Justin Gilbert Will Visit the Jets

[flgreen]

Justin Gilbert will visit New York Jets

 

BY JOE SORIANO - MAR 30TH, 2014 AT 7:43 AM

 

 

The New York Jets need some big-time cornerback help in the 2014 NFL Draft after making Antonio Cromartie a cap casualty and not re-signing anyone to replace him. It’s going to be interesting to see if the Jets address the CB position in the first round of the draft, because they still have a need for more pass-catching help around Geno Smith. Eric Decker was a huge, important signing, but the Jets could use a guy like Eric Ebron or Marqise Lee in the draft. I’d expect them to go for the best CB or WR/TE available in the first, and then they’ll address the other need in the second.

 

ESPN New York’s Rich Cimini reports that the Jets will host Oklahoma State Cowboys star cornerback Justin Gilbert on a pre-draft visit, and he’s generally regarded as the best CB in the draft class. I would be a tad surprised if he isn’t the first CB off the board, and he’s expected to go before the Jets are available. I actually have Jason Verrett ranked higher than Gilbert, but his size concerns and Gilbert’s elite speed will likely be the difference on draft day for teams.

 

If Gilbert falls to the Jets at pick No. 18, then there’s an excellent chance that they pull him off the board and make him their No. 1 corner. The Jets also have strong interest in Ohio State Buckeyes product Bradley Roby, and he would be a steal for them if he is available in the second round, should the Jets choose to go for a WR or TE at #18.

[Larz]

all the corners are gone, and the off season is over

[flgreen]

JiF is starting to look like a sage on this when he predicted months ago the Jets would take a CB at 18

[BroadwayJoe12]

We get thirty-something official visits, they're gonna be bringing in half the first round players. This is commonplace.

[Thor99]

We've had enough dealings with the Gilberts of the world.

[faba]

Wide receiver or CB in the first round unless miracle Mack falls down to within range

[SouthernJet]

Wide receiver or CB in the first round unless miracle Mack falls down to within range

If no DeSean, then WR in 1st IMHO

[Villain The Foe]

Phillip Gaines, Kyle Fuller etc. We dont need to take a CB at 18.

 

Tre's scouting notebook: Kyle Fuller scouting report

By Tre9er @Tre9er on Mar 29 2014, 10:16a 69

Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Tre has had a chance to watch film on various prospects, and has decided to put his thoughts down on paper (err...blog). Today he breaks down cornerback Kyle Fuller.

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I'll be honest, I've spent most of my time focusing on WR and CB in this year's draft. I think those are two big needs going forward, if not in 2014, certainly in 2015 and beyond. They're also two positions where the 49ers haven't drafted particularly well, so forgive me for obsessing over them a bit.

With that in mind, today's profile is on CB Kyle Fuller, formerly of Virginia Tech. The first things to like about Fuller are his measurables: 6'0 tall, 32 7/8" arms, ran an official 4.49 in the 40 with a 10'8" broad jump. Similar to Justin Gilbert, the kid is athletic, if a bit unrefined at times.

Also like Gilbert, Fuller relied on his athleticism, leading to some holes in his game that weren't often-enough exposed, but nonetheless will need cleaning up at the next level. Good thing the 49ers have Ed Donatell.

Positives:

The aforementioned size and athleticism serve him well on the field where he uses his talents to drive on the football and make a play, even if initially behind by a step. When Fuller reads the play and knows the ball is coming, he's adept at tracking and making a play on it.

He's played the boundary as well as the slot and, perhaps surprisingly, somewhat of a LB role. Watch the Georgia Tech game, where VT used Fuller inside, taking on blocks, shooting gaps and disrupting their triple-option attack. This makes him an ideal slot candidate at the NFL level, too, as tackling and playing with a LB mentality in the run game is crucial.

He's very aggressive to the ball carrier and not afraid to his someone, even on special teams (where he played a fair amount). He generally is a good hitter and an average tackler.

Negatives:

Like Gilbert, his footwork is a mess at times. He often sits and waits for the receiver to get going before moving his own body, often giving up precious cushion and starting out a step or two behind. This bit him a few times when he wasn't able to outrun the throw deep down the sidelines. I think he has the speed to stay with guys but he must get consistent with his technique in order to be on even ground when the play starts.

He could use a little honing of his tackling technique, too. He usually gets the job done, but often is more of an arm-tackler, shoestring type guy. He pops, but doesn't always keep his feet and wrap-and-drive through the player.

Sometimes he thinks he knows the play and misreads it, making him susceptible to double-moves when he's wrong. Doesn't locate the ball as well when he's running with his back to the line of scrimmage, especially if making up ground down the sideline.

Conclusion:

I see Fuller as a great pick at 30 if he falls to that point, otherwise an even better value in the early second round if the 49ers were to take a gamble that he lasts that long, though I wouldn't be surprised if he goes in the top-20, either.

I think he'd come in and challenge for the slot corner role in either Nickel or Dime packages and be able to help out on special teams (though I wouldn't expect them to ask him to play every snap on STs with the high investment he'll require). I'd be surprised if he's not able to hold down a starting job on the outside by the 2015 season.

[Villain The Foe]

Phillip Gaines Scouting Report: NFL Outlook for Rice CB By Ian Wharton , Featured Columnist Mar 10, 2014

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Phillip Gaines, CB, Rice (HT: 6’0⅜”; WT: 193 lbs)

Combine Weigh In Height Weight Arm Hand 6003 193 31 ⅞" 9 ⅝"

NFL.com

Combine Results 40-yard dash 10-yard split Vert Broad 3-Cone Shuttle 4.38 N/A 36 ½" 10' 2" 6.62 4.04

NFL.com

 

NFL Comparison: Josh Robinson, CB, Minnesota Vikings

 

 

Positives

• Great height, weight and arm length. He’s physically ready to play in the NFL right now, needing very little weight or conditioning.
• Excellent distance speed that was displayed at the NFL combine, where he ran a 4.38 40-yard dash. He didn’t look that fast during games, but he didn’t look like a guy lacking good speed, either. He shouldn’t have any issues lining up against speed receivers in the NFL.
• Solid technical skills beginning with his pre-snap stance, which is low and balanced. He keeps his eyes in the backfield while smoothly backpedaling.
• Mirrors receivers well when playing on-man coverage. His quick feet help his lateral quickness when changing directions.
• Has fluid hips, especially for a bigger cornerback, and that allows him to play in a variety of coverages. He really shone in Cover 3, where he keeps his eyes on the quarterback and controls his chunk of the field very well.
• Good closing speed with short area explosion. He can break up passes at the last second with his combination of length and closing speed.
• Stays with the receiver well and is able to direct the target by staying physical. His aggressive mindset helps him attack the football in midair.
• Disguises his coverage well through his movements and waiting until the last second to either cover the underneath route in Cover 2 or go deep in Cover 3.
• Times his jumps very well when attempting to intercept passes. Most of his interceptions in 2013 came from perfectly timed leaps and being in a better position than the receiver.
• Highly productive player that limited opposing receivers only 13 catches on 40 targets in 2013.
• Greatly improved throughout his career, both technically and instinctually. His feel for the game reached a new level as a senior.
• Didn’t have any interceptions before 2013, but his passes-defensed statistics are impressive. He was in a good position most plays, but he dropped a few easy picks.

 

 

Negatives

• Didn’t play against great competition, as he was unable to play in Rice’s 2013 opening game against Texas A&M, and he wasn’t lined up against Houston’s Deontay Greenberry often.
• Very conservative approach against the run, showing little hustle to get to the ball-carrier and deliver a hit. Being a bigger cornerback, teams will want to see a physical mindset, not one that shies from contact.
• He stays physical in coverage downfield, which helps him get into great position to make an interception, but the NFL is strict on contact, and he might take a while to adjust to that.
• Prone to wandering in underneath zone coverage when a receiver isn’t in the immediate area. He’ll have to stay discipline or attack the line of scrimmage instead of wandering, because the field can become 11 on 10 if he takes himself out of the play.
• Lets the receiver get a clean release off the line of scrimmage too often. He will need to use his arm length to jam initially and then use his athleticism to smother his man downfield. The potential is there, but now he has to refine his press technique.
• His hands are poor, dropping at least three interceptions that hit him in the hands in 2013.

 

 

Collegiate Statistics

Collegiate Statistics Year Team Tackles PD INT 2009 Rice 31 3 0 2010 Rice 64 6 0 2011 Rice 11 2 0 2012 Rice 33 18 0 2013 Rice 36 9 4

http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/phillip-gaines-1.html

 

Personal Notes

• First Team All-CUSA cornerback in 2013
• Suspended for 2013 season opener after being arrested for having illicit drugs in his possession, according to the Houston Chronicle. 
• Graduating with a degree in economics.
• Former 2-star recruit from Converse, Texas.

 

Ratings Chart

Graph made by http://nces.ed.gov

Overall

Gaines is a sneaky-good athlete that shows solid intelligence on the field as well. Most hadn’t heard of him before his explosive NFL combine performance, but he’s been a shutdown cornerback in back-to-back seasons at Rice. I think in a zone or off-man scheme he can be a great cornerback.

[BroadwayJoe12]

Give me Stanley Jean-Baptiste outta Nebraska in the 3rd or 4th rounds and call it a day. Following the Richard Sherman role of converted WRs, he's got the size and physicality you look for, as well as the ball skills and tenacity in run support.  Straight line speed isn't elite, but enough to play at the next level. If we don't go corner in the first round with Gilbert or Dennard, this is the guy I'd like to draft. 

 

 

[Lupz27]

I think the Jets might trade up in the 2nd to grab Roby, think the whole organization is high on him.

[Greenseed4]

Roby is the sh*t. 

 

If we draft Mike Evans (trade up to secure him in the first), and draft Bradley Roby (trade up to get him in the second), we can pack it up and call it a draft.  We don't need anybody else to be contenders. 

[Ghost]

I'm sick of taking CBs in round 1. The more I hear we need a CB, the more I hate Kyle Wilson.

[T0mShane]

You can never burn too many resources on have too many corners.

[CrazyCarl40]

Roby is the sh*t.

If we draft Mike Evans (trade up to secure him in the first), and draft Bradley Roby (trade up to get him in the second), we can pack it up and call it a draft. We don't need anybody else to be contenders.

Except a quarterback. But, ya know.

I do agree Evans would be great, though.

[j4jets]

all the corners are gone, and the off season is over

 

No kidding, its the 2015 off season already. So technically, FA is about to start again.

[derp]

The article in the OP mentions that if Gilbert is on the board at 18, the Jets would likely draf thim and make him their #1 corner. Why would they make a rookie drafted 18th overall at one of the hardest positions to step into the NFL and play well their #1 corner over a second year player drafted 9th overall who came on very strong towards the end of the season. Idzik must view Milliner as the long term #1 corner - which is probably part of why he was reluctant to invest big dollars in a #1 corner this year in FA. 

 

That's also why I think they wait until somewhere in the 2nd-4th round range to draft a corner - they need a #2, not a #1. Seems like they like Walls, who has some starting experience. And in Seattle, they didn't invest a ton in corners and found some great ones because they got scheme fits. So they can draft somebody with one of those 5 selections, have a competition for that #2 starting spot, and increase depth while having guys who can play on specials. Think that's just the new way here.