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CB Denzel 'Hurt! My! Feelings!' Ward (All B1G, All-American, Pro Bowl, Cleveland Browns)

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MililaniBuckeye said:
Mike Mayock shows again why he's a complete idiot:

Mike Mayock's takeaways from Day 4 of NFL Scouting Combine


Hey dipshit, ask Taivon Jacobs how slight Denzel is...
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The only question about him is how light and lean he is," NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said, referring to Ward's 5-foot-10, 191-pound frame. "He tackles. I'm not questioning his physicality, just potential durability over time. But I think he's going to be a Top 10 pick more than a top 15 pick. But a lot of that depends on how many quarterbacks go early."
 
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jwinslow said:
The only question about him is how light and lean he is," NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said, referring to Ward's 5-foot-10, 191-pound frame. "He tackles. I'm not questioning his physicality, just potential durability over time. But I think he's going to be a Top 10 pick more than a top 15 pick. But a lot of that depends on how many quarterbacks go early."
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bucknut502 said:
Mayock said that defending his position as having Ward as the top CB when Deion disagreed with it. It almost sounded like Mayock was saying, “if I have to find a negative, it’s...” Mayock loves Denzel.

And fwiw, the NFL Network had him listed at 183.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall any issues with Denzel being hurt, with his durability, or his ability to lay the lumber when needed. By the way, NFL's official site still has him listed at 191: Denzel Ward

Sorry, but his comment about Denzel being "slight" was simply moronic.
 
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MililaniBuckeye said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall any issues with Denzel being hurt, with his durability, or his ability to lay the lumber when needed. By the way, NFL's official site still has him listed at 191: Denzel Ward

Sorry, but his comment about Denzel being "slight" was simply moronic.
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Again, it was as though Mayock had to fish for a flaw. Right before he said that Deion was saying he didn’t have Ward as the top corner. I don’t think Mayock really thinks it’s an issue or he wouldn’t have Denzel as the top CB in the draft.


http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-combi...zel-Ward-runs-an-unofficial-4-32-40-yard-dash
 
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MililaniBuckeye said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall any issues with Denzel being hurt, with his durability, or his ability to lay the lumber when needed. By the way, NFL's official site still has him listed at 191: Denzel Ward

Sorry, but his comment about Denzel being "slight" was simply moronic.
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I'm not sure why you're arguing about physicality. He agrees with you there.

He's definitely a slight guy. If he's asked to bang against big #1s every week who are built like Cobbs but can fly also, how will he hold up over a 16 game season? (plus preseason plus hopefully some playoffs)

Mayock said he tackles, he's physical, can fly, can cover, and is a top 10 pick depending on QBs. If his build can't be listed as a concern then we've entered a pretty sensitive zone.
 
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Buckeye513 said:
"Slight" is relative. Darius Slay, Casey Hayward, A.J. Bouye, and Marshon Lattimore are all around 6'0 190. I'm sure Denzel will be fine.

Ideally you'd want all of your top corners to look like Jalen Ramsey or Patrick Peterson, but very few of those guys exist.
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he's the exact media height and weight of an NFL corner. I think it would have been overstated if it were listed as a red flag instead of merely a concern.
 
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Here's a pretty solid and more exhaustive scouting report on Denzel which references some strength concerns

From NFL N, before the combine

Strengths
Supreme athletic ability. Expected to be impressive Combine tester. Can park in a deep squat under wide receiver's chin at the line. Patient from press showing no panic or hurry in initial movements. Can pedal and mirror for a long time without opening hips. Tremendously gifted footwork. Mirrors and matches with good balance throughout the route. Matches changing route speed stride for stride. Plays from low side of route to take away comebacks. Uses big burst for recovery and closeouts. Carries true long speed down the field. Reads clues from off-man. Reads slants and drives in front of the route in search of an interception. Allowed just over 32 percent completions over last two years. Ballhawk with sudden hands to attack the throw. Bats throws down and will swirl arms around the catch point to prevent target from finishing the catch.

Weaknesses
Frame is somewhat slight and he feels small in coverage at times. Lacks play strength to jam and disrupt. Appears to avoid route contact so he doesn't upset coverage balance. Physical receivers can body him around at the top of the route. Needs to turn and find football sooner with back to the ball. Always around the throw, but lack of size and length shows up with "just misses" in pass defense. Several pass breakups came on throws with poor placement. Coverage benefitted from deep, talented rush unit up front. Has issues disengaging from big blocking receivers. Big backs drag him for a ride in run support.

Draft Projection
Round 1

NFL Comparison
Chris Harris Jr.

Bottom Line
Ward has the experience and talent to handle duties on the outside, but his lack of play strength combined with his elite footwork might be the deciding factor for a move inside. Ward is outstanding as a mirror-and-match cornerback with great route feel who is able to maintain tight coverage around the field with good technique and pattern recognition. He should become an early starter at nickel cornerback with the talent to make an immediate impact for a defense that faces a pass-happy division foe twice per year
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GREG SCHIANO SAW NFL-CALIBER TALENT IN DENZEL WARD WHEN HE ARRIVED AT OHIO STATE

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The first round of the NFL draft is just three days away, and Ohio State is expected once again to send a cornerback into the first round.

Denzel Ward is expected to be the latest in a long line of Buckeye corners to be selected in the first round, carrying on a tradition started by now-former cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs.

Starting with the 2014 draft, Ohio State has had a corner taken in the first round every year with the exception of the 2015 draft. Bradley Roby was off the board with the 31st pick in 2014, before Eli Apple (No. 10, 2016), Marshon Lattimore (No. 11, 2017) and Gareon Conley (No. 24, 2017) followed suit.

A former NFL head coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano arrived in Columbus in 2016 when Ward was just a sophomore. While Ward didn't come to Ohio State with much hype, as the No. 270 overall recruit in the country according to 247Sports, Schiano said he saw elite talent in him almost immediately.

"I remember when I first arrived, I guess that first spring, he really performed at a high level. I really thought the world of his performance. And then remember he hurt his wrist. I don’t think people realize, that was a significant thing and he played through it the entire year," Schiano said. "Then last year, I think he developed into an established starter who played at a very high level. He’s really a very, very good NFL prospect. He’ll be a very good corner in the NFL."

During his junior year, Ward broke up 15 passes, collected a pair of interceptions and was named first team All-Big Ten by the media in 2017. He is expected to be a top-10 pick come Thursday night, but there is one knock on Ward that could impact where he ultimately is selected.

At 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds, Ward is viewed as slightly undersized for his position. Schiano, however, said Ward does enough things well that most NFL teams will be able to work around his lack of size.

"Everybody’s a little different. When you’re talking about Denzel, so maybe he’s a half-an-inch short. Okay, I get that. If he’s 5’8”, that’s a different story. People say, ‘Why?’ Well, when balls get caught by that much and they’re a touchdown, that’s how seasons are decided," Schiano said. "So every inch counts, but I think you have to take into account his ability to track the ball, ability to jump, his arm length, all of those things because they’re not cookie-cutter."

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...-ward-when-he-arrived-on-campus-at-ohio-state
 
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