Kareem Jackson replacing Dunta Robinson in the Texans Secondary?
By Editorial Staff
The Houston Texans finished last season at 9-7 and just narrowly missed the playoffs. The Texans expect to build on last year’s success and make the franchise’s first playoff appearance. Some will look to the loss of starting cornerback Dunta Robinson as cause for concern, Robinson got a major payday from the Atlanta Falcons in the tune of 6 years and 57 million dollars. The Texans then utilized their first round pick in the draft to select Kareem Jackson the cornerback out of Alabama. I am going to talk about how I feel that there isn’t a drop off from Robinson to Jackson.
Stand Robinson and Jackson next to each other and you’re going to see they both have similar builds; they are both 5-10 and Jackson weighs about 10lbs (194lbs) more than Robinson (184lbs). Both utilize their excellent ball skills to intercept and break up pass attempts. Another similarity is they are able to use their fluid hips to easily get in and out of breaks, and maintain tight coverage. They couple their fluid hips with overall quickness which allows them to break on the balls entering their coverage area. This is where the similarities end.
Here is a bold statement; Kareem Jackson will be an upgrade over Dunta Robinson. The only skill that Robinson has over Jackson is top end speed. And some will argue that he has lost a step after his ACL injury. Jackson is a versatile corner and can play several types of coverage. He enjoys getting physical with receivers and playing bump and run coverage. Jackson possesses the speed and quickness to match up in man coverage. And he has great instincts that allow him to read and react in zone coverages. Jackson’s versatility is what separates him from Robinson, who has often been accused on relying on his physical ability too much. After comparing the on the field attributes I look at the money aspect (I really hate this part). Robinson received a 6 year 57 million dollar deal with 25 million of that guaranteed, and Jackson could be looking at a contract just above that of last year’s 20th overall pick Brandon Pettigrew. Pettigrew received a 5 year 14.6 million dollar contract with 9.4 million guaranteed. Expect Jackson to receive more than Pettigrew’s contract because salaries rise year to year and Jackson plays a more expensive position. None the less the Texans could be looking at saving at least 10 million dollars in guaranteed money and not losing any on the field production.