College Eye for the NFL Guy: Darrelle Revis

NFL scouts think they know him, but they're wrong...

Darrelle Revis, cornerback, Pitt

WHAT NFL SCOUTS ARE SAYING

ESPN.com ($): "A tall, well-built cornerback with impressive athleticism for his size. He is instinctive and does a great job of reading opposing quarterbacks' eyes. Displays better than average ball skills. Shows toughness and aggressiveness in press coverage. Fills hard versus the run and has developed into a reliable open-field tackler... Lacks elite quick-twitch athleticism. His hips are fluid but he doesn't display ideal lateral quickness. He will struggle to match-up one-on-one versus NFL's quicker and faster wide receivers... He displays adequate man-to-man cover skills but we feel he's better suited to play in a zone-heavy defensive scheme."

The Sporting News Pro Football Draft Guide: "Must improve his technique. Often uses a sidepedal instead of a straight backpedal and struggles to transition out of it without losing steps."

Pro Football Weekly 2007 Draft Guide: "A good-sized, physical press corner in the same mold of Patriots S Eugine Wilson, Revis might turn out to be a better safety than corner with the way he likes to hit."

PROBABLY GETTING DRAFTED

Middle of the first round according to just about every projection. Somewhere in the 15-23 range. The Sporting News is the only publication to put him (late) in the second round.

GUY WHO WATCHED HIM FOR THREE YEARS SAYS



Darrelle Revis is one of the more fundamentally sound cornerbacks. Despite his physical size, he doesn't launch himself at the receiver or ball carrier. He doesn't just try to push a guy out of bounds. He actually wraps the guy up and tackles. I'm really not sure where this talk came from that he likes to hit. He can and will, but more often he tackles. On Pitt's defense the past couple of seasons a player who can and actually does tackle stands out.

As a run support corner, I'm not yet sold. Simply because he really hasn't done much of it. Pitt's defensive schemes very rarely used the safeties in run support. Never mind the cornerbacks. Many of his tackles on running backs were because the back was able to get past the D-line and linebackers. Revis does have excellent awareness of what is happening on the field, and will come back to the ball.

He does have to work on his coverage a little more. He has good speed and can stay with most receivers. His first two years, the secondary played softer coverage, keeping him further away from the receiver and creating more space. This did produce some bad habits as he waited more and tried to read the QB. Letting the receiver burn him on slants inside. In the past year, he was playing much tighter, but with few balls thrown his way he didn't have to break a some of the habits.

Revis will make an excellent pro. He's never been close to any trouble off the field. He has added value as a punt returner, but is not an explosive type. He will produce some nice runs, but is not a particular threat to break one.

The only possible risk is that he is the nephew of former NFL defensive lineman Sean Gilbert. Who knows if God will tell him that he too needs to hold out for more money?