2014 NFL Mock Draft: The Ultimate 8 Part 3 (21-28)

November 3, 2012; Morgantown, WV, USA; TCU Horned Frogs cornerback Jason Verrett (2) runs with the ball after intercepting a pass from West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith (not pictured) during the second quarter at Milan Puskar Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Overall Player Evaluation
For the TCU Horned Frogs this season, Jason Verrett and his dreaded locks have helped the Horned Frogs to be ranked in the top-55 in the nation with only 25.3 points per game. After spending a year at community college, Verrett transferred to TCU and earned the starting gig right away as a sophomore. During said sophomore season, Verrett was as productive a defensive back as any in the nation, recording 58 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and four passes defended, having multiple games of six tackles against San Diego State, Portland State, Wyoming and even University of Louisiana-Monroe. The very next season Verrett had the most productive season of his collegiate career, registering 63 total tackles, four of them for loss, six interceptions and 16 total passes defended (ranked second in the nation for passes defended per game). At the end of the season, Verrett was able to earn nominations to the first, second and third team All-America by Sports Illustrated, Walter Camp and the Associated Press, respectively, and recorded a huge 12-tackle performance against Michigan State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.

In Verrett’s last season as a Horned Frog, he admittedly wasn’t as dominant as he was his junior season, however considering that he only played 11 games in 2013, Verrett did pretty well. As a senior, Verrett was able to defend 14 total passes, intercept two, record 39 total tackles (31 of them solo) and 3.5 tackles for loss. According to Texas Christian, Verrett was named by the conference coaches Co-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, nominated to first-team All-America by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, second-team All-America by the AP, USA Today and Football Writers Association of America, first-team All-Big 12, Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist and a Lott IMPACT Trophy quarterfinalist. All in all Verrett even with a decreased tackles per game count was still a force to be reckoned with in the Big 12. Where Verrett stands out from all the rest of the draft options is in his ability to perform in big games against big receivers. For example against Baylor, Texas Tech and LSU, Verrett was able to stop his assignments to one or two receptions all game.

Where Verrett is such an awesome defensive corner is in his ball skills and shut down corner abilities. While the Rodriguez High grad may be only 5’10”, 176, he is still a very skilled corner. In the NFL corners have the responsibility to both cover their man and also help out on run coverage. Verrett can do both, but because he is not a very physical corner, he is much better at covering receivers and attacking the pass than he is at tackling and hitting ball carriers with force. If the Chargers are looking for a corner who can really put a whallop on receivers, then Verrett is not the right guy, however with his full range of motion and aggressiveness towards any pass thrown his way, Verrett is exactly what the Chargers and their 29th ranked passing defense need right now. Verrett showed in 2013 that he has the instincts to make it in the NFL; he’s got quick reaction time, lightning quick speed (4.49 40-yard dash time) and great hands to knock NFL quality passes down out of the hands of NFL quality receivers.

Film Analysis vs. Louisiana State (brought to you by draftbreakdown.com)
Setting: September 4th, 2013. Cowboy Classic @ AT&T Stadium, Dallas, Texas.

Right off the bat (or snap, rather) Verrett wasn’t targeted very much in the passing game, seeing as though Zach Mettenberger wasn’t passing the ball his way. Primarily throughout the first quarter, Verrett proved to be a presence with the run game, coming in from the corner position to stop backs before they were able to get to the second level. At 10:05 in the first, Verrett perhaps made the play of the night (thus far) with a clutch run stop of the LSU back in the open to safe the Horned Frogs from a for-sure touchdown. On second-down-and-goal of that same dive, Verrett was able to get this hand in and stop a Mettenberger pass from getting to the LSU receiver’s hands. In the second quarter, Verrett really turned on the beast mode when with 7:56 left, first showing press coverage and then rushing around the right side and sacking LSU QB Zach Mettenberger for a huge loss on a designed corner blitz.

Where Verrett really looked good was in his ability to stop the run. Although he may not be as strong as other corners or safeties in this draft, he really showed he could hold steadfast and illustrate proper tackling technique. Only part where Verrett showed a bit of weakness was during the closing seconds of the second quarter when he was flagged for defensive pass interference on a ball that was obviously batted away before it reached the LSU receiver. On a pass thrown deep in the third quarter, Verrett was able to make a great play, jumping up and making a great play even when it seemed like the LSU receiver would have been able to get a hand on it. Had he had a little bit more time and better a handle on the ball, Verrett would have had an interception for sure.

A common theme throughout the game was Verrett’s blitzing potential. Many times Verrett would fake coverage and go and blitz (unguarded) and then tackle the ball carrier. Sometimes tackles were able to shake off Verrett with a truck move, but for the most part, Verrett was able to show great tackling ability and form the entire game. For the Chargers, Verrett’s appeal here is not necessarily as a hard hitter or tackler, but rather for his ability to be somewhat physical with receivers and prevent receivers and quarterbacks from hooking up on easy pass plays.

Why He Fits in with the Chargers
Under new  Head Coach Mike McCoy many were expecting big things, however after going 5-7, many thought the Chargers hopes for a playoff spot were all but dashed. But, in typical San Diego fashion, the Chargers were able to win four of their next four games in order to make it to the playoffs as the last wildcard team. With that in mind, one of the major problems for this Chargers team has been their defense, more specifically their passing defense. In 2013, the Chargers passing defense was ranked 4th-worst in the NFL, allowing an average of 258.7 passing yards per game along with 23 passing touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks. This off-season the Chargers definitely need to concentrate on getting a good and reliable corner back to help with their weak passing offense. Perhaps if the Chargers brought in Verrett they could actually stop QBs from running up the score…or actually winning.