Justin Rogers
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but the below was the meat of it for me, I didn’t realize his early focus on CB’s as the crosschecker for the position.
But that volume doesn’t necessarily translate to success. Plus, Holmes believes teams often reach for the most physically gifted cornerback prospects because they’re hoping to hit on one of the toughest positions to secure a high-level talent. Reaching is something Holmes avoids in the draft — and doubly so, when physical tools alone are the driving factor in the decision.
“If you get wooed by the physical qualities too much, but they don’t have the intangible qualities, you can get yourself in trouble,” he said.
A longtime scout and former college scouting director prior to becoming Detroit’s general manager, Holmes has plenty of experience studying cornerback play. The way he describes it, he’s enamored by it.
“I don’t want to call myself a snob of outside corners, but I have a lot of appreciation for that position,” Holmes said. “I was a cornerback cross-check for over a decade back with the Rams. I love corner play. I just love it. I could watch DB individual (drills) all day, every day. I think it’s poetry in motion. I love DB play. Yeah, we just want to get the right fit.”
The right fit brings us back to the intangibles, some of which show up on tape and others that don’t. It’s what events like the combine are for, allowing NFL decision-makers an opportunity to dig into what makes these prospects tick, helping teams marry personality with film.
“It’s confidence, it’s wiring,” Holmes said. “Those guys, I know the money-maker is ball production, and that’s first and foremost, but you’ve got to tackle, too. The more and more you see, when your corners are tackling, that can really define who you are on defense. Yeah, those guys, the really good ones, are hard to find.”
The Lions have clearly put an emphasis on having willing tackers at the position.