Corey White video
I'm really high on this kid.
There were some positives, and yes a lot of negatives. Here are a few takeaways from the film...
He gets beat deep. A lot of that seemed to be blown coverage by the safeties. Both, Jenkins and Harper, play for the big hit. Their first instinct is to step forward. The problem with this is quick receivers will outrun your corner while you are still frozen. If the play is a short pass or a run, our safeties miss a lot of tackles because they try to lay the wood, rather than just wrap them up. Regardless, White got beat deep way too much; but I don't think it's anything that can't be fixed.
He bites too hard on double moves. I think a lot of this comes from being young and just wanting to make an impact play. With Greer being hurt, White had a premature opportunity to step up and make it happen. He just needs to let the nerves settle and read before he reacts. When he does, we'll see more plays like the INT and batted pass vs ATL.
He seems really good at coming up and tackling. Out of all the footage, I only counted 5 missed tackles. 3 of which were screens designed to make the first guy miss (he also busted a few of these and made some tackles in the backfield). Other than that, he wraps up and tries to prevent YAC. If he can't get there, he tries to force the runner to the sideline. None of his missed tackles went for huge gains.
He didn't record a sack, but he did create quick pressure. Especially in the game vs SD. I'd like to see us send him off the edge more.
He seemed decent at getting off blocks. Decent is all you can really ask for, from your corners.
With all that bring said, I don't think his rookie season was as horrid as people are making it out to be. It's hard to judge, but I don't think it was awful. Even our veterans said that Spags was a poor communicator; and it shows in the film. No one seemed to know where they were. Our guys were bumping into each other and jumping on routs that were out of their zones. I'm excited to see how White plays in a system that focuses on tighter coverage and being more aggressive. This seems more if his style of play. He has what it takes, I just hope he's coachable.