Dallas Cowboys fans have been buzzing about the new addition of Morris Claiborne to our secondary. The consensus top corner in the 2012 draft, Claiborne is clearly a talented player. But how much of an impact can he make during his rookie season?
Playing cornerback as a rookie in the NFL is tough. The quarterbacks are quicker and more accurate, the wide receivers have a lot more speed and the game is much faster than it is in college.
As a rookie cornerback, you need to have a short-term memory because you are going to get beat.As a rookie, you need to have confidence and must play on your instincts because it's very difficult to learn all of the coverages. The opposing offensive coordinators are going to test you very deep early. They are wanting to see if you can actually stop a go route and that you know how you play the ball down field. The right mentality is also key.
Knowing how to use angles is critical for a cornerback. When you can take angles away, you can control the speed of your opponent.
It's crucial that rookie CBs study film, pay attention in meetings and know their opponents. When a CB begins to understand the patterns of how an offense attacks, he can then go from reacting to receivers to actually making the plays and creating turnovers.
Claiborne has a good size, length and terrific ball skills. His wingspan is incredible. He's athletic, very competitive and he's better in bump coverage than off. He's a good matchup against bigger receivers, and he'll have huge challenges playing in the NFC East. His biggest issue is lack of actual game experience and also lack of reps in practice. This is what lead to his recent knee injury.
It's crucial that rookie CBs study film, pay attention in meetings and know their opponents. When a CB begins to understand the patterns of how an offense attacks, he can then go from reacting to receivers to actually making the plays and creating turnovers.
In today's NFL, it's especially tough on rookie corners because offenses will usually spread the defenses out. That means that rookie corners, if they have talent, will usually be put on the field before they are ready. First-round cornerbacks are even likely to struggle at first. Defensive coordinators are then forced to scheme to hide any weaknesses in the secondary.
Claiborne has a good size, length and terrific ball skills. His wingspan is incredible. He's athletic, very competitive and he's better in bump coverage than off. He's a good matchup against bigger receivers, and he'll have huge challenges playing in the NFC East. His biggest issue is lack of actual game experience and also lack of reps in practice. This is what lead to his recent knee injury.
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