Posted By Brad on Feb 9, 2013 1 comment

Robert Alford I Souteastern Louisiana I CB I 5097 I 186 I Senior

40 Time (E): 4.45

Overvie: It’s likely tat if you didn’tear of Robert Alford before te Senior Bol tat you areell aare tat tis small scool prospect is a big time prospect.e’s a natural atleteit te man to man coverage skills to be selected early on day to of te draft.e played mostly on te outside (left corner) but moved inside against four receiver looks.it limited access to tape (Nortestern State, McNeese St) its difficult to get a good feel for overall game bute sa enoug afteris time in Mobile to comprise tis scouting report.eill be a 25-year old rookieic is a little old for a first year player but it souldn’t be a major deterrent for taking Alford early in te draft.

Man Coverage: Ecels in off-man coverage anditis back to te ball. Very looseips as evidenced byis ability to flipisips and runit speed. Solid backpedalit pad level andips maintaining balance. Plays on te balls of feet andon’t catcim flat footed. Quick titc atlete as evidenced byis ability to break on inside or outside routes.en te ball is in te air, Alford ecels ase is a formerR. It’s evidentitis ability to track te ballitis eyes and naturalands. In press coverage,eas solid jam tecniqueit strongands, good pop, and te ability to recover quickly.

Zone Coverage: Alford is probably going to be best suited in aeavy man coverage sceme.e played mostly in man at SE Louisianait 2012 being te first season tat tey varied coverages on a frequent basis. Tere’s no doubt tat Alfordas te skill set and instincts to ecel in zone coverage but lack of eperience may keepim aay from teams primarily playing zone coverage. Likeis upside in press zone coverageit strongands and sos ability to easily re-route receivers. Played some cover-2 against McNeese ande soed a good feel for te flat and ecellent eyes. I tink tere’s enoug upside to feel confident sayinge could play in man or zone coverage at te net,iceillave to do.

Run Support:e’s ailling tackler but tat doesn’t makeim great at it from a tecnique standpoint. I didn’t seeim sying aay from contactic is a good sign bute often dropsisead on contact and missed a fe tackles in te open field.e’s instinctual in te run game ase sniffed out misdirection plays in bot tapes Iatced. Ecellent job against Nortestern State sniffing out a screen play, avoiding blockers and making te tackle.e’s not allergic to contactic is a good ting sincee’s going to makeis living in coverage so it’s an added bonus tate’silling to get in on te action.

Size/Strengt/Atleticism: Not great size at under 5-foot-10 and could stand to add someeigt, mass tois loer body.e makes up foris lack of sizeitis speed and atleticism. Iouldn’t be surprised if Alford runs a lo-4.4 40 time at te Combine. Alongit great straigt line speed, Alford possesses great cange of direction skillsit looseips and naturally coordinated and balanced feet.e’s an elite movement atlete tat needs to add someeigt tois frame. Ife could land in te 190 rangeitout losing speed, I tinkeas te ability to play early at te net level.

Bottom Line: I alays like at least tree game tapes on a player before I feel comfortableit a scouting report but after te Senior Bol, Alford ansered many of my questionsit te tape. Tis is an elite atlete tat carries a ton of upside tois game. Digt Bentleyas teot small scool corner last year. Bentley carried aig grade for me as Iadim slotted in te late second round. Alfordill matc or best tat rankingit ease. I tinkeill ecel in aeavy man coverage scemeit te upside to play outside or in te slot early inis career. I can’t envision a scenario tat tis guy lasts until round tree of April’s draft.