Analysis: Seahawks Add Decorated CB Coby Bryant to Secondary

While his teammate Ahmad Gardner generated most of the headlines at Cincinnati, Bryant turned in an impressive college career of his own and can put his own name on the map in the Pacific Northwest.

Continuing to address their biggest needs in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Seahawks opened day three by fortifying their secondary with the selection of Cincinnati cornerback Coby Bryant with the 109th overall pick in the fourth round.

Though he didn't receive the pre-draft buzz of his college teammate Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, who the Jets drafted fourth overall in the first round, Bryant received plenty of accolades of his own as a four-year starter for the Bearcats. In fact, Bryant beat out Gardner to receive the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's best defensive back in 2021 and received First-Team All-American honors.

Possessing good size at 6-foot-1, 193 pounds, Bryant brings a physical presence on the outside and may have the best ball skills of any corner in this year's draft class. An instinctive player who runs the route like a receiver in coverage and excels at undercutting routes and breaking on the football, he generated nine interceptions and 26 pass breakups over the past four seasons.

Avoiding penalties in the process, Bryant exhibits sound body control maneuvering around receivers without creating excessive contact at the catch point. He wins with his eyes and while questions about the quarterbacks he faced are notable, he often baited them into bad throws in zone coverage and capitalized.

A gritty all-around defender, Bryant also is a willing and capable tackler who will throw his helmet into the fight defending the run on the perimeter while also making quick tackles on receivers after the catch. As a senior, per Pro Football Focus, he received an 81.1 tackling grade and an 83.6 run defense grade.

From a weaknesses standpoint, Bryant enters the league as a polished, high-floor talent with sub-par athletic traits. Though he did improve upon his 40-yard dash time by running in 4.47 seconds at Cincinnati's pro day, he ran a slow 7.31 3-cone drill, which falls in the eighth percentile for cornerbacks. He also posted a 33-inch vertical jump and a 4.33-second short shuttle, which both fell below the 30th percentile.

These poor agility testing numbers showed up time to time with Bryant struggling to swing his hips open and change directions in college. Faster receivers could be a problem for him at the next level, particularly in the quick game if manned up in coverage.

With that said, Bryant plays faster than his testing times on film and his instincts and football awareness help him compensate for an average athletic tool box. His ball skills can't be taught either and after Seattle finished near the bottom of the league in turnovers, his penchant for getting his hands on the football will be welcomed.

Given his prior experience playing on both the right and left side on the outside and his penchant for turnovers, Bryant will have the opportunity to jump right into the competition against 2021 fourth-round pick Tre Brown and Artie Brown to earn a starting job for the Seahawks. He will also be in the mix for reps on kick and punt coverage teams.