Name: Justin Gilbert
Position: Cornerback
College: Oklahoma State
Justin Gilbert has emerged as this year’s unanimous number one cornerback and could be one of the better defensive backs to come out of the more recent draft classes. As a member of the Sooners, Gilbert was a consensus All-American and Jim Thorpe Award Finalist.
How Justin Gilbert Meets Team Needs
Since the loss of Asante Samuel some years ago, the Eagles have failed to replace the shutdown cornerback. Nnamdi Asomugha was given a big contract and failed, will the Eagles look to the 2014 Draft for their answer? Nolan Carroll was signed two a two-year contract last month but he is no more than added depth. Carey Williams and Bradley Fletcher both have their strengths but neither possesses the ability to lock the opposition’s best receiver out of the game.
Impact As A Rookie
With Gilbert’s athleticism, ball skills and added value in the return game, he will be a week one contributor who has the requisite tools to push for defensive rookie of the year honours. Safety Malcolm Jenkins - who was once a cornerback – was added in free agency to shore up the back end of the defense and he will serve as a safety blanket should the Eagles thrust a young cornerback into the starting backup.
What Gilbert Does Well
Gilbert is an all-round cornerback who does not show signs of any obvious weakness. At 6’0” tall and 200 pounds he has good length for press coverage which does well. With excellent athleticism he tracks receivers as well as running with them down field. Furthermore, he is instinctive and possesses tremendous hands for a cornerback. Finally, he set the Big 12 record for kick-off returns with six.
What Gilbert Struggles With
Because of Gilbert’s aggressive style he was at times susceptible to double moves. However, his biggest weakness comes in run defense where he lacks discipline in setting the edge and arm tackles far too often. Nevertheless, all the above problems can be taught out of him at the next level.
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