2019 Raiders Draft Prospect
Name: Julian Love
Position: CB
School: The University of Notre Dame
Height: 5’11”
Weight 195 pounds
Round Projection: 2-3
Stats
Speed
Granted, most corners possess speed. Yet, for Love, he uses it intelligently. That is to say, you will see Love explode toward the ball.Not to mention, the decisiveness nature of correctly driving on a shorter route. With no hesitation, Love barrels toward the target. Yet, he shows no fear of the out and up. Why? Love possessing the burst to recover and catch up to the wideout, if they gain the slightest separation.
Coverage
Blessed with keen instincts, Love diagnoses the rout before the top or the break. As a result, film shows him running the route for the wideout. On deeper patterns, Love correctly predicts the go, and actually outruns the receiver to the ball. With the ball in flight, Love uses quick, solid hands to dislodge the ball. Either he will use a veteran move like split the receiver’s arm with his own. Under the circumstances, the wideout cannot close his hands to catch the ball.
Agility
If you look at Love on sideline passes vertically, watch his feet. Again, he uses the technique of running hip-to-hip and subtly cutting off the path without touching the opponent. The wideout will slightly veer towards the sideline. If he manages to stay in bounds, the quarterback cannot drop the pass in the bucket in bounds.
Ball Skills
Armed with strong hands and above-average vision, Love will pick the ones he gets his hands on. If the receiver gets to the ball first, Love will punch the ball out with quick hands. The only drawback is 50/50 balls, due to his height.
Tackling
Despite his average frame, Love will coil and drive through the target. With consistent pads and leverage, he drops the ballcarrier with force.Where Love improved is consistently sound technique. At the next level, he must continue this approach. Teams will test him on screens. Love must use that explosion to surf through the trash and locate the wideout.
Raiders Fit
With Gareon Conley, the Raiders appear strong on one side of the ball. On the other side, a menagerie of retreads. Granted, Nick Nelson is also young. Yet, he profiles as a slot/nickel corner. On the other hand, Love slides into the other spot. Given his abilities, Love profiles as a starter.Furthermore, Tyreek Hill, Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, and whatever the Broncos throw out there require attention.
