Film Session: Small School 2022 DB Prospects

Because DB is one of the hardest positions to play in all of football, it is even harder to recruit the correct prospects to play the position at a high level. Not only are the movement skills that are required to succeed at this position super difficult to find, but having the raw ability to play the position instinctively is also very rare among players that play this position. Among the large amount of players that play this position also lies the group of prospects that either display flashes of ability, or who are a bit developmental in ability. Regardless, these smaller school prospects are talented nonetheless, and are worth a look. Below, we have listed a few of our favorite small school DB prospects for the 2022 class. <strong>Christian White-</strong> <em>Eagle's Landing</em> Measuring in at 6'1, 170, Christian White has the prototypical frame that colleges look for in a DB. When evaluating his tape, you will see him line up at corner, and while he is raw in his coverage skills at times, his instinctive ability to fly around the field and find the football is what sets him apart. This results in turnovers, as well as pass breakups. White also has a great ability to get out of his breaks, and change direction, which will certainly translate well at the next level. His ability to flip his hips, and tie his feet and eyes together in man to man coverage helps him a ton. While we also feel he has the speed necessary to play the position, we also feel that he gets lost in space at times, and will need to adjust better during his senior year. Look for him to have a big year during his senior campaign, and expect colleges to give him more attention. <strong>Eric Jones III-</strong> <em>Loganville</em> Jones, who seemed like he made a living out of his special team's success during his junior year, has a ton of tools that can translate to him playing well at the next level if given a chance to show out for a smaller program. Not only does he have great body control and balance, but he also has good burst, speed, and twitch. This allows him to make big plays in open space, and also translates well in his ability to cover WR's. Not only does he have the speed to keep up with WR's, but he also has the eyes, and feet to help him stay on the WR's hip pocket, allowing him to make plays on the ball. While we think he plays a bit high at times, we still feel he has some flexibility, and good sink and bend. While we would like to see him improve with this during his senior year, we also want to see him work on how he gets out of his breaks in zone coverage. If he can manage to improve in these areas, we feel he will be able to elevate his game. <strong>Kenshaun Mitchell-</strong> <em>Lovejoy</em> Mitchell, who has proven to be an asset for his defense, not only has a nose for the football, but also has the tenacity to play on the defensive side of the football. When lining up at CB, he not only has fluid movement skills, but he also shows that he can adjust to a WR's change of direction very well due to his ability to open up his hips well. Despite him being a bit undersized, we still feel he has the ability to perform well at the next level due to his ability to take good angles, use his speed, and make plays in pursuit. At the next level, we believe he can be a great D2 player, and that he would see even more time if moved to Safety. <strong>Devin Gardner- </strong><em>Lakeside</em><em> </em> Gardner, who spent a majority of his time playing at Free Safety has a ton of traits that flash with great ability. Not only does he have the speed, and ability to cover sideline to sideline, but he also has fluid movement skills. Gardner is not only able to flip his hips very well, but he is able to cover ground well, and make plays on the ball. He has the frame and length that allows him to do a great job at such things as well. Along with this, Gardner also takes good angles, does not allow for too much wasted movement, and is able to finish tackles. His ability to play instinctively and fast also set him apart, and allows for big tackles, and even tackles for loss. Look for him to start to rack up offers this year and earn opportunities to play at smaller programs if given a chance.