2022 NFL Draft Profile: Alabama Cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis

The surprise of the draft for the Crimson Tide may be the cornerback who got little attention last season.

Jalyn Armour-Davis had to be patient at Alabama. 

Although a four-star recruit out of St. Paul’s high school in Mobile, where had developed into an Under Armor All American in 2018, Armour-Davis missed his entire freshman campaign with a knee injury and then found him looking up a talented group of cornerbacks on the Crimson Tide depth chart. 

But he worked his way back, played in eight games in 2019, was a special-teams regular in 2020, and finally cracked the starting lineup last season. He finished tied for the team lead in interceptions with three while landing second-team All-SEC honors from the league coaches. 

Armour-Davis also notched 32 tackles, including one for loss, to go with four pass breakups and a quarterback hurry across 11 starts. He missed some playing time due to a hip injury.  

Measurements

Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

Height: 6-1
Weight: 197
Hand: 91/4
Arm: 337/8

Combine/Pro Day

Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

40: 4.39
Vertical: 36
Broad: NA
3 Cone: NA
Bench: 14
Shuttle: NA

The key is the speed. Armour-Davis tied for sixth fastest among cornerbacks in the 40.

Pros

Alabama Athletics

Armour-Davis primarily aligns in a press-bail technique where he uses a strong stab to disrupt route timings. He plays perfect trail technique with strong closing speed and the ability to carry vertical route concepts up the boundary. When asked to defend the middle of the field, Armour-Davis plays crossers and deep overs with sufficient leverage. He shows strong hand usage at the line of scrimmage and down the field on contested throws. Hip fluidity is adequate enough to speed or man turn when displaced by a route.

Cons

Alabama Athletics

A slight frame that comes with durability concerns including multiple games missed in the 2021 season. He does not show the best footwork and overall lower body explosion is not a strong suit. He tends to bail early and seldom pedals off the ball, often leading to free releases inside by the receiver. His eyes occasionally wander in zone coverage where he also plays too high at times. The physical part of the game including tackling and block-shedding is not present in his currency skillset.

NFL Draft Bible Assessment

Alabama Athletics

Armour-Davis mainly plays press coverage where his trail technique and closing speed are able to shine, he has a knack for mirroring receivers and can shut down the boundary on deep passing concepts. If he wants to stay on the field in the NFL, he will need to add a degree of physicality and work on his zone fundamentals as his lack of lower body explosion limits his man coverage ability at the next level. 

BamaCentral Assessment

Photo | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Armour-Davis had a good combine and Pro Day, and we believe his draft stock has been on the rise. He has a long, prototypical cornerback frame, and his speed stands out. Also, his footwork has improved. Having only started one season for the Crimson Tide he's being labeled a project, but he plays a position where every team needs help, and he has all the qualities that you can't teach. He could be very popular among teams that aren't necessarily looking for a starter in the near future.

Quote

Alabama Athletics

"Man, it brought out a different type of motivation in me. Not really a motivation that I would think of every time I line up or every time I put on a football helmet. It’s just something that’s just a different type of burn in your stomach that you never want to fail, you want to give her the world. In order to do that, you have to figure things out. You can’t dwell on the past, and you can’t be too high on the future. You’ve got to figure out how to be successful in the moment where your feet are. That was the main thing that was kind of instilled in me when she came about. She definitely was the best thing that ever happened to me. So I’m very blessed, very thankful. I love her very much, and I just try to continue be successful so I can make her proud and give her the best life that I can at the end of the day." — Jalyn Armour-Smith on how becoming a father has made him focus even more 

Projection

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

A couple of month ago we would have said fifth round. We're thinking fourth round now, maybe even third. 

Draft Day 1

• What: Round 1
• When: Thursday, April 28
• Time: 7 p.m. CT
• TV: NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes (es)
• Mobile and CTV: NFL, ESPN
• Web: NFL.com, ABC.go.com, ESPN.com

Draft Day 2

• What: Rounds 2-3
• When: Friday, April 29
• Time: 6 p.m.
• TV: NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes (es)
• Mobile and CTV: NFL, ESPN
• Web: NFL.com, ABC.go.com, ESPN.com

Draft Day 3

• What: Rounds 4-7
• When: Saturday, April 30
• Time: 11 a.m.
• TV: NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes (es)
• Mobile and CTV: NFL, ESPN
• Web: NFL.com, ABC.go.com, ESPN.com

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BamaCentral will profile each of the former Crimson Tide players expected to be selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. This is the second story in the series:

Christopher Allen