2022 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: CB Derion Kendrick, Georgia

Derion Kendrick isn't a tall cornerback, but he does have more than enough of a wingspan to potentially succeed at the next level.

Derion Kendrick, CB

Height: 5’11”
Weight: 202 lbs.
Class: Senior
School: Georgia
Arm Length: 30 3/4”
Wingspan: 74”
Hand: 9 1/8”

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A former five-star recruit out of South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina, Kendrick was the number one South Carolina recruit, and he initially attended Clemson as a wide receiver. Kendrick played three seasons with the Clemson Tigers before transferring to the Georgia Bulldogs for his senior year.

Kendrick also played quarterback in high school. He passed for 2,685-yards and 30 touchdowns while rushing for 1,194-yards and 20 touchdowns. After his senior season in high school, he was a finalist for the U.S. Army Player of the Year award.

Notables

Kendrick started from the get-go after arriving at Georgia; he was productive at Clemson and started 23 contests for the Tigers. He transferred after Clemson coach Dabo Sweeny parted ways with Kendrick after the CB was arrested for possession of Marijuana and was charged with unlawful possession of a gun.

His first season at cornerback was in 2019 (his sophomore year). He was productive with 40 tackles, 1.5 for a loss, two interceptions, a touchdown, five passes defended, and a catch percentage of 54.4%. He also committed six penalties in 2019. His play didn’t slip too much in 2020, but Ohio State WR Chris Olave caught 132-yards and a long touchdown against Kendrick.

Kendrick leaves Clemson and finds a new home with the Bulldogs. He had a 46.3% catch rate with four interceptions, five passes defended, and 13 STOPS in the run game. Kendrick revitalized his career, won a national championship, was named to the All-SEC second team and went down to the Senior Bowl. His practices in Mobile were up & down; he was torched by Calvin Austin III (Memphis) on Day 1, but he bounced back and had a good week.

Strengths

• An excellent athlete
• Effortlessly changes direction in tight quarters
• Smooth mover who with great burst and short-area quickness
• Very good overall body control
• Patient at the line of scrimmage
• Can quickly jam and flip his hips to position himself advantageously (inside and outside)
• Great fluidity in his transitions, flexible athlete
• Quickly gets in and out of his breaks when following receivers
• Can play man coverage well from press or slightly off, sticky
• Mirrors well and tends to be disciplined with his hips, the closer he is to the LOS
• Shows good zone instincts when routes are in front or behind him
• Has a solid understanding of route concepts and his assignment
• Stays in phase very well in the short to intermediate parts of the field
• Quick reactor with good recovery speed and burst
• Plays through the catch point
• Aggressive coming back through receivers arms and disrupting the catch
• WR background comes into play; great ball skills
• Tracks the football well and high points
• Very willing tackler who attempts to level ball carriers
• Is not scared at all in run support
• Deconstructs WR stalk blocks well with quick hands

View all of Nick Falato's draft prospect profiles right here / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Can Improve

• Not the biggest cornerback, but he adequate in size
• Arms are sub-31,” but that’s better than sub-30”
• More of a boundary CB, may not be versatile enough to play inside
• Needs to clean up his tackling
• Flies into tackle attempt a bit wild with intended power, but pop is adequate at best
• Hips would open a bit early in off-man, making him a bit susceptible to quick-hitting passes
• Struggled against deep vertical speed when WR was able to get into his toes
• Character concerns and off-field issues will have to be addressed

Summary

Overall, Kendrick is a great athlete capable of executing man and zone assignments at the next level. He is aggressive and willing as a tackler with fluid hips to assist his transitions in man coverage while showing solid processing from depth in zone. 

His tackling mechanics need assistance to improve efficiency, and he could develop some more pop at the point of attack. He’s not the biggest, and he was exposed against Ohio State’s Chris Olave in 2020. He’ll have to answer for his departure from Clemson, but he has a five-star pedigree and the coverage skills necessary to be a starter in the NFL.

GRADE: 6.3 C (“C” stands for character concerns) 

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