College Football: Who’s the new DBU?
LSU
Number of DBS in the NFL: 14
Number of projected NFL starters: 10
Notable players: Jamal Adams, Delvin Breaux, Morris Claiborne, Jalen Collins, Tyrann Mathieu, Jalen Mills, Patrick Peterson, Eric Reid, Rashard Robinson, Tre’Davious White.
Of all of the schools profiled in this piece, none have more players in the NFL than LSU. The school presently boasts 14 defensive backs on NFL rosters, with an astonishing 10 players currently projected to start for their teams in 2017.
Like the other teams highlighted in this piece, the Tigers run a 4-3 defense that’s predicated on a pro-style man coverage scheme. LSU teaches an aggressive form of press coverage that forces cornerbacks to mirror opposing wideouts, lock into their hip pockets and essentially run the receiver’s routes for them. When done correctly, this technique can blanket opposing receivers, and give pass rushers more time to break through the opposing offensive line.
One of the key reasons the Tigers are able to consistently field one of the best defensive secondaries in college football is the team’s ability to cultivate talent.
Over the last 7 years, LSU has found consistent success with players of varied skill sets, like Patrick Peterson, a 6-foot-1, long armed freak of nature who runs a 4.3, Tyrann Matheiu, a shifty 5-9 swiss army knife, and Jalen Mills, an aggressive 6-1 combo-backer. Being able to deploy a top ranked defense is an impressive feat. Being able to adapt said scheme to fit such a varied collection of players is a real testament to the team’s player development staff and ingenuity.
LSU lost two of it’s best players, safety Jamal Adams, and cornerback Tre’Davious White to the first round of the 2016 NFL draft, but this shouldn’t slow down the secondary going into 2017, in fact, speed shouldn’t be an issue in Baton Rouge.
Who’s next?
Returning to lead the Tigers secondary in the forthcoming season are Donte Jackson, a 5-foot-11 corner who reportedly runs a 4.24 40 yards dash and could very well be the first cornerback taken in the 2018 NFL draft, and John Battle, last season’s 6-foot-2 starting strong safety. In addition to Jackson and Battle, the team will potentially see senior safety Ed Prince and junior cornerback Kevin Toliver II, a pair of career backups, take on more prominent roles in the Tiger’s defensive backfield.
In an age where consistency is king, it looks like LSU will continue to produce a steady stream of talent to the NFL and remain one of the best defensive backfields in college football for years to come.