Miami (OH) CB Quinten Rollins NFL Draft Scouting Notebook

Every NFL team is searching for the latest basketball player convert and hidden gem for their team, and someone is going to get that in cornerback Quinten Rollins out of Miami (OH). The only major difference is, Rollins doesn’t play tight end or wide receiver like other former basketball players do.

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Rollins is a 6-0, 203 pound senior who has only one year of college football experience at the cornerback position after playing point guard on the Miami basketball team. For the guy who is one of the best defensive players in school basketball history, it should have been at least somewhat expected that he would excel at taking the ball away, but I don’t know that anyone expected the impact or meteoric rise of what many consider to be a possible first round prospect after just one year of football.

Rollins led the team with seven interceptions, which was also among the best in all of college football, but he didn’t just take the ball away — he can put a hit on someone too. He finished the 2014 season with 72 tackles, four for a loss, and a forced fumble.

It’s not just the numbers that Rollins put up, though, it’s the way in which he did it. Rollins is much more technically sound than you’d expect from a guy who has played just one season of college football, and he looks like such a natural in coverage. With good size and length as well as speed, Rollins is a legitimate first round candidate and when you turn on the tape, you see why.

I love his overall game, his willingness to make hits although expectedly he will whiff from time to time. He’s not flawless in coverage but you can see he has a great feel for coverage, where the play is going, and he doesn’t give quarterbacks any reason to really test him.

What I love most about Rollins is his ability to play the football. He tracks the ball well, reads the quarterback’s eyes, and does a great job of attacking the football which led to seven interceptions and nine pass breakups this season.

Always keeping his eyes on the quarterback, Rollins does a phenomenal job of putting himself in the receiver’s hip pocket and turning with them step for step. He has great hip movement and he looks like a seasoned pro with his ability to plant and drive on the football.

His awareness in zone coverage is really solid, and with a standout week at the Senior Bowl, Rollins proved that he is ready for another level of competition.

With his greatest traits being ball skills, man-to-man coverage (he is really strong in that area already), and size, I think Rollins might have the highest upside of any cover corner in this year’s draft. He is a bit raw, but that doesn’t equate to a lack of talent and his development is well ahead of schedule. He may have played basketball for the majority of his college career, but he’s a natural football player who looks like a veteran collegiate defensive back in coverage, who plays up near the line and makes every throw and catch difficult for the opposing team.

He breaks on the ball, reads the quarterback’s eyes, and I think his ability to create turnovers make him one of the most intriguing basketball converts we’ve ever seen. I would have no issue taking him in the first round as I feel he has the upside to be the best cornerback in this draft.

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