Marcus
Roberson 6'0” 191
CB,
Florida
Rankings:
NFLDraftScout:
12th-ranked CB, #89 player overall, 3rd-round
grade.
Nawrocki:
12th-ranked CB, #95 player overall. Grade: 5.40, likely 3rd-rounder
minimally with sub-starter potential.
Scouts
Inc: 15th-ranked CB, #101 player overall. Grade: 67, good prospect.
DraftCountdown.com:
13th-ranked CB, #118 player overall. Mid-round grade.
Sports
Illustrated's draft preview projected Roberson as a 2nd-round
pick.
However,
he was not ranked in Mayock's or Kiper's top 100 prospects.
Biography/Honors:
2013:
Played
in 7 games, starting 4. 11 tackles, 3 pass breakups. Averaged 9.2
yards on 14 punt returns.
2012:
Second team all-SEC. Played in all 13 games, starting 4. 23 tackles,
one tackle for loss, one sack, two interceptions, 12 pass breakups
(most since Joe Haden in 2008), one forced fumble. Returned two punts
for 81 yards. Second in SEC in passes defended.
2011:
Started 10 games. 22 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, one interception,
2 pass breakups, one fumble recovery.
Off-field:
Academics:
Left school with a year of eligibility remaining. Major not listed.
Arrested
September 2011 for underage drinking.
Suspended
one game in 2013 for undisclosed violation of team rules. It's
believed he attempted to sneak a girl into his hotel room the night
before a road game.
Roberson's
four other games missed in 2013 were attributed to injury but it's
believed there was a disguised suspension for failing multiple drug
tests. (If he didn't pass drug tests at the Combine, I didn't find a
report of it.)
Injuries:
2013:
Missed three games due to a strained left PCL.
2011:
Missed
last three games and spring practice in 2012 due to season-ending
neck injury (fractured C6 vertebrae) that required surgery.
NFL
Combine Stats: (averages
for cornerbacks in parentheses)
(Numbers
according to NFLDraftScout)
4.61
40 (4.52)
37.5”
vertical jump (36.5”)
10'0”
broad jump (10'2”)
6.84
3-cone drill (6.97)
4.08
20-yard shuttle (4.20)
8
bench press (average was 14. The only corner to lift worse than
Roberson was Louchiez Purifoy (also out of Florida), with six. In 2012, Sports Illustrated reported
then-65-year-old Rams owner Stan Kroenke could do 12 reps)
Scouting
report:
Positives:
Big
press corner with “length” and very good turn-and-go quickness.
Has qualities of a good zone corner, too, good field vision,
awareness and presence. Knows when to look for the ball. Physical and
plays with attitude. Changes direction quickly and shows good
instincts. Has smooth hips and transitions well out of backpedal.
Good recovery speed. Fearless and confident. Good ball skills, breaks
up a lot of plays. Good body control and tracks the ball well over
his shoulder. Played well against Kelvin Benjamin in 2012 and
frustrated him into several OPI penalties. Solid, willing run
defender. Has punt return experience. Can develop into a #2 or #3
corner if he improves his recognition and regains his 2012 form. Has
the footwork, movement skills and competitiveness to blanket
receivers at the NFL level.
Negatives:
Needs
to mature. Believed his press clippings and came out too early. Did
not prepare seriously for the Combine. Needs to bulk up and get
stronger. Struggles with most big receivers and doesn't have elite
top-end speed to keep up with fast receivers. Anticipation and route
recognition are not good. Gets beat by double moves. Inconsistent
reacting to the ball. Needs to learn better, legal hand use. Tends to
clutch and grab. Doesn't make a lot of tackles and isn't a good
tackler, doesn't wrap up. Needs to work on his angles and timing his
jumps better. Does not consistently close quickly on underneath
routes. Gives up the edge as a run defender and is too much of an
ankle tackler. Play is a little hyper. Sometimes he's way too
aggressive, sometimes he's way too soft. Has to learn to play within
his limitations. Lacks experience and durability.
Compares
to: I
come up with a slow Justin King. Dane Brugler at CBSSports.com comes
up with Alterraun Verner.
Fun
Facts: Marcus
played at St. Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, which had four
other alumni drafted this year, including corner Lamarcus Joyner to
the Rams and safety Dezmen Southward to the Falcons. I'd think about
drafting any high school QB or WR who had a good game against that
secondary.
RamView:
Scouting
reports on Marcus Roberson were so all over the place, some didn't
even agree on whether he has short or long arms. Since he didn't get
drafted, the negative reports obviously won, but all seem to agree
that he's got the tools to stick in the NFL if he gets his act
together. RamView would usually think little of the chances of a
player with Roberson's inexperience and who will have to grow up a
lot in the course of one training camp, but by now we've come to know
this kind of player a classic DB prospect of Jeff Fisher's Rams teams
and the type of prospect Fisher's had success developing. It doesn't
hurt at all that Rams camp looks like a cattle call at corner, with
at least three, and as many as five, roster slots up for grabs at
that position among the Rams' final 53. We may learn a lot about this
competition watching Roberson, E.J. Gaines, Greg Reid and Darren
Woodard on special teams and late in preseason games. All four of
those players need to be sure not to get outworked in camp.
Chance
of making team: 50%.
Sources: NFL Draft 2014 Preview
(Nolan Nawrocki), NFLDraftScout.com, CBSSports.com, ESPN.com,
DraftCountdown.com, Sports Illustrated, University of Florida
athletics, SBNation.com, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Bleacher Report
Photo: NFL.com
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