I like, Fires better... well done. Seriously, I have enjoyed this draft and the draftermath more this year than any other before it. The convo's here and in the media have been very interesting. I'm really curious how some of these draftee's pan out. Kind of interested to see who was all hype and who was more talented. Its a long Summer afterall and to have some football to talk about is cool.
I have no problem with a wait and see approach but based on how he has always taken care of his body and his relentless conditioning work I would lean towards him being very similar to a couple of the other guys above who were obsessed with the same qualities. My issue was with you saying, "If you admit, at the age of 30, he will be losing steps." I agree. I think he's the best CB in the draft.
If you are going to quote me beach...QUOTE ME So two years later, not at the age of 30...that means the clock starts ticking in the 2020 season according to my statement. If you don't think he will start to wind down in that season and beyond, more power to ya...
LOL, something like that... I think it is more accurate that I believe Ward will step right in and make it tougher on AB than the other teams AB faces..but, whatever makes you feel better, I'm ok with that also. I just don't think AB will be the answer by the time Rudolph is called upon to be the man.
Titans final UDFA signings: *real chance to make roster -*Damon Webb, S, Ohio St. -Ryan McKinley, CB, Montana -*Akrum Wadley, RB, Iowa -Sharif Finch, LB, Temple -Du'Vonta Lampkin, DT, Oklahoma -Elijah Nkansah, OT, Toledo -Joshua Kalu, S, Nebraska -*Aaron Stinnie, G, JMU -*Ethan Wolf, TE, Tennessee -Rico Gafford, CB, Wyoming -*Nick DeLuca, LB, NDST -Cameron Batson, WR, Texas Tech -Devin Ross, WR, Colorado -Nico Falah, OL, USC -Mike Ramsay, DT, Duke -Andrew Ankrah, EDGE, JMU -JT Luper, WR, C. Oklahoma -Jordan Veasy, WR, Cal -*Deontay Burnett, WR, USC -Larry Rose III, RB, New Mexico St. -Tejan Koroma, C, BYU -Elijah Goins, ST/DB/WR, Ohio St. -Matt Dickerson, DL, UCLA
I'm going to go out on a limb and say Ward doesn't cover AB more than 5 times in their first meeting.
Now I'm curious as to why? It seems like you think there's a big gap or something. (there's not).... They are both great but Ward beat Lattimore in the 40. Ward beat him on the bench. Ward beat him on the vert. And Ward crushed him on the broad jump..He's just a better athlete...Ward is more physical, and plays with more tenacity in his tackling. Lattimore was a one year starter at Ohio State. OSU cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs told reporters last spring that Ward was a "gifted player" and truly a "third starter" at cornerback, joining 2017 first-round picks Marshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley. Ward proved his coach correct, earning first-team All-American and all-conference accolades in 2017 with 37 tackles, two for loss, two interceptions, and 15 pass breakups (ranked in the top 10 in the nation). He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten notice from league media as a non-starter in 2016, playing 30 snaps a game on defense. In spite of being considered the "third starter", Ward tied Lattimore for the team lead with nine pass breakups on the year (23 tackles), never giving up on a play and being quite physical despite his average size for the position
When it comes to mirror and match press coverage (which is what the Browns do) there won't be anybody better than Denzel Ward....
And I take nothing away from Marshawn Lattimore. He's amazing....It just shows how incredibly gifted Ward truly is.
I don't think his transition to the NFL will be as seamless as you do. I was extremely confident in both Conley and Lattimore making the change and remaining outside, but I am less confident in Ward. That's why I think it will make for a good conversation after he gets some time in as a pro. It won't make for a perfect comparison as each of those three may have a wide range of varying responsibilities, but it should shed some light on projecting prospects and where you and I may differ.
And @TopDawg just so you understand exactly where I'm coming from because our conversations always interest me - I'm not down on Ward being a good pro corner. I have him ranked second in this class, but I think he most likely will make his money as a nickel corner rather than on the outside. If I'm picking high in the draft and I'm taking a corner I would prefer that he has the ability to play full time on the boundary. Because of Ward's height/weight and the questions I have in his ability to reroute and stay physical with larger receivers, I think he likely ends up sliding inside permanently. In my opinion, Denzel Ward projects as a high end NCB with the ability to cover long routes in the seam with close to elite recovery ability. That alone makes him a valuable commodity in the NFL, but it's not the same as being able to stick and cover on the outside on every down.
