Kendall Sheffield
/draft-prospects/kendall-sheffield
College: Ohio State
Height: 6'0"
SCOUTING GRADE
Weight: 190 lbs
Injury History: No Major Injury History
Scout: Jacob Patterson
Scouting Report
Athleticism: 7.80
Q.A.B./C.O.D.: 8.60
Sheffield displays elite quickness and agility. Very twitchy player that can turn on a dime and head the other direction.
Flexibility: 8.30
Has elite hip flexibility that allows him to run with his man and have no issue changing course in the middle of his stride.
Deep Speed: 8.10
Displays excellent deep speed that keeps him from getting beat over the top consistently. Sheffield is absolutely one of the fastest corners in this draft.
Explosion: 7.20
Has explosion from a speed standpoint but doesn't have the physical explosiveness that is often sought after in cornerbacks nowadays.
Coordination: 6.80
Shows decent coordination but at times lacks the ability to get his hands where he needs them to break up an incoming pass.
Coverage Ability: 7.16
Man Press: 6.90
Has issues in press coverage due to his size. Receivers often are able to use their bodys to box him out. Physical receivers seem to beat his jam consistently and win the route because of this.
Man Off: 7.30
Off coverage is where Sheffield seems to be most comfortable. He doesn't have to deal with larger physical receivers and he can play more of his game. He excels when there is cushion between him and his man that he can eat up with his speed when he reads the play.
Zone: 7.00
Shows good awareness of his role in zone coverage. Has the ability to lock up his zone and protect it.
Hand Fighting: 6.50
Decent hand fighting technique but again gets beat by guys who are playing a more physical game.
Hips/Turn Ability: 8.10
Sheffield has excellent fluidity in his hips that help him stay with his man. He knows how to gauge when he should open up his hips and run with the receiver.
Play Making: 7.20
Closing Quickness: 8.30
Elite closing quickness but again has issues with being boxed out by his man quite often. Physicality is going to be his biggest weakness moving forward.
Ball skills: 6.20
Sheffield's ball skills leave you wanting more. This area of his game needs some work as Sheffield had just 2 ints in his college career.
Route/play Diagnosis: 7.10
Displays good play recognition but still has the tendency to get beat even when he knows what's coming. Physicality plays a part in this due to receivers simply just out muscling him.
Run Support: 6.23
Quickness Upfield: 8.20
Elite quickness upfield flashes here but he seems to shy away from getting his hands dirty. He tries to play a much less physical game than what you would expect him to.
Fight Through Blocks: 4.60
This may be Sheffield's weakest area of his game. He has a very hard time fighting through blockers and getting off of them. This usually takes him completely out of the play and renders him useless at times.
Tackling: 5.90
Shows average tackling technique but sometimes gets taken for a ride. Will get run over in contact with a lack of play strength.
Competitiveness: 6.27
Toughness: 5.90
Toughness is lacking at times. Sheffield needs to be more aggressive in run support and needs to show more physicality moving forward.
Production: 6.80
75 tackles, 2 ints and 1 FF across his last two seasons with Ohio State. His production isn't going to blow you away but the potential is there.
Consistency/Motor: 6.10
Can be seen taking plays off or not giving his all during parts of the game. Film shows that there are times that he decides not to insert himself into a play, such as when he teammates need help tackling a man.
Intelligence: 7.30
Instincts: 7.50
Instincts are not an issue in his game. Tremendous instincts show when he shows the ability to read the play and start battling his man.
Learn/Retain: 7.30
Improved his game from his sophomore season to his junior season and it showed. Showed more playmaking ability and had a better feel for his coverages.
Teamwork: 7.10
Good teamwork overall shows in his game. He come to play for his guys and competes for the most part. Will need to work on not taking plays off moving forward.
STRENGTHS:
Athleticism is off the charts for Sheffield. Track star speed helps him to close in on his target quickly and engage them. This also allows him to not have an issue with getting beat over the top very often. Shows fantastic fluidity in his hips that allow him to stay with his man and change course when needed. He displays good off-ball coverage, which allows him to play more off the game that he is comfortable with. Very twitchy player that isn't going to get beat by a good release due to his reflexes. Has good instincts that allow him to react quickly to the situation at hand.
WEAKNESSES:
Sheffield is not a very physical corner, which gets him in trouble more often than not. Has a very difficult time getting off of blockers which disengages him from the play completely. This cuts out his effectiveness tremendously and is an issue that will need to be addressed moving forward. Physical receivers also take advantage of Sheffield due to his size at the LOS. Sheffield has issues jamming receivers that are physical and this leaves him at a major disadvantage on the play.
BIG PICTURE:
Kendall Sheffield looks just the way you would expect an Urban Meyer cornerback to look. Smaller framed guy that's quick, twitchy and has good instincts. The difference between Sheffield and former Buckeye cornerbacks in the league is his physicality. Ward and Lattimore were fast and instinctive but also very physical. Sheffield will have issues at the next level defending receivers that aren't going to get any less physical. He has the speed and quickness to run with almost anyone but his aggressiveness will need to be worked on to make sure he is not a liability in the NFL. He will need to step up his ability to assist in run support because NFL teams look for guys that can do a little bit of everything.
PRO COMPARISON: Adoree Jackson
TEAM FITS: Panthers, Cardinals, Chiefs