Cam Taylor-Britt NFL Draft Overview
Position: Cornerback
Height: 5′-11″
Weight: 196 pounds
School: Nebraska
Cam Taylor-Britt NFL Draft Profile
After spending the past four years at Nebraska, cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt has decided to skip his final year of eligibility and declare for the 2022 NFL Draft. Taylor-Britt is coming off the best season of his collegiate career, allowing just 35 completions on 66 targets for 351 yards, three touchdowns, and one interceptions.
Taylor-Britt originally joined the collegiate football ranks as a three-star recruit. Signing with Nebraska, the Alabama native began his career as a safety before transitioning to cornerback at the tail end of the 2019 campaign. 2020 was his first full season as a cornerback, and he allowed 24 completions on 38 targets for 262 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Strengths
- Versatile athlete with starting experience at safety, slot and outside cornerback;
- Great acceleration and straight-line speed to break on the ball;
- Tackles like a safety – makes receivers pay whenever they haul in a pass;
- Physical presence translates well to the run game;
- Holds his own in contested situation with physicality to win positioning for jump balls.
Weaknesses
- Aggressive playstyle is a double-edged sword – overpursues routes and can get out of position;
- Mostly played zone in college, but profiles as a better man corner;
- Susceptible to double moves;
- Stares down the quarterback and loses focus on his assignment;
- Misses more tackles than you’d expect from such a hard hitter.
NFL Comparison: Bradley Roby
Teams With Need at Position: Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings
Projection: Rounds 2-3
Bottom Line on Cam Taylor-Britt
Cam Taylor-Britt has the physical tools and tape to develop into a starter in the NFL with the right coaching. Taylor-Britt’s biggest draw is his versatility, as he played safety as a redshirt freshman before moving to cornerback for his final two years. While he most of his time lined up out wide, he has the lateral agility to play in the slot and could be a nice chess piece for a creative defensive mind.
Taylor-Britt has the speed and burst to match opposing receivers and the size and strength to punish them whenever they make the mistake of catching a pass. The Nebraska product is great in contested situations, and he can deliver a punishing hit in the open field. He’s also always looking to make a big play, which is simultaneously a good and bad thing.
Cornerbacks need to trust their instincts, but Taylor-Britt takes it a little too far. The Alabama native will jump any time he believes the ball is coming out, and that aggressive style of play can lead to big gains whenever he guesses incorrectly. It didn’t help that he mostly played off zone, a coverage which relies on not making these types of mistakes. If he lands in a man-heavy scheme where his sole job is to follow a receiver around the field, then these types of mistakes should be less prevalent, although he’ll still need to learn how to react to a double move.
Ultimately, Taylor-Britt’s versatility should earn him a job as a depth piece in the defense right out of the gate. However, if the coaching staff is able to teach Taylor-Britt to stop jumping at everything he sees, then he could develop into an above-average starter in a year or two.
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