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The 2016 NFL Draft class is filled with plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball. The current group of prospects at cornerback is no different with more than a handful of players projected to be selected in the first two rounds. The top-rated talent at the position is former Florida standout Vernon Hargreaves III, who was a game-changer in his three collegiate seasons while playing in the SEC.
CB Vernon Hargreaves III Height: 5’10” Weight: 204 lbs.
Following an extremely successful high school career, Hargreaves was deemed the top cornerback in the nation and second-best player overall. He continued that trend as a true freshman for Florida starting the final 10 games of the season recording 38 tackles and three interceptions that helped him earn First-Team All-SEC honors at cornerback.
Hargreaves ranked second in the SEC in passes defended (1.17 per game) and tied for seventh in the league in interceptions (three). His 11 pass breakups tied for the most by a true freshman in school history with former Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins. In his second season, Hargreaves led the team and ranked first in the SEC with 13 pass breakups, while also adding three interceptions. This helped him be named to First-Team All-American selection and First-Team All-SEC for a second straight year.
In his final season at Florida, Hargreaves took a minor step back in terms of production. He started 13 games and missed just one due to injury, while racking up 33 tackles and tying for the team lead with four interceptions. His play earned him a third straight First-Team All-Sec nod and a Consensus All-American selection.
| Year |
School |
Conf |
Class |
Pos |
G |
Solo |
Ast |
Tot |
Loss |
Sk |
Int |
Yds |
Avg |
TD |
PD |
FR |
Yds |
TD |
FF |
| 2013 |
Florida |
SEC |
FR |
DB |
12 |
26 |
12 |
38 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
3 |
39 |
13.0 |
0 |
10 |
0 |
|
|
0 |
| 2014 |
Florida |
SEC |
SO |
DB |
12 |
31 |
19 |
50 |
2.0 |
0.0 |
3 |
0 |
0.0 |
0 |
13 |
2 |
|
|
0 |
| 2015 |
Florida |
SEC |
JR |
DB |
12 |
24 |
9 |
33 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
4 |
152 |
38.0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
|
|
1 |
| Career |
Florida |
|
|
|
|
81 |
40 |
121 |
3.0 |
0.0 |
10 |
191 |
19.1 |
0 |
27 |
2 |
|
|
1 |
Awards and Honor
Hargreaves was selected three times to the First-Team All-SEC (2013, 2014, 2015), once to First-Team All-American (2014), and was a consensus All-American (2015). He was also selected as a Third Team All-American by the Associated Press (2013), Freshman All-SEC team (2013) and the National Defensive Freshman of the Year by College Football News (2013).
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Strengths: Hargreaves is a phenomenal athlete that uses his background of track and field to his advantage with his quickness and explosiveness. He displayed great body control and technique when playing man coverage and can be effective in either press or zone coverage. His ability to seamlessly change direction in coverage helps him stay on the hip of the receiver and constantly puts himself in good position to defend passes thrown his way. Hargreaves has great instincts with soft hands that help contribute to his great ball skills. He also demonstrates solid open-field tackling technique while being effective against the run and when blitzing from his position.
Weaknesses: Hargreaves doesn’t possess the ideal size for the position that could lead to trouble defending taller receivers at the next level. He’s a strong decision maker but his aggressive style of play can often result in him being fooled by the double move. He sometimes makes the mistake of taking a poor tackling angle, which leads to broken tackles and big plays by opposing wide receivers. Hargreaves has the tendency of focusing too much on the backfield that at times puts him out of position in coverage.
Projections: First round
NFL Comparison: Joe Haden
NFL team fit: Los Angeles Rams, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, New York Jets
Source: NFL.com, ESPN.com
Bob Garcia IV is a sports journalist from Southern California. He is also the Los Angeles Lakers beat writer for Sportsoutwest.com and About.com. He was a reporter for the award-winning newspaper, The Daily Sundial, at California State University, Northridge. You can follow him on Twitter, @Bgarcia90.
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The 2016 NFL Draft class is filled with plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball. The current group of prospects at cornerback is no different with more than a handful of players projected to be selected in the first two rounds. The top-rated talent at the position is former Florida standout Vernon Hargreaves III, who was a game-changer in his three collegiate seasons while playing in the SEC.
CB Vernon Hargreaves III Height: 5’10” Weight: 204 lbs.
Following an extremely successful high school career, Hargreaves was deemed the top cornerback in the nation and second-best player overall. He continued that trend as a true freshman for Florida starting the final 10 games of the season recording 38 tackles and three interceptions that helped him earn First-Team All-SEC honors at cornerback.
Hargreaves ranked second in the SEC in passes defended (1.17 per game) and tied for seventh in the league in interceptions (three). His 11 pass breakups tied for the most by a true freshman in school history with former Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins. In his second season, Hargreaves led the team and ranked first in the SEC with 13 pass breakups, while also adding three interceptions. This helped him be named to First-Team All-American selection and First-Team All-SEC for a second straight year.
In his final season at Florida, Hargreaves took a minor step back in terms of production. He started 13 games and missed just one due to injury, while racking up 33 tackles and tying for the team lead with four interceptions. His play earned him a third straight First-Team All-Sec nod and a Consensus All-American selection.
Awards and Honor
Hargreaves was selected three times to the First-Team All-SEC (2013, 2014, 2015), once to First-Team All-American (2014), and was a consensus All-American (2015). He was also selected as a Third Team All-American by the Associated Press (2013), Freshman All-SEC team (2013) and the National Defensive Freshman of the Year by College Football News (2013).
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Strengths: Hargreaves is a phenomenal athlete that uses his background of track and field to his advantage with his quickness and explosiveness. He displayed great body control and technique when playing man coverage and can be effective in either press or zone coverage. His ability to seamlessly change direction in coverage helps him stay on the hip of the receiver and constantly puts himself in good position to defend passes thrown his way. Hargreaves has great instincts with soft hands that help contribute to his great ball skills. He also demonstrates solid open-field tackling technique while being effective against the run and when blitzing from his position.
Weaknesses: Hargreaves doesn’t possess the ideal size for the position that could lead to trouble defending taller receivers at the next level. He’s a strong decision maker but his aggressive style of play can often result in him being fooled by the double move. He sometimes makes the mistake of taking a poor tackling angle, which leads to broken tackles and big plays by opposing wide receivers. Hargreaves has the tendency of focusing too much on the backfield that at times puts him out of position in coverage.
Projections: First round
NFL Comparison: Joe Haden
NFL team fit: Los Angeles Rams, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, New York Jets
Source: NFL.com, ESPN.com
Bob Garcia IV is a sports journalist from Southern California. He is also the Los Angeles Lakers beat writer for Sportsoutwest.com and About.com. He was a reporter for the award-winning newspaper, The Daily Sundial, at California State University, Northridge. You can follow him on Twitter, @Bgarcia90.
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