Darnay Holmes NFL Draft 2020: Scouting Report for New York Giants' Pick

CB Darnay Holmes, UCLA

STRENGTHS

—Athletic, easy-moving cornerback with some highlight-reel plays in the Pac-12 over the last two seasons.

—Stocky player who can hang in press coverage and doesn't get pushed around in the slot.

—Burner who can keep pace with downfield threats; won't get run past by many NFL receivers. 

—Feisty; will pop up in the run game and will fight for position on contested catches.

—Gives his all and plays with a ton of heart in pursuit, at the line of scrimmage or when fighting for positioning on a route.

—Impressed during Senior Bowl week.

WEAKNESSES

—29½" arm length is a killer for a cornerback prospect.

—Gave up a high number of touchdowns on tape and was abused by bigger receivers in the red zone because of his limited size, length and vertical skills.

—Inconsistent press technique and footwork that is downright awkward at times when he's asked to turn and react to the initial burst.

—Gets too aggressive in coverage, which results in him having to play catch-up on breaking routes.

—When his timing on the route is off, his tape isn't NFL-caliber; must learn to play the man throughout the route and not always be baited to the ball.

OVERALL

Holmes has tape that looks like a first-rounder, but he has issues with consistency and a lack of size. Many teams will look at a 5'10" cornerback with sub-30" arm length and immediately pass on him, but he has enough agility and speed to develop into a CB4 in sub-packages and an ace special teams player.

GRADE: 64

PRO COMPARISON: Darqueze Dennard/Parry Nickerson