Prince Amukamara is one of the many overrated corners of this year's draft class. But I have to give some of these guys credit; all of the second round cornerback prospects of the 2011 draft look pretty good.
Amukamara has average physical tools. Amukamara has pretty nice size, and solid speed, but he lacks a lot of athleticism. He doesn't provide the leaping ability to go up and deflect passes over his head, and his change of direction skills are mediocre as well as fluidity as an athlete. He also has pretty tight hips. He doesn't provide much strength, either.
Amukamara has excellent ball skills. He never drops passes, he can get into good position on the deep ball, he gets a lot of interceptions, and he deflects a lot of passes. He can catch balls its highest point pretty well, and his hands are very consistent.
Amukamara has actually rushed the passer pretty well in his career, getting 3 sacks. He has solid quickness and he has excellent closing speed. It's a nice bit of versatility factored into his game.
Amukamara has good character. He works hard on and off the field, he has excellent on field toughness, and he plays hard. His character is one of the better assets to his game.
Amukamara is a mediocre run stopper. He lacks strength, he could use a lot of bulk, he isn't very good at shedding off blocks, and his instincts are mediocre. But he doesn't miss many tackles, his tackling fundamentals are solid, and he is typically in good position. He isn't aggressive at all on run plays, but he is aggressive on pass plays.
Amukamara some cover skills. He has solid route recognition skills, but can be out of position in coverage, and he also frequently gives receivers too much of a cushion. But he is pretty physical in coverage, though he will bite some on double moves and on hitches, causing him to be out of position.
I am sure some of my readers have read the validity in yards allowed article I wrote last year. Amukamara, according to that statistic, had average production for a corner during the 2010 season (which I agree with). That isn't my issue with Amukamara. My issue is that if he is going to be picked in the first round with average production for a first rounder, he better have off the charts physical tools. But Amukamara is 6'0 tall and he runs a 4.49 40 yard dash. That's not terrible, but guys like that grow on trees. If Amukamara is going to be a first round pick with average first round production, he ought to have off the charts physical tools, which I don't see.
Her are some highlights of Amukamara:
Prince Amukamara vs. Baylor
Prince Amukamara vs. Texas
Overall, Amukamara's lack of cover skills consistently hamper his production in coverage. I have always really valued cover skills in a corner, and I believe that Amukamara's lack of cover skills will make him a disappointing player at the NFL level.
NFL Comparison: Leigh Bodden
Grade: 94
Projection: 97
Updated Scouting Report(s): DeAndre Brown is officially the Greg Oden of college football, with the hamstring injury that hampered his production against South Carolina.
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