OPCs third day prospects - Antone Exum

[OffensivelyPC]

http://draftbreakdown.com/video/antone-exum-vs-miami-2012/

 

He shows decent coverage skills, but not strong man-to-man.  He got picked on a lot during this game.  If a deep cover safety, he'd make more plays. 

 

@ 0:36 - solid throw by the QB.  Exum is there, but any CB would have a hard time defending this pass.

 

@ 2:13 - Off the ball, reads the QB well, gets his hand in on the play and makes the stop.

 

@ 2:40 - Good run support.

 

@ 3:12 - Plays off man.   Jumps the route well and gets his hand in to deflect the pass.

 

@ 4:02 - All over his man, and would have been good defense if he just turned his head to find the ball.

 

http://draftbreakdown.com/video/antone-exum-vs-north-carolina-2012/

 

0:10 - Playing off coverage, the slot runs an up route, and Exum jumps it perfectly.  Well defensed pass.

 

0:30 - Off coverage, forces his man to the sidelines, making the QB throw a difficult pass over the WR shoulder that ends up out of bounds.

 

0:40 - In press man, gets beat and can't stick with the WR to make the play.  Exum sticks close despite being beat in man coverage.

 

2:39 - Playing off-man, sees the slip screen but doesn't close in fast enough - 7 yard gain on 1st and 15. 

 

3:50 - misses the read and bites on the fake, letting the RB make good run.

 

4:05 - Sees the RB handoff from the start and closes in on the RB to make the stop.

 

Bottom Line - Generally shows decent coverage, but plays his best off the ball.  Plays good, but not great, in run coverage.  Not a game changer, but could prove to be an adequate safety.  Above average man skills when playing off the ball, shows noticeable ability in zone coverage.  I think he could be a solid FS with a good run support safety.

[Gavin]

Nice breakdowns, You actually got me to consider doing this for a few prospects, Im also doing a 7 round mock with trades as we speak.....Doing it without trades the deeper you get into the draft is hard enough cause you have to remember and keep looking back at who you picked to go where...especially in the early rounds but doing a full 7 round mock with trades is very difficult.

[neug3246]

No thank you. It looks like he shy away from hits and is so so in coverage, doesn't get his head around all the time.

[OffensivelyPC]

Nice breakdowns, You actually got me to consider doing this for a few prospects, Im also doing a 7 round mock with trades as we speak.....Doing it without trades the deeper you get into the draft is hard enough cause you have to remember and keep looking back at who you picked to go where...especially in the early rounds but doing a full 7 round mock with trades is very difficult.

That would be pretty time consuming.  But it would be fun.  Haven't done 7 rounds, but tinker with other mock drafts (usually 3-5 rounds) and its' like playing a game of chess against yourself. 

[Manning1887]

I really like this guy as a FS. I have mentioned in numerous posts and my own "mock draft" my preference for Exum.

 

He likely will not be there in the 5th round. I have seen him mocked in a variety of rounds, but it appears that he will likely go somewhere in the 3rd-4th.

[OffensivelyPC]

I really like this guy as a FS. I have mentioned in numerous posts and my own "mock draft" my preference for Exum.

 

He likely will not be there in the 5th round. I have seen him mocked in a variety of rounds, but it appears that he will likely go somewhere in the 3rd-4th.

I actually think there's agood chance he'll be there in the 5th.  I think teams will shy away from him as a corner, but won't want to take him in the 4th if they plan on transitioning him to FS, as I think there are other FS that will be available (i.e. Ladler) who won't (read shouldn't) require a position change.  But you never know come draft day, there are always surprises and it only takes one team to pull the trigger. 

[throwing BBZ]

Like him OK as a safety prospect. His 40 time makes him less interchangeable than they would like.

[OffensivelyPC]

Like him OK as a safety prospect. His 40 time makes him less interchangeable than they would like.

I  disagree.  He was 1/100 second slower than Clinton Dix and Pryor (and improved his 40 time to an unofficial 4.54 at his pro day).  In fact, his combine results are pretty much a mirror image of both Clinton Dix and Pryor.  I mean, he's not going to be blazing fast, but he has adequate speed for a FS.