NFL Draft Profile: Coby Bryant, Cornerback, Cincinnati Bearcats

NFL draft profile scouting report for Cincinnati cornerback, Coby Bryant

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#7
Pos: CB
Ht: 6013
Wt: 193
Hand: 0938
Arm: 3058
Wing: 7400
40: 4/54
Bench: 17

DOB: _/_/_
Eligible: 2022
Akron, OH
Glenville High School

Coby Bryant
Cincinnati Bearcats

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One-Liners

Fluid CB with great size, length and has ball skills like a WR who anticipates route combinations in zone coverage but can be overly aggressive at times and lacks elite speed and explosiveness.

Pros:

Coby Bryant plays cornerback like a wide receiver and possesses scheme diverse traits plus fluid athletic ability which make him an intriguing prospect. He’s mostly asked to play Zone Coverage in the Bearcat’s defense and is proficient in off-Cover Two, Four and Six. While in flat zones or deep thirds+quarters, Bryant has hawk eyes towards the QB and reads the number 1 and 2 wide receiver to his side very well. He displays a keen understanding of route combinations and anticipates high-lows, aggressively breaking towards the ball and tracking it while maintaining speed and then high points it, all like a wide receiver would. It’s evident that Bryant watches film and understands route combination tendencies out of certain formations and from specific areas of the field - occasionally gaining drastic inside leverage pre-snap vs. a dig route he knows is coming, for example. While he’s mostly in Zone, Bryant shows a good baseline to work within Press-Man. He starts in a solid stance with good weight distribution and low pad level, is patient off the release, not biting on head fakes, displays a smooth backpedal with lightning-quick feet and also has very fluid hips to transition and stay in phase. When trailing downfield, Bryant does a commendable job of turning his head to track the ball and get a hand into the catch point. Furthermore, he really understands how to use his length and physicality when necessary, whether it’s squeezing a receiver down the sideline or boxing them out in the end zone, Bryant brings a dog mentality to the secondary.

Cons:

Going into his fifth season, Bryant has a few areas to clean up, and some limitations that might always lower his ceiling. Firstly, in terms of what he can improve on, Bryant can be much more patient in zone coverage. His aggressiveness to attack the ball comes back to bite him on double moves and he was especially susceptible to stutter-gos and post-curls. Furthermore while in off coverage, he transitions from his backpedal to running downfield too early at times - seemingly not trusting his deep speed - and is occasionally punished with underneath routes as a result. In addition, Bryant should look to improve his tackling technique, too often he doesn’t track the inside hip and dives at the ball carrier’s ankles from too far away before closing enough space. Now for the areas of Bryant’s game that he may never be able to improve substantially - first is that he doesn’t have elite speed or explosiveness. This has led Cincinnati to playing him in plenty of off-zone coverage and also hurts Bryant’s ability to break on the ball when working downfield which is coupled with not being the quickest processor. When Bryant bails and plays with his back to the sideline in zone, he is slow to recognize a receiver stopping on a go and looks back to the QB to ensure they are throwing it, before breaking on the route, leaving him a step behind.

Summary:

Fluid CB with great size, length and has ball skills like a WR. Excels in Cover Two, Four and Six and anticipates route combinations exceptionally well. Understands how to use his physicality and length to make the receivers’ job extremely tough at the catch point. Can be over-aggressive at times in zone coverage and punished with double moves. Lacks elite speed and explosiveness which is becoming more important for CBs at the next level. Not a dependable tackler in space or run defender. Has good starting potential in an off-zone-heavy system.

Background:

Coby Bryant was born in Cleveland, Ohio. His older brother, Christian, played defensive back at Ohio State (2010-14) and is a member of the Arizona Cardinals. Bryant attended Glenville High School in Cleveland where he helped lead the Tarblooders to a 7-0 record in Senate League play in 2016. He played both cornerback and safety as a junior, totaling 50 tackles, five PBUs and an interception. Scout.com ranked him as one of the top three cornerbacks in Ohio in the 2017 class. After high school, 247Sports ranked him as a 3-Star recruit, the 1644th-best recruit nationally, the 170th-ranked cornerback recruit in the country and the 66th recruit in the state of Ohio. In his 2017 True Freshman year, Bryant played in all 12 games on special teams and in the defensive backfield and tallied four tackles. In his 2018 sophomore year, Bryant played in 13 games, making 12 starts at cornerback, as well as playing 9 games with a cast on his hand. He tallied 33 tackles, 30 of which were solo stops. His coach, Marcus Freeman praises Bryant’s natural competitive nature, saying, “The best way to describe him is elite competitor. It can be a fault sometimes because he hates to lose and be wrong sometimes. That's a great problem to have”. During his 2019 Junior year, Bryant started 14 games at cornerback and finished fifth on the team with 54 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, eight pass breakups, two QB hurries and an interception at Houston. He finished off his college ball career in his 2020 senior year as a 10-game starter at corner for an elite defense that ranked in the NCAA's Top-15 in five categories, including tied for No. 3 in both interceptions (16) and No. 3 in team passing efficiency defense (101.26). Bryant is known to be detail-oriented and precise, he was quoted saying how he tries to improve his game, “Details, knowing who's in front of me, spending time on my opponent more, Just being more locked in and more confident." 

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Grades

Current Player Value/Potential Player Value

7.4 / 7.7

"Great player. He's gonna be a great locker room guy. A great leader, you know, he is just a great person in general. He just makes sure he gets the most out of me. You know, I came in young. I wasn't doing too much talking but he always admired that. Because usually some freshmen come in with a big kid cuz they came out of high school when he was the man but he always makes sure all the younger guys who come down there, it's just a blessing because I was able to lead him too in certain parts of the game. He was older than me so we were just like dominoes that bounced off each other." -- Ahmad Gardner on Coby Bryant

2/3/22 - Cincinnati cornerback Coby Bryant was asked how he prepares for and matches up with certain wide receivers, “Honestly just watching film, studying that receiver. If you’re gonna face a bigger guy you have to study his tendencies, what he does well, what he doesn’t do well. That’s just with film study, sitting down and locking up your opponent." Bryant spoke openly about what it was like to play with Sauce Gardner, Darrian Beavers and other talented Cincinnati defenders, “We all have a great relationship, we’re brothers. We push each other, whether it’s me or Mad (Ahmad Gardner), or Beavers or Myjai, whoever it may be, we push each other. This opportunity this week is big for us. We just got to go out and seize it and take it day by day.”