Comparing Corners: Florida’s Vernon Hargreaves III vs. Clemson’s Mackensie Alexander
Florida State defensive back
Jalen Ramsey is the top secondary player available in the 2016 NFL Draft. Whether you prefer Ramsey at safety or corner, he is a blue chip prospect and clear-cut best DB available.
With that out of the way, the new question is: Who is the second best cornerback in the 2016 class? To answer that, we turn our attention to Florida’s
Vernon Hargreaves III and Clemson’s
Mackensie Alexander. By comparing them in key areas, the information will decide who the better prospect is between them. First, some background information on the standout corners.
Both Hargreaves and Alexander were
highly regarded recruits in the 2013 class as ESPN had them ranked third and fourth overall respectively and rated as five-star recruits. They were destined to be compared to each other and oddly enough, Jalen Ramsey was the 14th rated recruit per ESPN and rated as a four-star prospect that same year.
While most of the analysis you read in this piece is subjective, Hargreaves having a better collegiate career is not. Hargreaves played in 36 career games and racked up 121 tackles, 10 interceptions and 27 pass breakups. Alexander played in 23 games and tallied 44 tackles, 0 interceptions and 11 pass breakups. Hargreaves was a consensus All-American in 2015 and a three time (2013-2015) First-Team All-SEC selection. Alexander was named First-Team All-ACC in 2015. It’s also worth mentioning that despite entering college the same year, there is a fairly significant discrepancy in date of birth between the two players. Hargreaves was born on 6/3/1995 while Alexander was born on 11/12/1993. The experience, resume and age all heavily favor Mr. Hargreaves.
Coverage
The reason I am comparing these two players is because they are both outstanding cover-corners and there is not much discrepancy in their abilities to lockdown their side of the field. Alexander is a better player in off-man coverage and anticipates routes better, particularly on the inside release. Hargreaves has the edge when it comes to press coverage as he is adept at being physical with his hands at the line, remaining balanced through contact, eating up the receivers stem and disrupting the timing of the route. The differentiating skill in this area is which player allows less cushion and is more difficult to complete a pass on. That edge goes to Hargreaves. Overall he remains connected with his opponent and mirrors with better consistency.
Ball Skills/Competing at the Catch Point
While statistics do not generally tell the whole story, in this case they do. Hargreaves has a combined 37 interceptions and pass breakups (1.02/game) compared to Alexander who combined for just 11 pass breakups (.47/game) and did not intercept a pass in college. Hargreaves is a natural ball magnet and he is outstanding at tracking the football down the field and breaking up passes. While it does not appear Alexander has been tested as many times at the catch point as Hargreaves, he is just not as refined in this area. It’s not a weakness for Alexander by any means, it’s just not as much of strength for him as it is Hargreaves.
Tackling
Prior to writing this article, I charted five games from the 2015 season for each player. Here are my tackling notes for each player:
Hargreaves (Kentucky, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Alabama, New Mexico State)
- 15 secure, solo open field tackles
- 4 missed open field tackles. Reasons noted below:
- Dove at Tennessee RB Jalen Hurd’s feet and whiffed coming downhill in the boundary
- Went for a strip of the football and missed the tackle
- Was backside run defender in a short yardage situation, trailed the play and was unable to bring the ball carrier down from behind
- Whiffed low coming downhill to tackle a rocket screen in the boundary
Alexander (NC State, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida State, Alabama)
- 6 secure, solo open field tackles
- 3 missed open field tackles. Reasons noted below:
- Whiffed, diving at ankles in run support in the boundary
- Took a bad angle and couldn’t reach ball carrier in space
- Gave too much cushion on comeback route and failed to breakdown in space and make the play
From the five game sample size on each player, Hargreaves was simply more involved by having far more opportunities to make tackles and it wasn’t because he was simply allowing receptions and tackling his man. He was flying up in run support and making tackles on receiver screens. For the most part, it was with excellent technique and he made the play. Both players are physical guys who are willing to take on blocks and are reliable D-gap defenders but the numbers indicate Hargreaves is a better tackler and his overall technique is more consistent.
Reactionary Skills
This is another area where there isn’t much that separates these players but the slight advantage goes to Alexander. Healexander anticipates routes better and is quicker to react to screens/run plays. It’s fair to say that it’s not a weakness of Hargreaves but just as much of a strength as it is to Alexander.
Athleticism/Size
Hargreaves is listed at 5’11’’, 199 pounds while Alexander is listed at 5’11’’, 195 pounds. I highly doubt either player checks in at 5’11’’ in an official measurement and the weight could drop by up to ten pounds when they step on the scale. Alexander has a thicker, stockier frame with long arms while Hargreaves appears to be a bit more lean.
Both players represent fluid athletes with smooth feet and can precisely change directions with ease. They are equally adept in their ability to flip their hips and run with top-end speed. Since I am forcing myself to give an edge, the pendulum swings ever so slightly to Alexander. I see marginally better burst when driving off the back foot and closing distances in short areas. Both players are terrific athletes who will test extremely well and achieve every desirable athletic testing number.
So Who is the Better Prospect?
The information should always make the decision and in this case that is Hargreaves. His blend of cover skills, tackling, and ball skills make him the top defensive back after Jalen Ramsey on my board. He also enters the NFL with a superior resume and is 20 months younger than Alexander. Both players have the upside of high-level starters in the NFL but my preference is Vernon Hargreaves III.