LSU Cornerback Dwight McGlothern’s Size, Length Make Him Comparable to Therold Simon
It’s hard to find 6-foot-2 cornerbacks, but that’s what LSU will bring to Baton Rouge this fall with Dwight McGlothern.
The top of the hill for legendary LSU cornerbacks proves to be a steep climb. One of LSU best cornerbacks during the past decade would be Tharold Simon. He played very well for LSU from 2010-2012, and had a five-year NFL career (2013-2017). His size stood out, first and foremost.
Simon played at 6-foot-3. That’s just an incredibly long player for a cornerback. His make-up speed, his arm length, and his physical nature all allowed him to be a very good SEC cornerback. It also allowed him to get paid to play football. McGlothern possesses very similar skills at the same stage of his career to where Simon was coming out of Eunice (La.) High School in 2010.
Much in the same way Simon should be remembered, McGlothern is a smooth runner when in coverage, provides a natural backpedal, and he’s physical. It also helps that McGlothern played his prep football for Spring (Texas) Klein Oak, just north of Houston. It’s one of the most competitive regions in the United States so he’ll enter LSU as a battle-tested player.
Let’s take a look at the rangy cornerback from the Lone Star State.
The first video clip displayed McGlothern in the classic bump-and-run technique. Unlike many high school cornerbacks, he did get a hand on the receiver before they left the line of scrimmage. What McGlothern did not do, while still able to make a great play, proves to be quite interesting.
He used his left hand for a receiver going to his right. If he would have used his right hand to bump the receiver, it would have allowed McGlothern to naturally turn and run. Instead he needed more adjustment time to run with the wide receiver. Further, his balance was not that good for when the receiver turned towards the outside. Very common, yet not a best practice.
If McGlothern would have balanced his weight back just a little bit more towards the line of scrimmage, this play might have been an interception. While very difficult to explain through an article summary, it’s easiest to say McGlothern’s weight was too far forward, making it difficult to come back towards the line of scrimmage or sideline. Now, here’s the good part.
Despite the technical miscues, McGlothern stayed right with a very athletic wide receiver. Imagine what he’s going to be like after he’s had a year under LSU cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond.
This time, McGlothern does not even touch the receiver as he runs a go route. He’s in bump-and-run coverage once again, so that will need to be cleaned up. Still, McGlothern did a fantastic job of flipping his hips and staying stride-for-stride with the wide receiver.
He kept the wide receiver from getting in front and stacking him, providing the receiver a huge advantage. This play shows once again how McGlothern can make plays with his raw talent and yet there’s so much more he will become after being coached at LSU.
For this third and final clip. McGlothern and his teammates appeared to be in cover three, and his responsibility was the deep third to the bottom of the screen. He bailed on the underneath route, leaving it to the linebacker, and smartly took the deep section of the field to his side.
Once the football was released, McGlothern’s speed and instincts took over. Most notably, McGlothern timed his break and then took a great angle. This level of instinct will allow him to play zone or man coverage for LSU, and could even lead him to playing some free safety and/or nickel cornerback as well.
Always good to have versatile defenders, and McGlothern provides that type of upside. Here’s a look at the clip.
It’s hard to find big and athletic cornerbacks like Simon, and LSU seems to find one similar to him every few years. McGlothern might be the most similar to Simon as any cornerback LSU signed in the last five years.
Look for McGlothern to make an impact for LSU. He’s just too talented not to be a significant contributor to the LSU secondary later than his sophomore year.
