Scouting Report: Vernon Hargreaves III

Vernon Hargreaves III

Name: Vernon Hargreaves III
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 185 lbs.
Position: Cornerback
High school: Tampa (FL) Wharton

Notes: Holds offers from Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Boise State, Cal, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Houston, Illinois, Louisville, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, South Carolina, South Florida, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCF, USC, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wake Forest, Washington, and West Virginia . . . Claims a 4.41 forty time . . . As a junior in 2011, had 49 tackles and 2 interceptions, along with 11 offensive touchdowns . . . As a sophomore in 2010, had 44 tackles . . . ESPN 5-star CB, 90 grade, #1 CB, #4 overall . . . Rivals 5-star CB, #2 CB, #9 overall . . . Scout 5-star CB, #1 CB . . . 247 Sports 5-star CB, 100 grade, #1 CB, #6 overall . . . Father coaches defensive backs at South Florida

Strengths: Good leaper . . . Goes up to get ball at highest point . . . Not particularly tall, but has good length to bat down jump balls and passes thrown over his head . . . Good change-of-direction skills . . . Very good speed . . . Reacts quickly to balls in the air . . . Sneaky defender, quick enough to avoid most blockers

Weaknesses: Needs to get stronger in upper body . . . Not a physical defender . . . Dives at legs or grabs onto shirttails rather than wrapping up and using good tackling form . . . Does not look supremely confident in his own speed . . . Sometimes looks for cutback rather than turning on the jets . . . Needs to improve press man coverage, as well as footwork in backpedal

Projection: Cornerback.  Hargreaves has a lot of the raw athleticism that should turn him into a good college cornerback.  He changes directions well, tracks the ball well, has good speed, and has the leaping ability to defend taller receivers.  When it comes to pass coverage, you would be hard pressed to find many guys with more talent in any given year.  What Hargreaves really lacks is the physical/toughness aspects of the game, where he's too much of a finesse player.  At this point in his development, he would be a liability in run support and might get pushed around by bigger receivers in college.  However, if he can get stronger and become a more physical player, he has a chance to be a high NFL draft pick down the road.

Reminds me of: Cliff Harris (Oregon)