Robert Stafford's Senior Film Showed Why Miami Recruited Him
There were many reasons the Miami Hurricanes wanted the services of Robert Stafford. Speed, elusiveness, good hands, change of direction, and on and on. Seeing him play his senior season, however, added more spice to the recipe.
He had shown those traits as a junior, but there was more confidence, more moxie and pizzazz, as a senior.
The 5-foot-11 and 170-pound do-it-all athlete was projected to play cornerback for Mario Cristobal and the Canes. That’s still the case. Just let it be known, in the meantime, that Stafford could have played a couple of other positions based on his senior film.
Robert Stafford liked to rep The U even during practice.
Having watched Stafford catching passes out wide, he could have certainly lined up for the Canes as a receiver. Stafford caught the football away from his body, made over the shoulder receptions with ease, and immediately would hit the jets and accelerate away from defenders after a catch.
He was tremendous as a return man as well, making many defenders look bad when they tried to tackle him.
Regardless of playing receiver or being a return man, Stafford’s second-level speed was also noticeable. A defender would have the angle and then suddenly, off went Stafford, into the end zone after accelerating yet again. The Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie talent certainly made one other habit look easy, and it was also impressive.
It’s one thing to catch a defender off guard with a sudden move. It’s quite another to make one person miss with a side-step move, then do it again immediately thereafter.
Stafford had a handful of those moments with the football in his hands and they showed just how physically gifted he was this past season. On defense, that athleticism was utilized in a different manner.
He played physical bump-and-run coverage, even knocking a wide receiver out of bounds. Whether up at the line or playing off coverage, Stafford also displayed the components of a defensive back that can quickly change direction and drive on the football while it's headed in his general direction. Sometimes those efforts led to plays like this one:
Because of his natural backpedal and ability to turn in run, he often made up a lot of ground while the football was in the air that led to a pass breakup or interception. That combination of traits cannot be taught.
His twitchy lateral movements, as well as being capable of stopping quickly only to then take off again, and do so fluidly, showed Stafford’s gracefulness as a cornerback.
All of his skills together made quite an impressive senior highlight film, and one that proved Miami made a great decision to go after this young man.
Do not be surprised when Stafford gets a chance to earn some playing time on special teams and at cornerback in 2023. He has big-time ability and the Canes were smart to recruit Stafford.
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