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NFL Draft Scouting Report: Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State

Former Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley is evaluated and profiled for the 2017 NFL Draft.

Gareon Conley -- Ohio State Buckeyes

Position: Cornerback
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 196
Year: Junior
Hometown: Massillon, OH
Experience: Jr. - 2 year starter

Measurables:

40yd dash: 4.44
Broad jump: 129”
Vertical: 37”
3-cone: 6.68
20yd. Shuttle: 4.18
Bench Press: 11

Career Notes:

In 2013 Conley was a four-star athlete and the top high school recruit in the state of Ohio. He left Washington High School as a two-way football player, being featured as both a productive wide receiver and playmaking defensive back. However, after one season at Ohio State playing primarily a special teams and reserve role, Conley cracked the starting lineup of the Buckeyes defense.

Despite starting the entire 2015 season, it wasn’t until Conley’s 2016 campaign that he began receiving national recognition. As a junior, he earned second-team All-Big Ten honors for a season he recorded 26 tackles, four interceptions, and eight pass breakups. While he didn’t record as many tackles as in his sophomore season, where he came up with 49 stops, in his junior year Conley improved on his 2015 pass defense numbers, where he recorded two interceptions and five pass breakups.  

In his two years starting in college, Conley guarded and held his own agaisnt some of the top wide receivers in college football. He performed well against the likes of Mike Williams, Dede Westbrook, Chris Godwin, Amara Darboh, and Will Fuller. The Ohio native also made a game-clinching interception in the win over Michigan State. It’s Conley’s ability to make plays in clutch moments, as well as his ability to cover one-on-one the top receivers in the game that make him a special defensive back and a likely top-five cornerback prospect in the NFL Draft.

Injury Report:

Conley has not missed a game in three seasons, an impressive 41-game streak. However, he did miss the second half of the Oklahoma game in 2016 due to a minor shoulder injury. Conley suffered a stinger, but he did return to start the following week. Overall, Conley enters the NFL with a good bill of health.

 

Career Stats(click here):

 

Analysis:

Man Coverage: 4.5/5.0

The strongest part of Conley’s game is his ability to press receivers at the line of scrimmage and then shadow them all over the field. Conley can be a true lockdown corner at the next level. His speed, athleticism, and competitiveness in coverage allow him to disrupt a receiver’s route progression, as well as stay on his man out of his breaks. His polished footwork and fluid hip movement allow him to quickly change direction, which really aids him in holding up in man coverage. What is special about Conley’s game is he’s just as good at preventing the wideout to separate on downfield routes as he is on comeback or in-breaking routes. Very little gets past him. And while at times he can lose in jump ball situations, especially against bigger more elite receivers, Conley consistently contesst passes thrown in his direction and usually manages to get a hand on the ball. Overall, Conley is a smart, athletic defensive back who can blanket receivers in coverage.

Zone Coverage: 4.0/5.0

While Conley primarily played man coverage at Ohio State, he does show some ability to hold up well in off coverage or zone. In off coverage, he shows a knack for breaking on the ball when it’s in his vicinity, demonstrating very good mental processing and play speed. He does a nice job watching the quarterback’s eyes and then reacting to the ball once it releases the quarterback’s hands. Where Conley could improve on in this area of his game is being more consistent in making stops once the receiver catches the ball in front of him. His tackling needs to be more consistent, which until it improves, could hinder him when playing in off coverage or zone.

Against the Run: 2.5/5.0

Run support is the one glaring weakness to Conley’s game. While he shows good competitiveness in coverage, he does play a bit timid against the run. He doesn’t stick his nose in the action, and his tackling can break down in the open field, especially when he leaves his feet and dives at the ball carrier’s ankles instead of establishing a square base and wrapping him up. Similarly to Sam Shields in his first few years, Conley will have to learn to be sounder in his tackling technique, as well as learn to embrace contact. Too frequently he gets washed out of the play when a run is bounced in his direction. He has size and strength to held up better in this area of the game, but he needs to work on having the mentality and assertiveness to make stops in the open field.

Athletic Ability: 4.5/5.0

Conley is a smooth athlete who backpedals well and does a great job flipping his hips to turn and run downfield with receivers. His change of direction ability is excellent, demonstrating fluid movement staying on his man’s hip in and out of route breaks. Conley’s athleticism and sharp footwork allow him to excel in man coverage, as well as break on the ball when playing off coverage. His fast three-cone and short shuttle times at the combine reinforce just of how agile of an athlete he is and how well he moves in space. He makes it look effortless. He also plays with very good body control, which allows him to win in jump ball situations because he can contort his body to adjust to the ball in the air.

Play Speed: 4.5/5.0

While Conley may not have elite speed, he is fast enough to defend the deep ball well. He rarely gets beat downfield, and he shows an ability to stick with receivers of every speed gradient. He also reacts well to plays, which ties into his strong field awareness and football IQ. His route recognition ability is excellent, which allows him to anticipate throws and get his hands on the ball to interfere with passes. There are not a lot of wasted steps in his game, and he also has enough acceleration to recover and close the gap if a receiver manages to pull away from him. His recovery speed and quick reaction ability help separate him from the other cornerbacks in the class.

Impact Play Ability: 4.0/5.0

Conley shows excellent ball skills and on-field awareness. He makes several plays in coverage and he also has the ability to shut out a receiver in a game. In college, quarterbacks frequently shied away from his side of the field, despite the fact he often covered the opponent’s top receiver. Even with the lack of opportunities to make plays, he still recorded six interceptions and 13 pass breakups in his two seasons as a starter. He possesses great hands and is excellent at tracking the ball in the air. Conley is more than just a good man-cover cornerback. He also makes a lot of plays in the secondary.

Summary: Conley is a starting-caliber cornerback in the NFL. He should compete for playing time immediately as a rookie, and he has all of the traits to be a really good defensive back at the next level. He excels best in press man coverage, and he has the ability to be left on an island as a boundary corner. His combination of size, speed, and ball skills make him a likely first-round talent and a top-five cornerback in the draft. Even if he falls to the end of the first round, Green Bay could seriously consider selecting him with their first pick.

Overall Grade: 4.0/5.0  

 

If Drafted by the Packers:

Conley’s ability to excel in press man coverage would fit well in Dom Capers system. Frequently, the Packers ask their defensive backs to hold up in one-on-one coverage on the boundary, so they can send pressure and get after the quarterback. Green Bay could use more cornerbacks who press well at the line of scrimmage. This is a part of the game Damarious Randall and Quentin Rollins really struggled with last year.

The acquisition of Conley would give the Packers an immediate starting-caliber cornerback to feature in their secondary alongside Davon House. Conley would also bring some much-needed playmaking ability to the Packers defense, something they’ve been missing since losing players like Casey Hayward, Tramon Williams, and Charles Woodson in recent years. The former Buckeye’s ball skills and knack for forcing turnovers could bring more game-changing plays to Green Bay’s defense.

Conley would also bring competition to the Packers cornerback room. With Conley, House, and LaDarius Gunter headlining the group, Randall and Rollins could compete for a role in the secondary. With House, Conley, and Gunter better fits as boundary corners, Randall and Rollins could be moved over the slot and carve out roles as nickel cornerbacsk. While Conley is versatile enough to play over the slot, his best fit because of his size and speed is defending the boundary.

 

 

Video:

 

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Comments (4)

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porupack's picture

March 29, 2017 at 01:39 am

Yep, that would be the ideal pick at #29 that has highest probability to impact most and create ripple affect all throughout the Defense. I sure hope it is a CB such as Conley in round 1. I hope OLB/edge are targeted immediately after to make the second biggest upgrade at Defense. After that....BPA, punter, whatever.

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stockholder's picture

March 29, 2017 at 07:42 am

Conley is not my ideal pick. I'm staying with Watt or Melifonwu. He needs to add strength and plays the middle of the field soft. And that's the packers biggest Achilles heel. Conley does have the foot work. But It's going to take time for any DB to learn. I don't think his closing speed is good enough.

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Colin_C's picture

March 29, 2017 at 12:43 pm

To me, Conley is the man we need. I think he'll be the second or third CB drafted, so we will probably have to move up for him.

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stockholder's picture

March 30, 2017 at 04:14 pm

He's ok but I'd take a safety first. This draft is deep in CBs. Seen Brandon Wilson's workout numbers? - Sleeper!

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