Early NFL Draft Scouting: Florida Gators CB Vernon Hargreaves III

The Florida Gators were as inconsistent as it got last season but one player that stood out through all the mess was sophomore cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III who is a projected top 10 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

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Hargreaves is the top cornerback in the SEC and he showed that last year covering the opposing teams best wide receiver all game. Hargreaves does not have eye popping numbers, he finished the 2014-15 season with three interceptions and 13 pass breakups. SEC quarterbacks just simply did not throw at him, he is the definition of a lock down cornerback.

The 5’11, 190 pound Hargreaves draws comparisons to former Florida Gator and current Cleveland Brown cornerback Joe Haden. 

Let’s take a closer look at how good Vernon Hargreaves actually is.

Observations

• Hargreaves man to man coverage skills are elite. VH3 is at the wide receivers hip at all times, from the game’s I have watched some quarterbacks will not even look his way. Jameis Winston only threw at Hargreaves twice all game when playing Florida. Against Georgia he was thrown at seven times but only three were complete for around 25 yards. Teams just can not throw the ball his way, he locks down whatever half of the field he is on.
• His ball skills are outstanding, the only time I saw Hargreaves get bullied in the air was against Amari Cooper once on an end zone fade route. Other then that he mostly wins when the ball is in the air. He broke up 13 passes his junior season and if teams threw at him I’m sure he would have more.
• His tackling is somewhat of a question but I think he is a lot better at that then people think. Hargreaves comes up on tackles constantly like this one here against Amari Cooper. Although I have seen times on film where he comes up like a bullet but misses the tackle, at least he is showing the effort which is encouraging.
• VH3 has athleticism that will blow you away. He has incredible leaping ability which allows him to make a play on the ball at its highest point and he has the speed to match up with any receiver. His recovering speed is phenomenal, if he’s ever beat off the line he has the ability to catch up and make a play on the ball.

Overall 

Hargreaves has had a terrific start to his college football career. He is a lock to be in the top 10 if he plays even remotely close to how he’s been playing over these two years. His dominance in the SEC is incredible and he has one more year to cement himself as one of the best SEC cornerbacks we have seen in some time.

Next: Early NFL Draft Scouting: Iowa Hawkeyes WR Tevaun Smith