Asante Samuel, Jr.
Position: Cornerback
School: Florida State
Year: Junior
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 184 Pounds
Draft Projection: 2nd or 3rd Rounder
40 Time: 4.45 & 4.52 Sec (Pro Day)
Jump: 10’4″
My immediate reaction when I watched the highlights and YouTube videos of Asante Samuel Jr. was unlike his father this Asante is aggressive and wants to tackle. Outside of that he might be his Dads clone which means he could actually be better!
The Negatives
The immediate knock on Asante Samuel, Jr. is his size and like his father he is not much of a burner either. Concerns of bigger receivers pushing him around is growing issue for NFL Scouts. Once receivers are able to get separation on Samuel he doesn’t have the closing speed to catch up. He needs work in zone coverage and has shown some inconsistency finding the ball in the air.
The Positives
Samuel has the versatility to play inside corner or outside corner (both sides). If you ask him, he can play Safety too. Clearly showing he has the confidence of his father. He excels in press man to man coverage and as all the instincts to mirror the receiver. As I touched on earlier, he does not shy away from contact and is certainly not a liability when it comes to tackling. He is a strong competitor and often times reads the play before it happen.
Asante Samuel was a 4th round pick, undersized, and considered slow. It took him 3 seasons to develop but ended up a 2 Time Superbowl Champion and 4 Time Pro-Bowler. He had 51 career interceptions with 36 of them over a 5 year period and made 1 All-Pro team. Pretty good career for being an undersized corner that lacks speed.
Asante Samuel, Jr comes into the NFL draft the same exact size and critiques. I can’t say I would take him at pick 37 but if Asante falls to pick 70 or 84 in the third round the Eagles should swoop him up. According to Greg Cosell, he sees Samuel has a slot corner at the NFL level so even if the Eagles take Patrick Surtain, Jaycee Horn, or Caleb Farely early they could still take a chance on Samuel as well.
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Freddy Burns
Co-Host & Writer for Edge of Philly Sports
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Photo Credit: AP Photo/Gary McCullough (left), AP Photo/John Amis, File (right) via FanBuzz
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