Rashard Fant, Indiana: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report
By Jon Dove
Indiana’s Rashard Fant is an experienced cornerback prospect who has a lot of holes in his game.
Rashard Fant features average size for the cornerback position, but lacks the length many evaluators covet. He also has average speed and doesn’t flash the quick-twitch ability needed to keep pace with faster receivers.
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Fant does play with good balance and flashes the ability to keep in phase with his target. However, he plays too much with his hands which is a major issue. Fant has the bad habit of grabbing the receiver’s jersey, arms and shoulders.
He is often called for pass interference or defensive holding because of this habit. Even in the situations where he doesn’t get flagged there’s typically enough contact that a penalty could’ve been called.
The NFL has made these type of penalties a priority which means that Fant would receive even more flags at the next level. It’s hard to imagine an NFL team feeling comfortable putting him on the field until he corrects this problem.
There’s a strong possibility that Fant will never be able to overcome this issue. He constantly has his hands on the receiver even when he is in good position. It might be a confidence problem that forces him to grab on to his target.
On a positive note, Fant does show solid ball skills and the ability to track the football. He has the feel to get his head around on the ball and locate. This makes him a threat to pull down some interceptions. However, it’s still tough to see him making an impact at the next level with his penalty issues.