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Florida State CB Xavier Rhodes Green Bay Packers NFL Draft prospect profile: Cornerback Xavier Rhodes
Player Information:
Xavier Rhodes, Cornerback, Florida State University
6’2″, 217 pounds
Hometown: Miami, FL
NFL Combine:
40 time: 4.43
225-pound bench: 14 reps
Vertical: 40 1/2″
Broad: 132″
News and Notes:
Rhodes posted the top stat for vertical and broad jump results among cornerbacks at this year’s NFL Combine. . . started all three seasons at Florida State. . .after being in a three-man rotation and suffering a severe knee sprain in 2011, he played full time in 2012 tallying 39 total tackles, two of which went for a loss, one forced fumble and seven pass breakups, three of which were intercepted
What they’re saying about him:
- CBSSports.com: “Rhodes is strong for the position with a solidly-built frame and excellent arm length. He loves to jam and get physical in press coverage, getting in the face of receivers at the line of scrimmage and staying aggressive through the whistle.”
- NFL.com: “Big frame and size for the position. Press corner that likes to have a hand on his opponent at all times. Consistently does get some kind of contact or jam when pressing, remains balanced without overextending. Contact is the arm mirroring the release side. Stays with quick twitch cuts and release with equally fast movements.”
Video Analysis:
- Likes to press the receiver and is physical off the snap
- Needs to work on turning his head in coverage and contact past five yards
- Extremely fast and can stay with his man
- Long arms help create very good ball skills
- Good in run support but does struggle with misdirection
- Hits hard, is not afraid of contact but does occasionally miss when lunging
If drafted by the Packers:
NFL.com compares Rhodes most closely to Seattle’s Brandon Browner. Rhodes would bring an element of physicality that has been missing from the Packers secondary in recent years. Corner is not a position of major need right now, but the Packers do play quite a bit of nickel and Rhodes’ skill set translates best as a slot corner. There’s always the possibility that he could be groomed as a safety, but with quite a bit of talent at safety in this draft, I don’t see why the Packers reach and take on that project. After being among the league leaders in takeaways, the Packers took a step back in 2012 and could use a boost in the ball-hawking department. Rhodes would need to refine his cover skills, especially in tight spaces like at the goal line where he has a tendency to get a bit too physical at times. Also needs to improve his tackling and that has been an area of concern for Green Bay over the past few seasons. I wouldn’t suggest Rhodes as a round one pick for the Packers, but if he slips out of the first and they like him enough, he could become a surprise second round selection.
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Jason Perone is an independent sports blogger writing about the Packers on AllGreenBayPackers.com
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Completely disagree about his skills fitting best as a slot CB. He has the speed to stay w/ recivers deep and the length to play the ball in jump ball situations. That spells outside CB. Part of the reason Hayward isn’t as good outside is his lack of deep speed and explosiveness and lack of length. Hayward doesn’t have leaping ability and has short arms to contest jump balls downfield. Rhodes has both those traits in spades.
Too back that up. Per NFL.com “Does not have experience inside as a slot corner in nickel.”
Rhodes is a perfect fit as an outside CB, not in the slot. Much like House in that regard. His talent would be largely wasted in the slot.
In the slot you don’t need speed or length as much but need superior quickness which is why Hayward is so perfect for the slot/nickel role.
Rhodes cone and shuttle, 7.29 and 4.65 respectively. Shows very ordinary if not poor quickness.
Hayward 6.76 and 3.90. SHows exceptional quickness. Ranks 7th and 3rd among CB in this years draft. That along w/ his instincts allows him to excel in the slot.
“If drafted by the Packers”. . means how I think a guy like Rhodes would fit GB’s current scheme. It’s not a blanket assessment of him overall. You have to consider who GB already has at DB and where a Rhodes would fit in.
You guys need to keep in mind that just because we profile someone doesn’t mean we think he should be the pick or will be the pick. We’re merely drilling down on players.
Yes I understand that scheme is important. However the Packers are primarily a press man coverage team (or they are when Tramon is healthy). That’s why I made the comparison of Rhodes vs. Hayward who excelled in the slot to differentiate. I could also make a comparison to House for similarity, which would be more like Rhodes, and he is an outside CB.
When you compare or contrast a player to someone on the Packers roster, it kinda takes scheme into accout. Either way Rhodes fits in a press scheme as an outside CB, not just for the Packers.
You cant just say he fits as a slot CB for the Packers due to having Shields, Williams and House outside already. Especially when his overall talents don’t fit as a slot CB.
he’d be an upgrade over williams.
he’ll probably end up being better than shields.
i kinda think house might be made of glass.
hayward is a slot guy not an outside guy.
can never have too many corners (especially physical ones).
i would not be upset at all to see this dude in G&G.
I wouldn’t be upset either. But its highly unlikely that he drops 10+ spots. Only reason I can see him dropping is if teams are scared off by his quickness and agility based on his shuttle and cone times. Otherwise Rhodes would probably be the #1 CB in GB w/in a year.