Austin Ward: Cam Brown will be All-Big Ten pick for Ohio State
There’s nothing simple about replacing two first-round draft picks at cornerback, but the Buckeyes have the personnel to make it look relatively easy. Both Sevyn Banks and Cameron Brown have had a couple years to develop behind the previous superstars in the Ohio State secondary, and both are bursting with athleticism. Brown, in particular, brings high-end speed to the position, and that pushes him slightly ahead in my mind as the leader for an outside role this season. Assuming opposing quarterbacks don’t want to throw on Shaun Wade too often, Brown should be in line to get his hands on a number of footballs, which will boost him into consideration for awards like an All-Big Ten selection.
If Brown and Banks can be what the Buckeyes want them to be, new Ohio State defensive coordinator and secondary coach Kerry Coombs could go back to what he did a few years ago and employ a three-man rotation at cornerback, giving Brown equal opportunities to cover the best receivers in the Big Ten.
“We’re going to be fast,” Coombs said earlier this offseason. “We’re going to be able to cover the field, we’re going to be able to cover the receivers, we’re going to be active in the game, so I’m excited about the full range.”
Wade is a long cornerback who thrived in the slot. Banks has put muscle on to become a bigger body on the outside. And Brown is the former wide receiver with great ball skills and an ability to cover elite wide receivers. Together, they’ll form a dangerous trio of cornerbacks that quarterbacks shouldn’t want to throw into.
Brown has a chance to show his development in the secondary is finally complete, ready for huge moments on a top-ranked defense and ready for a potential draft pick when he decides to leave Ohio State for the NFL.
Every starting cornerback at Ohio State since 2013 has been drafted. Cameron Brown could be next.
“We’re in great shape,” Brown said. “I think we’ll be real good. … We’ve got guys who have come in who can do great jobs. We just haven’t really shown it because those three were so great. But we’ve got young guys who are ready to play.”
The rotation of Wade, Brown and Banks could follow in the lines of the great CB rotations of the most recent past for OSU. There just has to be consistency with Brown and Banks, and we have yet to see that because of their limited PT. All 3 have great size and similar builds(6'-6'1 200lbs). A big wildcard that could put this CB crew as a whole over the top, is if they can get some quality depth from Tyreke Johnson
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