The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be very busy at the upcoming NFL combine. One cornerback they could keep an eye on has one of the better names in all of sports, Rock Ya-Sin.
We are a few weeks away from the NFL draft and excitement is growing. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have to make the most out of each selection if they want to leap into contention under their new regime. Their secondary is currently limited, and outside of Carlton Davis need height. Temple University’s Rock Ya-Sin might be the day two prospect the Bucs could be targeting.
Analysis
Rock Ya-Sin comes in at 6’2″ 190 pounds. He was only a one-year starter at Temple after transferring from Presbyterian College. While he didn’t have the most playing time for his entire collegiate career he made the most of it when he was on the field. As a ball-hawking corner, he had two interceptions and 12 pass deflections his senior season. His junior year at Presbyterian he recorded five interceptions and 13 passes defended. He showed high enough intangibles to be an NFL prospect so he transferred to Temple to gain some NFL scouts attention.
At Temple, they primarily ran press-man and zone coverage allowing him to be aggressive at times. He used his size and strong body control to stick with his man. The Buccaneers are going to be running a new scheme under Todd Bowles, and Ya-Sin may fit in well.
Fit In Tampa
As stated earlier the Buccaneers are very light in the cornerback market and need height. While they could target a veteran with the departure of Brett Grimes, Ya-Sin would be a fill in as a number two corner early in his career. Bowles primarily runs an aggressive heavy blitzing one-gap defense. Recently he has come out and stated that his scheme will vary and depending upon its players. Rock Ya-Sin has been a very versatile corner, and while he hasn’t blitzed efficiently in college, he’s been productive in both man and zone.
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Ya-Sin’s strengths are primarily in a zone-heavy scheme because he can ball hawk better and is a proficient tackler. He definitely would need to work on his all-around game because jumping from the NCAA Division I Subdivision to the NFL in two years is a significant leap.
He was at this year’s senior bowl and was graded the highest ranking corner by Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com. Jason Licht really likes finding smaller school guys who can prove they are capable by their performance at the senior bowl. He definitely needs has room to improve but could be a fit in this regime. Projected as a day two pick, the Buccaneers could improve their secondary with this his name being called. Personally, I think the Buccaneers will target a veteran corner in free agency with their already very young nucleus. I wouldn’t be upset, however, if his name is called while the Bucs were selecting. Also, he’s got a really cool name.
