Offseason Scouting Report: Quinten Rollins

Last offseason Green Bay let Casey Hayward walk in free agency, in large part, due to their young up and coming cornerbacks LaDarius Gunter, Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins. These three young corners were expected to be the future of the defensive backfield. Green Bay spent their first two picks in 2015 on Randall and Rollins with the expectation that they wouldn’t have to pay Hayward top dollar in free agency or spend heavily to upgrade the position. What happened in 2016 made many of these decisions seem misguided. Rollins, Randall and Gunter did not perform up to expectations, while Casey Hayward played spectacularly in San Diego.

Last seasons' results left Green Bay course correcting in 2017 and Rollins, Randall and Gunter now find themselves competing for playing time behind free agent signee Davon House and rookie Kevin King.

We’ve already taken a look at Damarious Randall’s scouting report (http://cheeseheadtv.com/blog/offseason-scouting-report-damarious-randall...) and today we will take a look at what Quinten Rollins could still bring to the table.

Once again, you can find the film breakdowns on Rollins to perform your own review. Click the links to Twitter below to view the entire threads. You will find film from college, 2015 and 2016. There is plenty to like in the threads, but plenty of work that still needs to be done.

Strengths:

Playmaking

When you watch Rollins’ college thread you really start to get a feel for the playmaker that he can become. All throughout his career he’s had a proclivity for getting his hands on the ball and making big plays.

Tackling

While Rollins isn’t a big bodied, physical corner, he makes up for his lack of bulk with a fearless demeanor.

Athleticism

You will see at the bottom of this article that Rollins didn’t test particularly well when coming out of college; however, what I see on tape is a player that has the necessary athletic tools to win at the NFL level. The play below shows exactly what I mean.

Anticipation

Rollins is best when he is in zone -- able to watch the quarterbacks’ eyes. When he’s in this position Rollins has a great feel for baiting the quarterback and jumping routes.  

Weaknessess:

Size/Physicality

When Rollins matches up with bigger more physical players he really struggles to redirect or control the receiver. Time after time receivers will get free releases and come up with big plays. 

Gambling

As mentioned above Rollins excels when he has his eyes on the quarterback and can jump routes. On the flip side, quarterbacks have learned to use this against Rollins and have been able to get him to bite on pump fakes and double moves. Rollins has given up way too many big plays because of this and needs to become a disciplined player. 

Outside Technique

Regardless of play design or scheme, Rollins struggled with outside technique--in press he wasn’t physical enough, in zone he would lose track of his man and in off-coverage he gave way too much space for the receiver to operate. Rollins needs to learn to use the sideline as his friend and has to find a way to get more physical at the line of scrimmage.

Confidence/Health

Something happened in 2016 that caused Rollins’ sophomore slump. It’s tough to tell as an outsider what the root cause of the problem was but it’s easy to see that he wasn’t the same player last season. Rollins needs a clean bill of health and a boost of confidence heading into 2017. Maybe the coaching staff’s decision to give him the first crack at starting slot corner will be the boost in confidence that he needs.

Summary

When you watch all the tape you do not see anything that would deter Rollins from being a really good slot corner in the league. He shows good anticipation, quickness and change of direction. He times his jumps perfectly and has the necessarily athleticism for the position. To succeed in 2017, Rollins needs to clean up his technique and put the extra work in during film sessions to make sure he’s prepared mentally when the ball is snapped.

2017 Projection

Thus far in training camp Rollins has been given the first opportunity to win the number one nickel cornerback job. After reviewing all the tape possible of both Randall and Rollins I firmly believe that Rollins should be ahead of Randall for the nickel position. Rollins has quicker footwork, better agility and more playmaking ability than Randall.

The nickel position also requires a never back down mentality that Rollins possesses. Rollins needs to avoid playing on the outside as much as possible because he doesn’t have the physical stature or ability to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. If he can find a home at the slot position and regain his confidence, you will see the Quinten Rollins that Green Bay expected when they drafted him in the second round.

Notes:

2015 PFF Grade: 81.4

2016 PFF Grade: 46.2 – 87/110 eligible cornerbacks

RAS: https://relativeathleticscores.com/2017/05/18/quinten-rollins-ras/

 

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Andy is a graduate of UW-Oshkosh and owns & operates the Pack-A-Day Podcast. Andy has taken multiple courses in NFL scouting and is an Editor for Packer Report. Andy grew up in Green Bay and is a lifelong season ticket holder - follow him on Twitter @AndyHermanNFL!

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Comments (18)

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CheesyTex's picture

August 02, 2017 at 02:32 pm

My one cent: I think the 2015 Rollins is what we can expect to see in 2017, and 2016 performance was hindered by injury.

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Oppy's picture

August 02, 2017 at 06:53 pm

Coach Whitt said today in his press conference, flatly, that Rollins outplayed everyone in the off season, and has outplayed everyone so far in camp.

I wish I could link to time stamp, but I can't, so you'll have to FF to the 2:03 mark to hear the question and Whitt's reply.

http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Whitt_Rollins_coming_in_with_...

Tons of upside.

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Oppy's picture

August 02, 2017 at 07:19 pm

Side note: Man, I just love Joe Whitt Jr.'s forthright, honest, and no-bull attitude he brings to the podium. I imagine he's an amazing coach beyond what the public ever sees.

I used to be a bit skeptical of his abilities- everyone talked about how he was a good coach, but the only CB I saw really develop under him was Tramon. Now? His resume is pretty full. What he's got out of Tramon, Shields, Gunter.. House and Hayward, the rook seasons of Randall and Rollins (both of whom I expect to bounce back this season).. How long can we keep this guy in green and gold? Let's hope a long time.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 03, 2017 at 04:14 am

This is a really good article, but Oppy, your link to Whitt is wonderful. Thanks for the link.

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Oppy's picture

August 02, 2017 at 07:14 pm

BTW... great article, Andrew.

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JerseyAl's picture

August 03, 2017 at 08:28 am

BTW, welcome back Oppy - always enjoy your contributions. Hope you stick around - I cleaned house of most of the a-holes that would come here. Comments section looking much better now.

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TKWorldWide's picture

August 03, 2017 at 09:04 am

I noticed that too, and recently commented favorably on it in another thread.

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dobber's picture

August 03, 2017 at 09:35 am

...it's almost TOO peaceful around these here parts, Sheriff.

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JerseyAl's picture

August 03, 2017 at 10:33 am

careful what you wish for...

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TKWorldWide's picture

August 03, 2017 at 11:59 am

Is that a variation of the classic "It's quiet. TOO quiet!"?

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flackcatcher's picture

August 03, 2017 at 01:56 am

Coming back and playing after surgery is insane. Coming back after your thigh has to be physically put back together up is well beyond that. The simple fact, is your leg has lost the ability to remember, and takes weeks and sometimes months learning to walk normally. That both Rollins and Randall were able to complete on the field last year was down right amazing. Like Oppy said. Great article Andrew.

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Lphill's picture

August 03, 2017 at 06:28 am

I think both Randall and Rollins rebound this season , both played hurt last season again the Packers brought in no available help last season to add to the depth which was depleted by injury. If they do play up to their potential and with the safeties we have available the secondary play can be very solid.

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Handsback's picture

August 03, 2017 at 08:05 am

Great article Andrew.....and I do think Rollins and Randall will be forces to consider this year.

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JerseyAl's picture

August 03, 2017 at 08:22 am

When Randall and Rollins were drafted, I wrote that Rollins would eventually be the better player. I felt he had the fluidity and change of direction skills that were perfect for the position. He just needed time to learn the game of football, having played four years of basketball and only one of football. I was disappointed with him last season as he didn't progress but just kept hoping it was due to injuries. Joe Whitt just said he has outplayed all of the other cornerbacks this offseason and in camp so far. Maybe it's all coming together for him.

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RCPackerFan's picture

August 03, 2017 at 11:12 am

Rollins was my draft crush after seeing him in the Senior Bowl. I loved his skills. He always seemed to get his hands on the ball and those traits continued to Green Bay his rookie year.
The part that impressed me his rookie year was his ability to come up and be physical in the run game.

Something that hasn't been brought up much with Rollins is that he missed some time last offseason as well. For a young player going into his 3rd year of football, missing practice time is not ideal. Then he suffered the bad injury that required surgery.

I am excited to see him in year 3.

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dobber's picture

August 03, 2017 at 09:38 am

When you look at the percentile ranks of his testing numbers, they don't impress anyone. If Rollins is going to make it, he's going to have to do it on smarts and hard work. Sounds like he's embracing that, but we won't know until he's under fire.

My concern is that we won't see a lot of these guys (House, King, Randall, Rollins) until September, given how close to the vest the staff plays it with preseason snaps (and especially with the new cutdown policy).

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JerseyAl's picture

August 03, 2017 at 10:33 am

those percentile ranks are based on his performance one day at the combine. Maybe he had an off day. If you read scouting reports on him, they all talk about his athleticism, quick feet, etc. And that's what I saw when I first watched tape on him.

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Oppy's picture

August 03, 2017 at 01:44 pm

I would love to see someone plug Jerry Rice's combine numbers and measurables into the database that produces those percentile breakdowns and comparisons and see how ugly he looked on paper. :)

Sometimes, guys are just excellent football players, despite the measurables. Watching Rollins play often paints a different picture than what is presented on the data sheet.

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