Randall looks like he will be a more willing and better tackler than TW was for most of his career, especially the last few seasons. TW was "good enough" for a CB, so I don't see it as a problem for Randall.
I am much more concerned about whether Randall's cover skills will be good enough to play corner.
Williams was an excellent cover corner - so you can live with his sheepish tackling. The jury is very much out on Randall and his coverage skills - he's a projection for that; if he is average in coverage, and substandard as tackler and back-end defender in general - then we wasted a 1st round pick.Originally Posted by Patler
If he proves to be TW clone - I'd take that in a heartbeat, but I surely haven't seen anything that would indicate he has that kind speed and coverage ability.
wist
I haven't seen anything to suggest Randall is sheepish about tackling, which is why I think he should be a better tackler than TW. However, poor tackling isn't less of a liability if he is better in coverage. It is what it is regardless of coverage skills. Ultimately, his playing time will be determined by his coverage skills, not his tackling ability, assuming, of course he doesn't turn the other way and run away form ball carriers.
When I read the things about Damarious Randall, after the pick, I was excited. The guy is fast, explosive, fluid, aggressive, best cover skills at the safety position (so it doesn't sound like a total reach for the Packers to think he can play corner,) excellent ball skills, student of the game, instinctive, tackles well enough, but not a great tackler.....
Wist has done an excellent job mentioning and repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating his one weakness. And lets remember, there are a handful of excellent tackling corners in the NFL, but for the most part, cornerbacks are your least effective tacklers in the back 7. Same way offensive lineman are your least elusive players on the offensive side of the ball.
Anyone judging Damarious Randall with too much weight tilted toward Wist's assertion that he's a terrible tackler and a waste of a pick should be pleasantly surprised. If you sift through the information available, all indications are that this guy is a football player. He does everything well from his position, except tackling, which all I've read is that he's a below average tackling safety, which suggests he's an average tackler at CB.
When I look at players coming out of college into the NFL, I tend to weigh out a few things. 1st, how well do they play their position. If an OL is talked about as an excellent, consistent blocker, I tend to expect more from that player. If a player is excellent at catching the football, running routes, being on the same page as his QB and running after the catch, I tend to expect more from him as a WR. Bahktiari was one of those guys, you read about him just being a fantastic blocker. I thought, shit, this guy is really good at blocking. We need that. Well, in the spirit of looking at how well players play football, that's what we have here. We have a defensive back who can really play. I like players who play football really well, so I like Damarious Randall's chances. And then I look at athletic ability. If you have an excellent football player who is also an excellent athlete, I'm even more excited. Randall is also an excellent athlete. As I read into him, I became even more excited with his combination of skill and athleticism. The last thing I tend to read into is character/work ethic/leadership, etc. . . . Randall is also a really good guy. He works his butt off, wants to be good and loves playing.
When I sift through the mountains of information available during and after NFL drafts, the way I view players has evolved over the years. There just isn't enough information on some players and you get surprises all of the time. But once in a while there is a guy who's sort of shown it all and I feel pretty confident they'll be good in the NFL. Bahktiari, Sitton, Davante Adams and now Damarious Randall are examples of this kind of draft prospect.
I'll bet this guy rips it the fuck up. All signs point to Damarious Randall being a ball-hawking super-athlete from the corner position. He doesn't tackle as well as some safeties, but tackles as well as most corners. My money is on this guy shocking the shit out of a lot of people, Wist being at the top of that list.
Formerly known as JustinHarrell.
Sweet post and your username makes it even sweeter. Repped.
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