Asante Samuel Jr. NFL Draft 2021: Scouting Report for Los Angeles Chargers CB

HEIGHT: 5'10⅛"

WEIGHT: 180

POSITIVES:

— Smooth and agile athlete with fluid backpedal and hip swivel.

— Smart player with a high football IQ. Understands and plays well in zones.

— Great speed to stay on top of receivers.

— Plays with positioning and leverage.

— Good job getting his hands on receivers in press coverage.

— Ball skills and awareness downfield.

NEGATIVES

— Slightly below-average length.

— Though scrappy, struggles to hold up against larger blockers.

— Can get boxed out for position by bigger receivers.

    

2020 STATISTICS

30 tackles, 3 INT, 6 PBU, 2 FR, 1 FF

NOTES

— Father is Asante Samuel, who played in the NFL for 11 seasons.

OVERALL

Asante Samuel Jr. is a technician who shows his full understanding of the defense and his position. He has shown to have the elite speed and quickness to compete right away at the next level. Although his lack of size and length has caused problems for himself at times, he has shown the ball skills to attack the reception point. When playing the ball, he has shown to possess good ball skills.

Samuel fights in the run game to not only defeat blocks and keep leverage but to also take the legs out from under ball-carriers. Will continue to develop as an outside cornerback but could also move into the slot. With his skill set, he has shown to be among the top cornerbacks in the draft.

GRADE: 7.8/10 (Immediate NFL Starter, Round 2)

OVERALL RANK: 44/300

POSITION RANK: CB5

PRO COMPARISON: Chris Harris

Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings