SI All-American Candidate Ja'Den McBurrows Highlights and Evaluation

Ja'Den McBurrows is a cornerback prospect from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. McBurrows is an SI All-American candidate.

Prospect: Ja’Den McBurrows 
Status: SI All-American candidate
Vitals: 5-foot-10, 165 pounds
Position: Cornerback
School: Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas
Committed to: Michigan 
Projected Position: Cornerback/Slot

Frame: Slender and relatively short. Average width across upper body. Long arms. Narrow waist. Small, tightly-wound thighs and calves. Developed trunk. Certainly on smaller side, but still has room to fill out. 

Athleticism: Very good speed; ran 11.01 100-meter dash in 2019. Light, quick feet; wastes little motion in and out of cuts. Fluid hips. Impressive vertical jump and overall aerial body control. Natural ball skills. Below-average strength. 

Instincts: Innate awareness and overall savvy. Tracks ball well in air. Can read play and break off assignment to bait quarterback into risky throws. Anticipates overthrows out of zone for easy interceptions. Willing tackler in run game. 

Polish: Clear understanding of coverage principles and responsibilities. Fluid backpedaler. Must gain weight and get stronger. Will mostly play off coverage, but needs to add jam. 

Bottom Line: McBurrows needs to gain weight and add strength before seeing the field in Ann Arbor. Once he does, don’t be surprised if he quickly becomes a mainstay in the defensive backfield due to his instinctive playing style and outstanding ball skills. Potential multi-year starter.