Originally posted by VPofCarnage:
Roby was apparently a little bit banged up this year, and he had that one-game suspension. It was an off year, but Roby just has the rare kind of closing speed & quick reaction you just can't teach. And although Verrett is much more polished in coverage at this point, Roby is a MUCH better hitter & will get in receivers' heads IMO.
Roby's also a year younger than Verrett, so Verrett's had another year to refine his technique. I love both of these prospects, but if I'm thinking long-term investment (and that looks like Baalke's strategy w/ his inactivity in free agency), I'm going w/ Roby.
So he'd make a better safety than Verrett would. Even then that's a bit iffy because he tends to be a so-so tackler in the open field.
Both Verrett and Roby were banged up this year, yet one guy shutdown most of the people he covered, the other guy was lit up repeatedly like a Christmas tree. My issue with Roby is that he's been backsliding, he looked sloppy this season, all the natural talent and athleticism are there to be a damn good cornerback but all the talent in the world doesn't override a 10 cent brain.
If you start watching Verrett 3 years ago and move to the present, you can see the steady improvement in his game, improved awareness, improved footwork, better confidence, if I look at Roby, he's actually been going backwards and that's a scary proposition, those types of guys often continue that sort of regression into the NFL.
People will point to his struggles against Abbrederis but the Cal game to me was a huge red flag with him defending against Chris Harper. He looked really awkward, didn't show any real confidence and Harper made some huge catches against him, going for over 120 yards. If I were to basis Roby's draft grade on that one game, I'd say this dude is a 5th or 6th rounder at best.
Once again, the talent, the athleticism, they all are there, the mental side of things, especially with him having some off the field issues, I don't know where this guy's head is at or will be at when he gets into the NFL. If its a simple matter of someone having bad technique, footwork, that all can be developed, coaches can work with that. A guy who loses focus at key moments, who appeared to be lost out on the field at times, that's a much more difficult proposition to deal with. As it stands right now, I would take Verrett over Roby without the slightest hesitation.
[ Edited by Phoenix49ers on Mar 30, 2014 at 1:09 PM ]