Stephon Gilmore
South Carolina
Ht. 6 0 1/2 Wt. 190
Man Coverage: Gilmore played some off man coverage, primarily with an 8-yard cushion. He has excellent length and he knows how to use it to his benefit in man coverage, shading his man and using subtle hands and forearm tricks to push the receiver off the desired path. Enthusiastic in press man coverage, though he isn’t as good at jamming as you would expect for a corner with his size and length. Tends to rise up and place his hands too high in his jam. Gilmore will get grabby coming out of his break on faster receivers. Reads routes quickly and knows how to counter the attack. Gilmore lacks great long speed to stay with the fastest receivers down the field. He does have fluid movement and shoulder/hip coordination.
Zone Coverage. The Gamecocks spent most of Gilmore’s tenure in a zone shell. He reads the receiver and keys very quickly and accurately, anticipating breaks and route adjustments. Gilmore has decent quickness though he will often take an extra step to break, particularly to the inside of the field. He can capably transition receivers from zone to zone and readjust quickly, a critical skill for teams in Cover 2. Lacks great suddenness in his burst and change of direction and he will overcompensate at times by taking a false step, which can be exploited by quicker receivers. He often benefitted from a very good pass rush that didn’t force him to stay in coverage long and allowed him to get away with gambling at jumping routes. He generally sees the field well and closes in on the play with controlled quickness. His length increases his range and can take away throwing angles. Will get caught napping on occasion and can get caught jumping on the slant and getting beat over the top to the outside (see East Carolina and Auburn games). Overconfidence appears to plague Gilmore at times. Read the rest of this entry » «Stephon Gilmore Scouting Report»