunday's workout and his time at the Reese's Senior Bowl indicate he has the speed and hip fluidness to stay outside at the next level.”
Taylor-Britt’s 40 time was fifth-fastest among the corners. At 5-foot-11 and 196 pounds, he’s got the speed to hang with any receiver and the physique and toughness necessary to mix it up in the slot.
A high school quarterback in Montgomery, Ala., Taylor-Britt was a three-year starter for the Cornhuskers and two-time all-Big Ten second-team choice. As a senior team captain, he recorded one interception and 11 passes defensed. He added a blocked kick. As a sophomore, he set career highs with three interceptions and four forced fumbles.
Nebraska coach Scott Frost called him a “freak athlete.” This video shows that freakish athleticism.
The hyphen on the back of his jersey meant the world to Taylor-Britt. Once upon a time, Darrell Taylor was only Cam’s youth football coach.
Taylor-Britt is NFL Draft Bible’s second-ranked slot corner.
“Taylor-Britt has active eyes on the QB while being spatially aware of his zone and incoming threats, feeling routes break with his senses and peripherals, then reacting accordingly,” reads part of his scouting report. “When the ball comes his way, Taylor-Britt has eye-popping ball skills with explosive vertical to high point the ball. He’s especially effective when in trail position as he gets his head around to see the ball and tracks it while maintaining speed, then uses his functional length well to extend for a PBU. Finally, Taylor-Britt is a very willing run defender who regularly comes downhill aggressively, taking on blocks with outside leverage and landing big hits on ball carriers.”
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