Overview
Position: Cornerback
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 191 pounds
School: Ohio State Buckeyes
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.32 seconds (tied for best at 2018 Combine)
Bench press: 16 reps
Vertical jump: 39 inches
Broad jump: 11 feet, 4 inches (best at 2018 Combine)
Denzel Ward 2018 NFL Draft Profile
Over the past four seasons, Ohio State is in some pretty elite company when it comes to producing NFL caliber talent. 30 former Buckeyes have been drafted in that time, second among college programs to only Alabama. Taking it a step further, no school has ever seen four of its cornerbacks go in the first round over a three-year span. But Denzel Ward has a chance to make that a reality with former Buckeye corners Eli Apple (New York Giants), Marshon Lattimore (New Orleans Saints) and Gareon Conley (Oakland Raiders) getting picked 10th, 11th and 24th overall during the past two drafts.
247Sports’ seventh-ranked prospect out of the state of Ohio in 2015, Ward committed to the Buckeyes in the summer before his senior year of high school. He then played a key role in Nordonia High making the Division II state title game with nine interceptions and 18 pass breakups that season. It led to him earning Cleveland.com’s high school defensive player of the year.
Ward saw action in 11 games as a true freshman but didn’t figure prominently on the stat sheet, registering just seven tackles. That all changed a year later as he appeared in all 13 games and racked up nine pass breakups, tied for the team lead with Lattimore and one ahead of Conley. With those two having departed for the pros in 2017, Ward had an opportunity to come into his own.
And that’s exactly what he did. Ward started the season off with a bang when he intercepted a pass and broke up five passes against Indiana. His 15 on the year ranked third in the Big Ten and top 10 nationally. He also added two interceptions en route to AP First-Team All-American accolades and First-Team all-conference recognition by the media.
Strengths
- able to mirror target with an excellent combination of footwork and fluid hips;
- confident and aggressive in press coverage;
- thinks on his feet with incendiary reactive athleticism;
- an instinctual player who reads and reacts to play tendencies;
- solid recover burst to turn and close vertically;
- a “don’t let his size fool you” kind of player with respect to laying big hits;
- has tremendous value as a slot corner in sub packages;
- relentless, high motor competitor;
- made game-changing punt block that precipitated a comeback win against Penn State.
Weaknesses
- a tad undersized with a somewhat lean frame;
- might not have the length to neutralize wide catch radius receiving targets;
- could do a better job jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage;
- tends to bat down interceptable balls;
- surrenders too many yards after contact when tackling;
- can get bullied when trying to shed downfield blockers;
- wasn’t particularly effective as a playmaker in the backfield.
NFL Comparison: Terence Newman
Teams With Need at Position: Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins
Projection: Early first round
Bottom Line
The latest in a recent string of pro-ready corners to come out of OSU, Ward is a plug and play starter for teams in need of immediate help in the secondary. Though his diminutive frame and play strength issues might preclude him from getting too many reps at boundary corner as a rookie, he’s a potential instant impact player in the slot. He’s as naturally athletic a corner prospect as there is this year and his game tape and Combine measurables are a testament to that fact. Add in his read/react instincts and unique coverage skills and you have a player whose name will be off the board early on day one of the draft.
