Stock Down: Cameron Dantzler, CB Mississippi State
Arguably no player hurt his stock more than cornerback Cameron Dantzler out of Mississippi State. Prior to the Combine, people were very high on him and I personally was hoping he would be around on day three of the draft so the Los Angeles Chargers could snag him, but that seemed unlikely.
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Now, after Dantzler ran a 4.64 40-yard dash, there’s been talk that he might need to switch to safety. Making matters worse is that he weighed in under 200 pounds, so any switch to safety considering he would have to really bulk up to handle the physical nature of that position.
There are a lot of things to like in terms of his tape: he’s tenacious in the run game, excellent in zone coverage, has very good ball skills and is even a good blitzer.
That being said, a 4.64 40-yard dash is unacceptable from a cornerback in today’s NFL.
The Chargers do need to upgrade the cornerback position opposite Casey Hayward but Dantzler would have to run in the low 4.5 range to sway my opinion back to where it was before the combine to where I would feel comfortable with the idea of drafting him.
Stock Up: Javelin Guidry, DB Utah
Javelin Guidry was a surprise declaration for this draft. He had solid tape as Utah’s primary nickelback but was easily overshadowed on a defense that had seven other players also invited to this year’s Combine.
He bet on himself and it seems to be paying off. Guidry ran the fastest official time of anyone not named Henry Ruggs, with a time of 4.29. He also became the only player to run a sub 4.3 and put up more than 20 reps on the bench press since 2006. Guidry was a track star in both Texas and California.
His performance this weekend moved him from a likely undrafted free agent to potentially being taken on day three. On the broadcast of the Combine, both Daniel Jeremiah and Deion Sanders said he’ll have a place in the league with that kind of high-end speed.
He’s only 5’9 so he’s almost assuredly limited to the nickel so the fit on the Chargers would be questionable unless he does, in fact, slip through the cracks of the draft, in which case he is definitely worth a shot as an UDFA.
DB Javelin Guidry set the 40-yard dash ablaze with an official clocking of 4.29 seconds ⚡️
(via @nflnetwork) pic.twitter.com/1qQ0faOGgt
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) March 2, 2020
Stock Up: Darnay Holmes, CB UCLA
This cornerback position is very solid at the top but the middle and back end of the pecking order needed clarity. Much like Dantzler hurt his stock and appears to have fallen to the back end, Darnay Holmes performed well enough at the combine and the senior bowl that he seems to be firmly in the middle tier of the group.
His 40-yard dash time of 4.48 was very solid but he really stood out in the positional drills, where he showed off great fluidity in his change of direction. Holmes is right in the range of where the Los Angeles Chargers are likely going to be taking a corner in the early part of day three and he would be an excellent fit.
He played almost exclusively in man coverage at UCLA but proved he could play off-coverage and zone well enough on tape. He’s also a good tackler in space and would be a clear upgrade over the current Mike Davis/Brandon Facyson rotation.
Let us know who else caught your attention at the Combine in the comments below!