Film Breakdown: Cam Taylor-Britt Brings Toughness and Physicality to Bengals' Secondary

Cincinnati took Taylor-Britt in the second-round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Author:
Mike Santagata
Publish date:
May 6, 2022 11:18 AM EDT

In this story:

The Bengals traded up to select Nebraska cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt with the 60th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Taylor-Britt was a high school quarterback and was a 3-star athlete coming out of high school. He joined Nebraska and in his sophomore season. Taylor-Britt showed off his versatility for the Cornhuskers, playing both safety and outside cornerback.

In his junior and senior seasons, he was exclusively an outside cornerback. In his senior year, he was named a team captain and played well enough to earn second-team All-Big 10 honors. He’s a muscular and competitive corner with all the tools to succeed in the NFL.

Let's watch the film and get to know him better.

What He Does Well

Oct 9, 2021; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (5) breaks up a pass to Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Daylen Baldwin (85) during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports — Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

One of the things I look for the most in a cornerback is their patience. This means that a corner trusts their technique and athleticism in coverage. Patience is key at the release point, break point, and at the catch point. If a corner is impatient they can be grabby or lose out on fakes and double moves. I would say that Taylor-Britt is very patient in coverage and is rarely seen biting on double moves or freaking out with the ball in the air.

Another area that is key to surviving as an outside corner in the NFL is his ball skills. When the ball is in the air, do they know how to play it and can they break up passes? If a corner does not have good ball skills they will end up on the other side of some posters, but Taylor-Britt looks like he will come into the league with good ball skills. This was showcased by the 11 pass breakups he had last season.

Something Taylor-Britt does very well is reading the quarterback’s eyes, shoulder, and footwork. I think that Taylor-Britt is tremendous at reading out the intentions of the quarterback and knowing exactly what they want to do. This is probably a benefit from him playing quarterback in high school.

Taylor-Britt is a physical corner that tries to set the tone on every snap. He will reroute outside releases to the sideline where the receiver has no room to make a catch and he will get his hands dirty in the run game. He also seems to take it personally if a wide receiver is blocking him and will look to absolutely destroy that block.

I have some concerns with the athletic profile of Taylor-Britt, but his straight line speed isn't one of them. He looks like he will be able to hang with most receivers step for step and the explosion is something that can be weaponized by Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.

Taylor-Britt does a good job when blitzing from his outside cornerback position. Typically from the boundary, he will come off of the edge and wreck havoc on opposing offenses. This is something that works well in conjunction with his explosion and straight-line athleticism.

Areas of Concern

Nov 26, 2021; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (5) reacts to a call during the third quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports — Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

While he’s a good straight line athlete, Taylor-Britt does seem stiff and has issues changing direction at times. He also loses his balance more often than I would like to see. This is something to monitor even though he has the straight-line speed to recover.

While I like Taylor-Britt’s eyes when reading the quarterback, he does seem to get a little bit too aggressive based on what he's seeing at times. He will jump a shallow route from a deep position or look to fit the run too hard off play action.

Taylor-Britt is a very willing run defender, but he needs to slow down and wrap up the ball carrier. He had too many missed tackles in the games I watched.

Overall Thoughts

Taylor-Britt has a lot of the tools required to be a good man coverage corner, outside of the change of direction stuff. He’s a patient player and that should serve him well in this area.

He's physical on jams and in press which he can utilize to mask that deficiency some. His ball skills and recovery speed are paramount to his ability to succeed in man coverage in the NFL. He may struggle a bit with very quick change of direction receivers, but thrive against larger receivers where he can really get physical.

In zone coverage, Taylor-Britt has a great feel for reading the quarterback. This is one of the areas I am most excited to see Taylor-Britt this season. As a former quarterback, he has a good understanding of the concepts being run on him as well as what the read is. He can play their eyes and use his athleticism and ball skills to break up passes that should be complete. If this ability translates over to the NFL, Taylor-Britt will eventually become an awesome zone corner with the ability to survive in man coverage.

I would be remiss if I did not also mention his ability to blitz and fit the run. Taylor-Britt weaponizes his explosiveness when blitzing off of the edge. This is the area where his straight line athleticism and physicality show up the most.

It would behoove coach Anarumo to let him do this for the Bengals a bit as well. He is also physical and willing to fit the run which I am sure is something the team coveted.

Fit Within The Bengals Scheme

Taylor-Britt should push to start this season opposite Chidobe Awuzie. At worst he should be the third outside cornerback and ready to take over if either Awuzie or Eli Apple miss time due to injury. He should be starting outside in 2023 at the latest. He has the ability to make it work in the Bengals variable scheme even though he is at his best in zone coverages. Everyone in the NFL has to play some man coverage and Taylor-Britt should be able to survive doing so on the outside.

NFL Comparison

Trae Waynes

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