Not so much with the Buccaneers who seem to value smaller more agile corners with great feet - the league over the last five years is trending in the opposite direction - if you believe what you read on different websites - here is an excerpt from NFL.com Lance Zierlien
The scoop: "I was blown away when I looked at our database and realized how many really big and long cornerbacks are out there in this draft. That's the trend though. We used to see those guys move to safety, but not anymore. Seattle, Carolina and Kansas City all love those kinds of guys. If you are long and can play the ball, you are getting pushed up in this draft." -- NFC pro personnel director
The skinny: Co-sign. Speed matters, but more teams are beginning to trend toward length and takeaways over all else at the position. While there have always been teams who covet size at cornerback (including Green Bay), Seattle's combination of Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman from years ago had to be an eye-opener for teams. Those big cornerbacks are hardly speed burners, but they created tremendous issues for quarterbacks looking to attack them outside the numbers. I counted six draftable cornerbacks who should measure 6-foot-2 or taller in this year's draft. That is rare.
Now, looking at some of these lengthier corners, this year who produced take-aways at the collegiate level, like Kevin King, Rasual Douglas, Ahkello Witherspoon and other taller corners based on the trend of teams targeting players with similar athletic profile markers and length - a player like King...whom turned in a solid performance during the Washington Husky combine prior to the start of the 2016 college football season could vault up draft boards...
He ran a 4.02 short shuttle, a 6.40 three-cone, jumped 39.5 inches in the vertical and 10-10 in the broad. If he repeats that three-cone at the NFL combine it’ll be the fastest by any player at any position. His broad jump would’ve matched Vernon Hargreaves’ effort a year ago for third best among cornerbacks. His 39.5 inch vertical would’ve also ranked third.
The biggest question mark has always been King's long speed.
However, Tony Pauline, is reporting that it might be a moot point as King has been running a rather elite 40 even at his length:
“I’m told the big corner has been running under 4.4 seconds hand-timed during combine training. When converted to electronic timing, King has spanned the 40 yards in about 4.45 seconds.
And while 4.45 is by no means an extraordinary time, it beats any expectations scouts had of King’s foot speed.
Consider the fact that scouts believed King to be a high-4.5 second corner in the 4.58-second range and that, throughout the season, speed was the sole criticism I heard about his game. The conversations usually went something to the extent of, “He [King] has the size and ball skills but can’t run.”
If he’s able to break into the mid-4.4s on the final day of combine workouts, King will cement himself as a top-45 selection.”
It will be interesting to see how the lengthier corners perform at the combine and if they are drafted higher based on league trends.
