Insider look at Miami Dolphins sixth round draft pick Cornell Armstrong

Late in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins were looking to add quality depth to the roster. After picking up potential starters throughout the first-two days of the selection process, day three was about getting players who can rotate into the game no if needed, but could use some time to develop into a larger role with the club.

It appears they got a player fitting those exact ideas in the sixth round when they added Southern Miss cornerback Cornell Armstrong. Not a house-hold name, Armstrong comes to Miami out of Conference USA, meaning it is likely many of us did not watch a lot of Southern Miss football last year. To get a better idea of what Miami is getting with Armstrong, I turned SB Nation’s Underdog Dynasty, who covers the American, Conference USA, Sun Belt conferences for the network. Joe Londergan was kind enough to break down a little of Armstrong’s game.

Strengths

My takeaway from his college career was that he’s just one of those zero fear kind of guys. He plays like he loves those jump ball situations and that style made him really annoying to deal with for opposing offenses. He plays guys really tight, which comes in handy defending deep passes. Plus he’s not too shabby at defending the run when they bring a sweep at him.

Weaknesses

Remember how I said he loves those jump ball situations? There have definitely been a few times where he gets a bit too physical before the ball gets there. That could be a problem in the NFL. Also, I get he’s a DB, but he just doesn’t have the softest hands out there. If you watch any of his tapes, there’s been a number of times where he does a great job of jumping in front of quick out routes and they should have been pick-sixes, but he drops the ball. It’s a good, not great kind of thing.

Where does he fit?

He’ll definitely be useful on special teams right away, I think. He had the speed to block a few kicks in college and he loves to hit. Throw him at gunner this year and see what happens, I say. Give him a couple years and I think he could be a decent nickel guy for Miami..

What is his ceiling? Floor?

Here’s the way I see it: OurLads has him as the ninth-best corner on the Dolphins right now, and I guess that’s fair considering they probably hadn’t seen too much of him before the draft. But I think pretty quickly he’ll show that he’s better than that. That being said I’m not expecting him to be a starter, at least not for a few years or make a pro bowl or anything like that. So I guess ceiling: occasional starter, fairly reliable depth guy. His floor: gets some time at special teams and then disappears from the league in a few years. Nothing against the guy, but that seems to be how it goes.

Highlights to watch

Want to watch him freestyle rap? If so: