2018 NFL Draft: Anthony Averett Scouting Report

Alabama’s Anthony Averett is an undersized 2018 NFL Draft cornerback prospect who has a nose for the football.

Anthony Averett lacks ideal size for the cornerback position, but brings some toughness to the field. His feisty play and overall athleticism makes him one of the better slot cornerback prospects in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Averett plays with excellent balance which gives him strong change of direction skills. He also has fluid hits that help him limit separation and keep in-phase with the target. His tight coverage gives him the opportunity to break up a lot of passes.

Despite his lack of size, he does a solid job fighting through contact. Averett knows how to use his quickness to get around the bigger targets and get his hands on the football. However, the bigger NFL wide receivers will have an obvious advantage.

Averett will have a hard time winning in contested situations or out leaping those bigger receivers. This is one of the main reasons why he is looking at spending most of his time working out of the slot.

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Actually, he has plenty of skills that fit this role. Averett has the quickness and speed to stick with the speedier targets. He has the fluidity to keep in-phase when the receiver is working the underneath routes.

His feel for the game makes him an asset in zone coverage. He knows how to read the quarterback, feel the developing routes and break on the ball. His career total of 1 intercept doesn’t accurately represent his ability to attack the football.

Averett is also a solid tackler who has the ability to blitz off the edge. He features excellent snap timing which combined with his burst makes him a threat to register sacks.

Overall, this is a strong coverage cornerback who can succeed as a slot corner in the NFL. He has the quickness and hip fluidity needed to limit separation. It also helps that Averett is a willing tackler and blitzing threat off the edge.