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TREVARD LINDLEy
5-11/183
Kentucky Senior
40: 4.51

PROS: Has nice hips, showing the ability to turn and run with receivers. Has a nice backpedal and steady footwork. Can play in either off or press coverage, with potential to improve in the latter. Does a nice job keeping things in front of him and shows nice awareness in zone coverage. Is willing in run support, wraps up and able to make stop in the open field.
CONS: Doesn't play with great burst, and can be a step late to break up the pass. Occasionally gets turned around in coverage. Will tackle a bit high at times and needs to do a better job getting off blocks when out on the edge.
OVERVIEW: Lindley is a good corner that I thought was a bit overrated after watching him last year. He was billed as a potential No. 1 pick, but I didn't see it. Still don't, but he is still a good quality corner. Now might be slighted underrated because his production wasn't great as a senior. Made a lot of big plays during sophomore and junior years as he combined for 7 picks and 22 passes defended with 2 touchdowns. Had 1 pick, 9 passes defended, and 1 score as a senior.
NFL FORECAST: Lindley should be a solid starting corner in the league. He has the skills to be capable in man coverage and zone coverage, although I think he's probably going to be stronger in the latter area. He has a knack for making plays, which is something you can't teach. He isn't the biggest or fastest guy around, but he has enough size and speed to be an impact defender. I'm not sure he's going to be a No. 1 corner at the next level, but I think he can be a very solid No. 2 guy. The thing that I think will prevent him from being a No. 1 corner is that he isn't great in man coverage. He has the tools, but there seems to be a bit of burst or something missing that keeps him from being a lockdown corner. So he'll give up some catches and give up some big plays every now and then, but I doubt it'll be to the point of him becoming a liability. I'd probably compare him to Lito Sheppard in terms of how good an NFL corner I think he can be.
ATL FORECAST: Lindley could be a nice fit in Atlanta as the No. 2 guy to team with Robinson. Because of his size, he has a better chance of matching up with the biggest wideouts than the rest of the cornerback group. I'm not sure he would win a starting job outright, but I think he would stand a good shot at winning the nickel spot as a rookie. With the potential to win the starting job by Year 2. He would make a nice developmental starter option.
VALUE: Lindley is a solid second round pick that could sneak into the latter part of the Top 50 because good corners are hard to find.

SKILLS
1-poor, 2-weak, 3-above average, 4-very good, 5-elite

SPEED: 3.5
MAN COVERAGE: 3.0
ZONE COVERAGE: 3.5
TACKLING: 3.0
BALL SKILLS: 4.0

Pros: Has pretty good size for the position and looks comfortable in man coverage, makes good plays on the ball and matches up well with physical receivers. He is a solid tackler and can wrap up ball-carriers in the open field and support the run when he can avoid a blocker. Does a pretty good job of locating the ball and making a play on it, and shows some burst to close and deflect passes.

Cons: He doesn’t look like he reads and reacts as a corner, whenever I watched him I always wondered what he was looking at. Sometimes he would have perfect man coverage and other times he would be completely out of position. It occurred to me that he might be guessing, and I think I am right on that. That is why he will look bad in man coverage on one play and be right in the receiver’s hip pocket the next. I don’t think he has it mentally to read and react to defenses in the passing game, and that is why he always seems to be a step slow reacting in zone coverage when he is asked to read the QB’s eyes and to close on the ball. He doesn’t have a very good burst for that, and got routinely beat when I watched him play in zone. He isn’t a strong player and looks rail thin on the football field, and that makes it hard for him to shed blocks against stronger, more physical players in run support or on a screen.

Overall: I have never been impressed with Lindley as a corner. He is a pure cover corner than can support the run well if he doesn’t have to shed a block, but I am not impressed with his read and react skills and I personally think he is a guesser in coverage. DeAngelo Hall was a guesser too, and he was highly touted, but like Lindley he will make some plays and give up big ones that cost his team. I have a low tolerance for players like that, guys who are either a good play for your team or a big play for the opposition. Lindley is pretty good in man coverage, but he won’t ever be great because of his lack of recognition skills. And some think he looks fine in zone, but he routinely gave up completions in zone and his lack of good closing speed and burst along with what I perceive to be poor recognition skills make me wonder how he would ever succeed in zone coverage in the NFL. I think he has potential to be a starter in a man coverage scheme, but I think he will only be a solid starter. His ceiling is a solid starter in a man-coverage scheme and his floor is being a #4 corner who gets exposed for his lack of read and react skills once he gets to the NFL and becomes, largely, a wasted draft selection.

Projection: 4th-5th round: He has some good tape on him in man coverage and man coverage corners are always in demand, but he isn’t a particularly good one and he doesn’t have a high ceiling in my opinion. I think picking him anytime before the 4th round would be a reach.

SPEED: 3.5
MAN COVERAGE: 3.0
ZONE COVERAGE: 2.0
TACKLING: 3.0
BALL SKILLS: 3.0