From a physical standpoint, Antonio Cromartie is
really amazing. In this day and age of big NFL wide
outs, Cromartie stands tall among them. One of the
most gifted athletes in the country, he has
incredible speed and quickness. For more of the
football nuts and bolts, Cromartie has great
balance, he’s able to slide in and out of his turns
and backpedal with relative ease. He’s just as
solid in man coverage as he is in zone. It appears
he prefers to line up over the other team's best
receiver and shut him down. With a guy this good in
coverage, you might expect him to be a little
passive in the run game, but Cromartie is pretty
stout, coming up to defend the run. Cromartie also
has great ball skills – finding ball in the air,
snatching it away, or knocking it down.
Negatives:
Cromartie is going into
the NFL having not played football since July of
2005. He tore his ACL, and sat out the entire
season. He's very inexperienced, having only played
in about two dozen games. So he’s going to be
drafted as much on potential as on any on-field
production. Yes, there are subtle things in
Cromartie's game that need work, especially from a
technique standpoint, especially in his footwork and
tackling; but overall, there aren’t any flaws in his
game that can't be coached up.
Overall:
Names like Jimmy Williams, Michael Huff, and Tye
Hill are the consensus for the top of the draft, in
terms of defensive backs, but if I am a team sitting
in the middle of the draft, and I need a DB, and
Cromartie is there, I don't hesitate. He's got
better measurables than any of those guys, and if
you go back to the tape of him from 2004, his
ability to make big plays is without question. Not
to mention, Cormartie is also an explosive kick/punt
returner, which just adds to his value.
Final Word:
UPSIDE
–
This kid is just oozing with it. There aren't many
6-2 DB's in the NFL who can run sub-4.4 forty times,
and have the skill set of Cromartie. He reminds me
a lot of Antrel Rolle from Miami, but Cromartie will
probably be able to be had, later in the round, due
to injury concerns. Sure, he may need baby steps
his rookie year, letting him get that magic back 2
years removed from the injury, and to get some
subtle parts of his game ironed out. When you
consider this kid would have been the favorite to be
the top CB in the nation had he stayed in school,
getting him now and giving him a year to develop, is
no different than him going back to school, except
next year, he'd cost a top ten pick.
