Green Bay Packers: Pre-combine seven-round mock draft
Fifth round (5-36): CB Marquez White, Florida State
Running back isn’t the only position of depth in this year’s draft considering the multitude of talented cornerbacks that could be had as late as Day 3.
Those that have been following the Packers for a while will surely remember Ron Wolf’s decision to select three cornerbacks in the first three rounds back in 1999 in an effort to stop young Vikings’ receiver Randy Moss.
Don’t be surprised to see Ted Thompson pull off something similar this year by tripling down on corners.
In terms of experience, White has only two years under his belt as a full-time starting cornerback in Tallahassee, but the former basketball player presents many traits that could translate into a successful career at the next level.
The 22-year-old is blessed with size, length and speed at 6-feet, 191 pounds with 32-inch arms and a solid (pre-combine) 4.49 40 time.
In addition, the Alabama native has transferred his superior footwork from the hardwood onto the gridiron by consistently staying close to receivers in off-coverage and putting himself in position to close in on passes with great timing.
It didn’t take White long to demonstrate his instincts to read plays, but the opposition’s reluctance to throw in his direction is the primary reason why this ACC phenom only wound up with four career interceptions.
The two weaknesses that have plagued White are his proneness to pass-interference calls when he locks in on his man instead of playing the ball and missed tackles in run support.
Senior Bowl week was a success for White, who applied tight coverage throughout the event and, more importantly, didn’t fall for a lot of start-and-stop variety double moves that his opponents were trying to put on him (see battles with Artavis White).
Overall, this promising defender will need to pack on more muscle to avoid bouncing off ball carriers.
The concern with White isn’t whether he can put himself in the best position to get to the ball, it’s whether he can take down his man once he gets there.