The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have upgraded their secondary after taking cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III with the No. 11 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Hargreaves, a three-time all-SEC selection and consensus first-team All-American, is one of the elite defensive backs in this year's draft class and widely considered the best pure cover corner on the big board.
Vernon Hargreaves drafted by Buccaneers at No. 11 overall
The former Florida Gator has the potential to be an elite cover corner at the next level.
The former Florida Gator was an immediate standout in Gainesville, starting 10 games as a freshman in 2013 while recording three interceptions and 10 pass breakups. He was even better as a sophomore with an SEC-leading 13 passes defended and three picks, and finished with the nation’s second-best coverage grade per Pro Football Focus.
Although his overall production declined in 2015 (four passes broken up, four interceptions), he put together outstanding workouts at the Combine and his pro day to solidify his status as a top-10 talent. He had a really strong performance in Florida’s win against Ole Miss, holding top receiver prospect Laquon Treadwell to just five catches for 42 yards, and capping off the day with this impressive interception:
Highly competitive and aggressive, Hargreaves has the swagger of a prototypical shutdown corner and believes that he can, and should, win every play. His quickness, agility, body control and ball-hawking ability are all exceptional. Although he does his best work in man coverage, Hargreaves is a well-balanced corner who excels in press, off, and zone concepts, too. He is also a willing run defender, showing a rare physicality and open-field tackling skills for a guy his size.
However, it is that small stature that is considered a "red flag" by scouts in trying to determine his ceiling as a pro. Hargreaves, 5'10 and 204 pounds, has a lean frame and is considered undersized for a cornerback. Yet, you don't have to look too far to find small-sized corners who have had success in the league. Janoris Jenkins (5'10), Asante Samuel (5'10) and Antoine Winfield (5'9) are just a few examples of shorter guys who carved out nice NFL careers.
He might be challenged by bigger receivers and could struggle at times with the more physical players on the outside, but his excellent movement skills and high football I.Q. should allow him to flourish against high-level competition.
One other concern is that Hargreaves lacks the elite speed to keep up with the fastest wideouts on vertical routes; per NFL.com, he allowed 16.5 yards per completion last season. Teams weren't afraid to attack him downfield with deep passes:
Despite those weaknesses, Hargreaves undoubtedly has everything you look for in a shutdown corner: confidence, aggressiveness, quickness, intelligence and ball skills. Even more important, he is scheme-diverse in the secondary and should be ready from day one to contribute at the next level. Hargreaves might have to clean up his technique a bit, but he already has the mindset to be a leader at his position and looks like a future Pro Bowler.
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