Name: Eric Rowe
College: Utah
Class: SR
Position: Cornerback
Height: 6’0"
Weight: 204
Background/Character | Leadership: 10 | Experience: 9 | Off-the-Field: 10 |
| Mental Capacity: 10 | Mental Toughness: 9 | Durability: 10 |
Eric Rowe checks all of the boxes when it comes to character. He has no known off-field incidents while in college, and he was named team captain as a senior. Rowe showed selflessness when he moved from safety to cornerback as a senior because the team needed him there, and he excelled.
Final Grade: 9.66
Athleticism | Balance: 9 | C.O.D: 8 | Explosiveness: 8 |
| Flexibility: 7 | Coordination: 8 | Body Type: 9 |
Rowe is a good athlete with his size, standing over 6’0” tall and still having good enough fluidity to play outside as a cornerback. In the event that he needs to move to safety because of scheme, he’s a long strider that covers a lot of ground quickly. He’s capable of playing single high for stretches. Rowe’s not an incredible or especially explosive athlete, but he is above average.
Final Grade: 8.16
Overall | Football IQ: 9 | QB Vision: 9 | Tackling: 10 |
| Range: 9 | Hit Power: 9 | Physicality: 9 |
The intangibles are a strong part of Rowe’s game. He’s very smart and physical between the hashes. Rowe locates the ball early against the pass and run, and he attacks it well. He’s a great tackler in space, rarely allowing a ball carrier to break free. Rowe also covers a lot of ground quickly, giving credence to his speed and range.
Final Grade: 9.16
Coverage Talent | Body Control: 8 | Ball Skills: 9 | Lateral Quicks: 8 |
| Hip Fluidity: 7 | Turn & Run: 8 | Closing Speed: 8 |
For being a first-year cornerback, Rowe showed great ball skills despite only logging a single interception. He finds the ball early and plays it well, and just needs to finish a little better. His ability to turn and run with receivers is solid, but he does lack great deep speed. His ability to close on the receiver when trailing isn't better than average. He’s somewhat stiff in the hips, which is fine for his size and frame.
Final Grade: 8
Coverage Technique | Press Technique: 9 | Zone Drops: 8 | Timing: 9 |
| Hand Usage: 8 | Footwork: 8 | Positioning: 9 |
Rowe is a solid press cornerback already, showing knowledge of how to jam the receiver and when to let off. He often played in Cover 3, so he’s experienced pressing in zone and man. There were times when he dropped too deep or a tad shallow in zone, so there’s a place of improvement. His feet are pretty good, and the biggest adjustment will be to stay bouncy to combat inside routes with free releases.
Final Grade: 8.5
| Player Comparison: | Xavier Rhodes |
| Projected Draft Position: | 1st Round |
| Best Scheme Fit: | Press CB or FS |
| Injury History: | Missed 3 games in 4 years |
| Career Accolades: | Honorable mention All-Pac-12 in 2014 |
| Career Stats: | 261 tackles, 3 INTS, 34 PDs |
Final Analysis
In comparison to the last few drafts, Eric Rowe is the cornerback that others wanted Stanley Jean-Baptiste and Keith McGill to be. He’s big, although not huge, versatile and smart. His ability to play the ball didn’t translate well into interceptions, but he had a lot of passes defensed as a cornerback. That should improve in the NFL as he adjusts to cornerback more.
It’s easy to love his physicality because he rarely draws downfield penalties. He’s smart and stays in position well. He doesn't have great deep speed, so he has to win at the line or recover immediately with his feet and length. This is possible because he had to do so at Utah.
A Cover 3 or 4 scheme would fit him well so that he has safety help over top to help hide his lack of excellent speed. At both safety and cornerback, Rowe projects as a quality starter.
Final Grade: 8.55 - 1st Round Value