Essang Bassey Overview
Position: Cornerback
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 191 pounds
School: Wake Forest
NFL Combine Performance Data
40 Yard Dash: 4.46 seconds (unofficial)
Bench Press: 12 reps
Vertical Jump: 39.5″
Broad Jump: 128.0″
3 Cone Drill: 6.95 seconds
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.13 seconds
Essang Bassey 2020 NFL Draft Profile
When looking at the roster for the 2020 NFL Draft, many analyst’s eyes will be glued to the big-name guys, such as Chase Young, Isaiah Simmons, and Jeffrey Okudah. With that being said, many talented prospects fly under the radar prior to the draft, hoping to have a team take a chance on them with little information or analysis about them being available to organizations. One such prospect in this predicament is Wake Forest cornerback Essang Bassey.
Coming out of high school as a three-star recruit in 2015, Bassey had interest from around 15 schools before he eventually decided to sign with Wake Forest later in the year. Bassey turned down schools like Wofford, Georgia State, and Air Force to sign with the Demon Deacons, where he was named a team captain in 2019. Bassey started the final 36 games of his four-year career with Wake Forest, finishing their 2019 campaign with 60 tackles, 11 passes defended, and one interception. He also added to those stats by accounting for 2.5 tackles for loss and one fumble recovery.
Bassey earned 3rd team All-ACC in 2019, 2nd team All-ACC in 2018, and All-ACC honorable mention in 2017, filling up his list of impressive achievements. Bassey also ranked second in passes defended in the ACC with 19 in 2017. While Bassey was a bit undersized for his position, he proved that he could hold his own in the ACC, which is a conference oozing with cornerback talent.
Strengths
- Bassey will impress team with his ball skills, which are likely his best trait;
- Bassey possesses exceptional acceleration and flexibility, allowing himself to go stride-for-stride with speedy receivers;
- The senior out of Wake Forest possesses some really good footwork, which is another valuable asset;
- On tape, Bassey displays pretty good zone awareness and has a natural feel for the route a receiver is running;
- Bassey often times positions himself to make plays, staying connected to his man at the line of scrimmage.
Weaknesses
- At the pro-level, Bassey will often find himself being shrugged off by bigger, more physical receivers due to his build;
- With his frame being smaller than many other cornerbacks, he will struggle to cut-off tight throwing windows;
- One thing many scouts have said about Bassey is his poor ability to tackle receivers alone. At times, he can often seem like a weak tackler, since he appears to be reluctant to tackle opposing players;
- Due to his small stature, Bassey will need to improve his contact power and ability to re-direct with his hands;
- When playing on the line of scrimmage, Bassey must better develop his technique in this area and trust his scheme.
NFL Comparison: Jason Verrett
Teams with need at position: Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins
Projection: Early 5th – Late 6th
Bottom Line on Essang Bassey
While Bassey may not have the physical gifts that many other cornerbacks are born with, he certainly has the speed and agility to match up well with receivers in certain situations. The biggest worry with Bassey is his tackling ability. At times, Bassey tends to concede to a lazy form of tackling and is viewed as a low-quality tackler. If he can improve on that area of his game, Bassey has the chance to make a team very happy.
More than likely, Bassey won’t ever find himself in the role of a starter on a high-caliber NFL team. With that being said, it doesn’t mean he can’t find a spot on a roster somewhere. Bassey possesses enough skill and football IQ to potentially turn himself into a solid backup/rotational player in the future. If a cornerback-needy team finds themselves in a tight pinch for help at that position late in the draft, they shouldn’t be afraid to pull the trigger on Bassey.
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