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UFL 2013-14 Rookie Draft Preview
Player Profile
Name - Samual Ajala
College - Indiana
Size - 5'8' 182bs
Position - CB
Projected - Mid 1st round pick
Samual Ajala does not have the type of body that you look for in a shutdown Cornerback at the NFL level. However, despite his 5'8' 182lb frame he has shown the ability to play in your face, press coverage, man to man defense throughout his career in college. Wide receivers were constantly caught off guard and surprised at how physical Ajala was. Its very rare to find a corner with the ability to shut down one side of the field and its even more of a surprise to find a Corner that is able to do that, despite being very undersized. At Indiana, Ajala was constantly going up against better, more highly touted Big 10 recruits from Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State but he consistently shut those 5 star recruits down.
Analysis:
Read & React: Strong instincts with very quick reactions. Reads the quarterback's eyes and anticipates routes, closing quickly to jump underneath routes. Gets into the flat in a hurry to attack screen plays and outside runs. Inconsistent biting on double moves and pump fakes, will get overly aggressive during the course of a game and give up the deep ball on occassion.
Man Coverage: Not the perfect prototypical NFL press-cover corner due to his size, however, his combination of strength and speed surprisingly allows him to press nearly any WR that lines up across form him. Is patient in man coverage, reading the receiver's move and reacting quickly. Quick feet and smooth hips to turn and run, maintains contact with most any receiver down the sideline. Closes well when playing off the line. Very Capable of playing physically, especially in the five-yard area. Has the lateral movement to shadow just about any route. Maintains cushion in his backpedal.
Zone Coverage: Again, not the prototypical man-press build, but has the closing speed and physicality to excel in zone coverage. Excellent anticipation of underneath throws, cuts under receivers to make a play on the ball with exceptional hand-eye coordination. Comes off deep routes to support shorter patterns to his side. Secure tackler who rarely gives up yards after the catch. Has dropped interceptions not thrown in his breadbasket.
Closing/Recovery: Changes from backpedal to forward motion quickly, plants hard and has a burst to the ball. Inconsistent recovery speed if frozen by double move, can get back into the play (and make a play on the ball) but quicker receivers seem to maintain separation.
Run Support: His very aggressive nature allows him to excel in run support. Willing cut tackler, gets into the thigh of the running back. Good strength to rip off receiver blocks, could be more consistent using his hands to disengage. Sticks his nose into piles and can stand up running backs coming with a head of steam.
Tackling: Excellent strength for the position, effective wrapping up receivers after the catch or cutting down backs in run support. Breaks down in space and does not miss tackles. Will attack the shoulder pads of running backs to bring them down or force them out of bounds. Very effective cut tackler whether attacking the thighs of running backs or violently taking out the legs of receivers in the open field. Even when he does not bring down the ballcarrier, he gets enough to slow him down giving help time to arrive. Helps teammates finish off tackles in space. Could be more consistent getting off receiver blocks.
Verdict: With a pretty sustantial dropoff between Ajala at #2 and the rest of the CB class, I am predicting that he will get drafted a little higher than I have him slotted. The fact that the UFL is such an extremely heavy pass league, and legitimate lockdown Corners are a valuable and hard to find commodity, I would not be surprised at all if Ajala gets selected in the Top 5 of the draft.
Player Profile
Name - Samual Ajala
College - Indiana
Size - 5'8' 182bs
Position - CB
Projected - Mid 1st round pick
Samual Ajala does not have the type of body that you look for in a shutdown Cornerback at the NFL level. However, despite his 5'8' 182lb frame he has shown the ability to play in your face, press coverage, man to man defense throughout his career in college. Wide receivers were constantly caught off guard and surprised at how physical Ajala was. Its very rare to find a corner with the ability to shut down one side of the field and its even more of a surprise to find a Corner that is able to do that, despite being very undersized. At Indiana, Ajala was constantly going up against better, more highly touted Big 10 recruits from Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State but he consistently shut those 5 star recruits down.
Analysis:
Read & React: Strong instincts with very quick reactions. Reads the quarterback's eyes and anticipates routes, closing quickly to jump underneath routes. Gets into the flat in a hurry to attack screen plays and outside runs. Inconsistent biting on double moves and pump fakes, will get overly aggressive during the course of a game and give up the deep ball on occassion.
Man Coverage: Not the perfect prototypical NFL press-cover corner due to his size, however, his combination of strength and speed surprisingly allows him to press nearly any WR that lines up across form him. Is patient in man coverage, reading the receiver's move and reacting quickly. Quick feet and smooth hips to turn and run, maintains contact with most any receiver down the sideline. Closes well when playing off the line. Very Capable of playing physically, especially in the five-yard area. Has the lateral movement to shadow just about any route. Maintains cushion in his backpedal.
Zone Coverage: Again, not the prototypical man-press build, but has the closing speed and physicality to excel in zone coverage. Excellent anticipation of underneath throws, cuts under receivers to make a play on the ball with exceptional hand-eye coordination. Comes off deep routes to support shorter patterns to his side. Secure tackler who rarely gives up yards after the catch. Has dropped interceptions not thrown in his breadbasket.
Closing/Recovery: Changes from backpedal to forward motion quickly, plants hard and has a burst to the ball. Inconsistent recovery speed if frozen by double move, can get back into the play (and make a play on the ball) but quicker receivers seem to maintain separation.
Run Support: His very aggressive nature allows him to excel in run support. Willing cut tackler, gets into the thigh of the running back. Good strength to rip off receiver blocks, could be more consistent using his hands to disengage. Sticks his nose into piles and can stand up running backs coming with a head of steam.
Tackling: Excellent strength for the position, effective wrapping up receivers after the catch or cutting down backs in run support. Breaks down in space and does not miss tackles. Will attack the shoulder pads of running backs to bring them down or force them out of bounds. Very effective cut tackler whether attacking the thighs of running backs or violently taking out the legs of receivers in the open field. Even when he does not bring down the ballcarrier, he gets enough to slow him down giving help time to arrive. Helps teammates finish off tackles in space. Could be more consistent getting off receiver blocks.
Verdict: With a pretty sustantial dropoff between Ajala at #2 and the rest of the CB class, I am predicting that he will get drafted a little higher than I have him slotted. The fact that the UFL is such an extremely heavy pass league, and legitimate lockdown Corners are a valuable and hard to find commodity, I would not be surprised at all if Ajala gets selected in the Top 5 of the draft.
