LSU Football: Kristian Fulton could be steal early in Day 2 of NFL draft

This is one of the deepest defensive back drafts in a long time. Where will LSU football’s Kristian Fulton end up going in the 2020 NFL Draft?

Certain players would benefit from the entire draft process. Kristian Fulton is one of those players. During his career at LSU, he was “the other guy”. He played in the shadow of Grant Delpit and Derek Stingley Jr.

Although he was a top-rated recruit coming out of high school, Fulton has been in the shadow of the superstars at LSU. He addressed the off-field issue during the combine, but he could have benefitted from a more personal interview with a franchise.

Fulton does, however, check most of the boxes teams want in a cornerback. He’s 6-0 and ran a sub-4.5 40-yard dash.

Strengths

Fulton possesses all of the physical attributes teams desire in a cornerback. He is long and tall at 6-0. Fulton is as technically sound a defensive back as there is in this draft. It is difficult for wide receivers to separate against Fulton because he mirrors so well.

A natural boundary corner, Fulton uses the sidelines as an ally in coverage as well. Fulton is as comfortable in press man as he is playing off or in zone coverage. His versatility is an asset at the next level. His statistics — two career interceptions — is deceiving.

Quarterbacks completed only 40 percent of their passes against Fulton. Most importantly, he is smooth. Fulton has fluid hips and can adjust to whatever a wide receiver is trying to do offensively. If he gets beat early in a route, Fulton has the speed to recover and catch a receiver.

Weaknesses

Specifically this season, Fulton has been inconsistent. His games against Texas and LSU looked like a prospect fighting to get into Day 2, not someone that has a first-round grade.

Despite playing against shut-down level defenders in the defensive backfield, Fulton only had one interception this season. He has professional-level speed and athletic skills, but Fulton does not have elite ball skills. Fulton proves that having coverage skills and ball skills can be mutually exclusive.

He faceguards or reads a receiver’s hands too often instead of trying to track the ball. This causes him to lose the ball and lose a lot of 50/50 balls. You are not going to get very much from Fulton in run support either.

Projection

Fulton is a bit of a lightning rod in this draft. some people love him others can leave him. He has elite level coverage skills, but his ball skills have a lot to be desired. The question is what do you want in a defensive back? Some have him as second-round pick; others have him sneaking into the first.

Projection: Late-first, early-second round (Nos. 30-40)