2020 NFL Draft sleepers who are obscured by stars on their own team

Alabama Crimson Tide

First-round prospect: Trevon Diggs, CB (projected first round, #28 PFF 2020 NFL Mock Draft)

Teammate to watch: Shyheim Carter, CB

Exceptional talent? On the Alabama football team, you say? Well, who would have thought?

While the experts might view Trevon Diggs as the most talented cornerback on the Crimson Tide, it would be foolish to discount the abilities of Shyheim Carter. While the PFF 2020 Mock draft has Diggs being taken in the first round, Carter has shown enough in the last two years to be deserving of a serious look.

The Alabama defensive back is eligible for the 2020 NFL draft and plays a position that has become increasingly important in the NFL, slot cornerback. As the NFL has moved towards a more spread style offense, where receivers take advantage of mismatches on the defense, the modern NFL defense will have to evolve with it, placing more emphasis on the slot cornerback position.

If a team’s defense is looking for a strong slot player, Carter has the talent to spare. This year, Carter has played in 440 snaps thru 11 games, third only to the two stars covering the left and right side outside receivers. Carter also has only 11 misses on 98 targets since 2016.

In 2018, Carter put up his most impressive stats, which was the first year he took significant snaps for the Crimson Tide. He logged in two interceptions, one forced fumble and 44 tackles. While his numbers this year have been less impressive, Carter continues to stand out as a key part of the Alabama defense.

It becomes immediately clear from watching the film on Carter that blockers have to take account of where he is on the field. I watched a highlight reel against Tennessee last year where Carter sniffed out the run play before the ball was handed off, and moved up to tackle the runner.

This happened on more than one occasion just in this game, resulting in a fumble and multiple tackles for a loss. Carter also is impressive when called upon to pass-rush. Last year, he had five total pressures, and a quarterback hit.

It used to be that the third-best cornerback on a team was placed in the slot position, but in recent years, the slot defender has become a specialty in and of itself. The position has become some sort of a hybrid of an outside linebacker and strong safety, which not every cornerback can do so easily.

In the backfield, Carter shows excellent instincts, knowing when to raise his hands to attempt an interception and when to move up and assist another cornerback in his assignment. This year, he has 20 tackles, 11 stops, one forced fumble and six assisted tackles across eight games, according to PFF.

To be sure, he has not had the same success as Diggs. But when I look at Shyheim Carter’s stats across two years of meaningful play as a starter on the Alabama Crimson Tide, I see a player with immense potential that should be getting serious attention from NFL scouts and general managers this winter. The difference between Shyheim Carter and Trevon Diggs would seem to be one of degree and not kind.