Teez Tabor adds ballhawking skills to Lions secondary

Teez Tabor might be best known for his name change, but the former Florida cornerback is a ballhawk who can make a major difference on defense. On Day 2, the Detroit Lions added the turnover machine to their secondary, ignoring his poor Combine numbers and selecting Tabor with the 53rd pick in the second round.

The former Gators cornerback has the instincts and aggressiveness to become a playmaker on the outside. Lining up opposite Darius Slay in Detroit could be a perfect scenario for the young defensive back.

At 6’, 200 pounds with arms measuring 32 inches, Tabor looks the part at cornerback. Plus, he backed it up with stellar play throughout his college career. The defensive back is tall, long and athletic enough, despite a poor performance at the NFL Combine.

Tabor was a disruptor on defense, totaling 104 tackles, including 11 for losses, 28 passes defensed, eight interceptions and three defensive touchdowns in three seasons in Gainesville.

Really, the defensive back’s two first-team All-SEC bids speak volumes.

Technique

Tabor’s size is ideal for the position, but it’s his ability to leverage his frame into an advantage by using proper technique that makes the former Gator special. A “twitchy” player in coverage, Tabor has quick feet and the recovery speed necessary to play an aggressive style of defense.

Part of what makes the cornerback such a technician is his mental processing ability — Tabor is a patient player, and he has the closing burst necessary to contest passes at a high level. These traits are what help make Tabor such an excellent press corner - he’s content to mirror opponents and let routes develop, but also instinctive to make plays on the ball and agile enough to recover should he guess wrong.

Aggressiveness

Tabor’s 28 passes defensed, eight interceptions and three defensive touchdowns are impressive, but what’s even more so is the fact that Tabor manages to play such an aggressive style while maintaining discipline. Tabor wasn’t penalized often — he was only flagged six times over the past three seasons, with three of those coming in a single game — and, per Pro Football Focus, only allowed two touchdowns in his three seasons.

Tabor’s performance at the NFL Combine was bad, but his pro day might have been worse. At the Combine, Tabor ran the 40-yard dash in 4.62 seconds, managed just nine reps on the bench press and wasn’t all too impressive in either the vertical or broad jump — all after insisting he was “the best player in the draft, not just the best cornerback.”

Then he was even slower at Florida’s pro day, running an unofficial 4.75 40.

As a result, he might struggle in the NFL against deep speed.

Tabor isn’t a great tackler — per PFF, he missed 16 tackles on 110 attempts throughout the past three seasons.

And then there are also off-field concerns. Tabor was a bit high maintenance during his tenure in Florida, provoking suspensions by refusing to take a drug test and a run-in with a teammate at practice. And he likes to talk a good amount, as well.