Dre Bly measured 5 feet 9½ coming out of college, but the Detroit Lions’ new cornerbacks coach jokes that he’s grown since then.
“I think I’m right at 5-10,” Bly said earlier this month. “But most little guys, we say we’re bigger than we actually are.”
What Bly lacked in size and speed — he ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine — he made up for with smarts, savvy, competitiveness and ball skills, and those are some of the traits he said he will be on the hunt for later this week when the Lions could add to their cornerback room in the NFL draft.
Already, the Lions have signed three defensive backs in free agency who embody those characteristics.
Cam Sutton has been lauded by the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin as one of the smartest players he’s ever coached. Emmanuel Moseley fought his way from undrafted rookie to indispensable part of the San Francisco 49ers secondary. And C.J. Gardner-Johnson has excelled at both slot cornerback and free safety in his career.
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Combined, the three had 10 interceptions last season, with Gardner-Johnson tying for the NFL lead with six picks.
“One of the things (Lions coach) Dan (Campbell and A.G. (defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn) talked about was having high ball production guys, guys that make plays,” Bly said. “It’s just not a lot of guys, in my opinion, at defensive back throughout college and the league, I wish they could make a little more plays. And so it’s either in you or it’s not in you, and I think we’ve been able to bring in three guys that have been highly productive, they’re around the football and that was one of the things that we were looking for.”
If ball skills are innate, and past production is a precursor of what’s to come, the Lions will not lack for options in a cornerback class that ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said is “the deepest position in the draft by far.”
Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez and Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon, potential top-10 picks who could interest the Lions at No. 6, had four and three interceptions last season, respectively, despite quarterbacks often throwing the other way.
Gonzalez did not have an interception his first two seasons at Colorado, but was credited with 10 pass breakups. Witherspoon, who had two interceptions in 2020, finished the year with more passes defensed (17) than receptions allowed (16).
“The big knock on (Gonzalez) coming into this year was he didn’t have any interceptions at Colorado,” ESPN analyst Todd McShay said. “Well, he had four picks at Oregon and I think from a trait standpoint, like the oily hips, the top-end speed, the length that he has at 6-1 and change, run a 4.38 40-yard dash, 32-inch arms. He’s what you look for in terms of a smooth, fast athlete that does it effortlessly and has instincts in coverage.
“So I think if you’re looking for just a pure man-to-man cover corner, it’s Gonzalez. If you’re looking for the most complete cornerback in this class it’s Witherspoon and I think with like, Detroit brought in some veterans at corner. They could go in that direction if other things don’t play out the right way with defensive linemen (falling out of the top five).”
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McShay said there is gap between Witherspoon, Gonzalez and the rest of the cornerback class, but “it’s not a massive one.”
As many as five other cornerbacks could be selected in Round 1 — several will go near the Lions’ second first-round pick at No. 18 — and most have the ball skills Bly covets.
Emmanuel Forbes, a potential first-round pick who reportedly made a top-30 visit to the Lions, had 14 interceptions in three seasons at Mississippi State and returned six of those for touchdowns. Cam Smith had six interceptions in 19 starts over four seasons at South Carolina. And Alabama’s Brian Branch, a safety/slot defender in the mold of Gardner-Johnson, had four interceptions in three seasons while playing primarily as a safety at Alabama.
Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. and Maryland’s Deonte Banks, two more potential first-round picks, did not produce as many turnovers, with one interception each last season, but both have other skills NFL teams covet. Porter is one of the most menacing cornerbacks in the draft with defensive lineman-like 34-inch arms. Banks, who missed most of the 2021 season with injury, ran a 4.35-second 40 at the combine, tied for the third-fastest time (with Forbes) among cornerbacks.
Michigan’s D.J. Turner, who ran the fastest 40 time at 4.26 seconds, had one interception last season and two in 2021 and was used occasionally as a punt returner, something else Bly said portends to good ball skills.
Deeper in the draft, Kansas State cornerback Julius Brents (four interceptions last season), Utah slot corner Clark Phillips III (nine INTs, four returned for TDs in 31 career games), USC cornerback Mekhi Blackmon (three INTs) and Illinois safety Sydney Brown (six INTs) are among others with standout ball production.
“We kind of were in control of our rooms (as a college coach, and we’d) evaluate the prospects and see what you like as a coach,” said Bly, who coached cornerbacks at North Carolina in 2019-22. “So being a defensive back or former defensive back and corners coach, the first thing I look for is high motor, a guy that’s again, high ball production is something that we look for. And so there’s just certain things you try to target and you try to make sure when you evaluate guys you see some of the things that interest you as a coach and as an evaluator.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.