FanPost

The Parcells Cornerback Prototype

All the talks going on around here about cornberbacks got the hamster wheel in my brain turning.   We know the general prototype for a Parcells player.  Big, strong, and fast.  But what kind of CBs does he really look for?  I decided to look at all the corners he has drafted over his ~post Giants~ career (ie after 1990)- and try and come up with some kind of a "prototype" that can help focus which corners in the draft and free agency he may be interested in.

First- here is the breakdown:

 

Year Team Name Height Weight Round
2006 Cowboys None
2005 Cowboys None
2004 Cowboys Bruce Thornton 5'-10" 192 4
2004 Cowboys Nate Jones 5'-10" 185 7
2004 Cowboys Jacques Reeves 5'-11" 188 7
2003 Cowboys Terrance Newman 5'-11" 190 1
2003 Cowboys BJ Tucker 5'-10" 188 6
1999 Jets Jermaine Jones 5'-08" 180 5
1998 Jets None
1997 Jets Raymond Austin 5'-11" 190 5
1996 Pats None
1995 Pats Ty Law 5'-11" 200 1
1995 Pats Jimmy Hitchcock 5'-10" 187 3
1995 Pats Carlos Yancy 6'-0" 185 7
1994 Pats None
1993 Pats Lawrence Hatch 5'-11" 194 6

First thing I would note- not many of them were very good.  Ty Law, and Terrance Newman are probably the only decent players that I know of - feel free to correct me if any of these other players ever did anything.

 

There are, however, some very clear trends here. 

#1- Parcells doesn't take many corners on the first day of the draft.

2 first rounders- both in franchises where he didn't have total control over personnel.  There are no second round picks, so all the others fall on the 2nd day of the draft.  1 third, 1 fourth, 2 fifth, 2 sixth, and 3 seventh rounders- for a total of 11 cornerbacks taken.  Overall, the trend says don't look for a CB to be taken on the first day.

#2- Parcells doesn't always draft a CB at all.

5 times in 11 drafts he didn't take a CB at all- though he does AVERAGE 1 CB taken per year with 11 CBs drafted overall.

#3- Parcells doesn't like short corners- but not too tall either.

Only 1 CB he ever took was below 5'-10", and none were above 6' (he did take a few players listed as "DB" that were over 6' but from the limited info I could find they played safety).  That probably eliminates D.J. Moore and Alphonso Smith from contention.  It would also indicate Sean Smith from Utah is unlikely to be drafted as a corner as well.

 

#4 Parcells Likes Some Bulk

Parcells doesn't take overweight guys, but the lightest CB he ever drafted was 180 lbs (also the shortest).  Ty Law is the heaviest at 200 lbs.

 

If you average out all the CBs he ever drafted- you would get a player who was 5'-10.5", and 189 lbs.  Why would this be?  Well, he obviously wants his corners to be physical, suitable for man coverage so he can blitz, and to be able to hold up in the run game.  He also wants them to be tall enough to go up for jump balls.  But he doesn't want guys who are too big or bulky to be fluid, and corners who are too tall and/or heavy often times have trouble with hip flexibility and other agility related problems that slow them down in coverage.

 

As you can see, at 5'-11" and 196 lbs, our visitor Eric Green fits the profile perfectly.

Going through the rest of CBs list:

Leigh Bodden is close, but he would be a bit tall at 6'-1" and 195 lbs. Fellow former Brown Travis Daniels has the exact same build. 

Bryant McFadden is close as well at 6' and 190 lbs. 

DeMarcus Faggins is in the range at 5'-10" and 182 lbs. 

Ahmad Caroll is near the average at 5'-10" and 190 lbs, and he is only 25.

Ricky Manning Jr. is a bit short at 5'-9".

Corey Ivy is also short at 5'-9" and is also on the wrong side of 30.

 

And who in the draft fits his average profile (no players under 5'-10", or over 6'-0"- no players under 180 lbs or over 200 lbs)?  A few names:

 

Darius Butler- 5'-10" & 183 lbs, UConn, Rds 1-2

Victor "Macho" harris- 5'-11" & 198 lbs, VT, Rds 1-2

Mike Mickens- 6'-0" & 184 lbs, Cinci, Rds 2-3

Mark Parson- 5'-10" & 193 lbs, Ohio, Rds 3-4

Jason McCourty- 5'-11" & 190 lbs, Rutgers, Rds 4-5

Coye Francies- 6'-0" & 185 lbs, San Jose St., Rds 4-5

DeAngelo Smith- 5'-11" & 194 lbs, Cinci, Rds 5-6

Brandon Hughes- 5'-10" & 182 lbs, Oregon St., Rds 5-6

Londen Fryar- 5'-11" & 192 lbs, W. Mich., Rd 6

Darren Banks- 5'-11" & 185 lbs, W. Liberty St., Rd 7-FA

 

Any thoughts from you guys?  Also, let me know if you want to see any more info on any of these players.

 

 

 

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Phinsider's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of The Phinsider writers or editors.