Colts 2022 Draft Interviews: Kyler McMichael, CB, North Carolina
Kyler McMichael is a former four star recruit out of Greater Atlanta Christian School in Norcross, Georgia. He committed to Clemson University out of high school, joining one of the best teams in the country.
I asked McMichael what his experience was like at a school like Clemson:
It was a huge learning experience for me. Being able to be a part of a team that went undefeated, and went on to win a National Championship, was great for me. I was able to sit back and watch a lot of great guys in front of me, compete, and pick up a lot of things from them.
I was able to apply a lot of the things I saw to my tool belt. It was a fun ride and I liked my time there.
McMichael opted to transfer after his freshman season. While there was quite a bit of interest around the country for the talented cornerback, he decided to attend North Carolina University for his final two seasons of collegiate play (three if you count the redshirt year).
I asked him why he chose North Carolina over other schools that were pursuing him:
When I made the decision to transfer, I reached out to one of my good friends who went there. His name is Trey Morrison, I went to school with him. I was able to talk to him and get a feel for if they had a need at the position.
On top of that, I saw the transition they were making over there by bringing in coaches like Mack (Brown), Dre' Bly, and (Jay) Bateman. I saw the potential in the program, especially with Sam (Howell) as well. I saw their potential to be a special team in the future and I wanted to be a part of that.
McMichael went on to be a starter for two seasons with the Tar Heels. He finished his career with 44 tackles, seven pass breakups, and one interception as a starter.
Transitioning from Clemson to North Carolina
Changing schools in the middle of your career can be a tough adjustment for some players, especially on the defensive side of the ball. There are so many potential changes in terms of bonding with teammates, learning different coverages, and understanding different calls.
I asked McMichael how the overall transition was for him:
Being able to have that time off during my redshirt year, I was able to learn the playbook as well as create a bond with the guys in the locker room. That year off was really helpful for me, in my opinion, just to sit back and ease myself into this new position.
Being able to learn the playbook and become more comfortable in that year really helped me going forward.
Clemson and North Carolina play fairly different systems/coverages on defense. I asked McMichael about the two defenses and how comfortable he was transitioning from a zone-based scheme to a more press-heavy one.
A lot of the terminology was similar. In terms of how we played, it was a lot more press-man at UNC. At Clemson, we had a lot more zone, I felt like. It was a pretty big transition going to more press-man, but I felt like it best suited my play as a corner.
Being able to transfer and have experience in both schemes at both universities was a blessing in disguise for me. I was able to take what each coach said and apply it to my game. I felt like it was huge.
Press Coverage Cornerback
I hate to pigeonhole young cornerbacks, but McMichael's film screams press corner in the NFL. He has the necessary size (6'0" 210 pounds), length, and physicality to be a dominant press corner in the right NFL scheme.
I asked him if he would consider himself a press-man cornerback:
Oh, most definitely. That is something that I was definitely able to work on with Dre' (Bly). I like to be a physical corner that takes advantage of my size at the line of scrimmage. Being a guy with my size, it makes it easier for me to stay square as long as possible and get hands on these receivers. This is definitely an area that I pride myself in.
Press coverage is the ultimate chess match in the game of football. It is one on one with two athletic players that are trying to sell something to the other one. There is so much film study and patience that goes into being a press-man cornerback.
I asked McMichael about his overall development in this area of his game and what his type of mindset is like when facing these receivers:
I like to always change it up. Of course I'll watch film with certain releases, but I like to change the way I play up to keep the receiver on their toes. I'll be more aggressive at times, while other times I'll be more patient and wait for the receiver to make the first move. It really is a personnel thing and a match-up thing that decides what I am going to do.
I know that I am going way too in-depth with press coverage, but this is one of my favorite areas of football.
I concluded this line of questioning by asking what type of technique he likes best in press coverage:
Oh yeah, just staying square to the line and pressing. I motor out a little bit, but I like to stay square and kick slide while using both of my hands. That is the technique that I learned and that is what I like to stick with.
Confidence as a Cornerback
Cornerbacks are put on an island a lot in football. It is one of those tough positions where you could be perfect for 99.9% of the game, but have one mistake and that is all the fans are going to remember.
I asked McMichael about how he was able to develop confidence as a younger corner in college football:
It was definitely something that I had to develop in my college experience. You have to be able to develop a short term memory. I had to learn to remain confident in my technique and just go out there and do what I can do.
Another mental aspect of playing cornerback is just the one on one match-up with an opposing receiver. I asked McMichael how he prepares himself for the battles he has with opposing wide receivers:
The goal is going into it with the mindset that you are going to win all your reps. If not, then at least say that I'm going to win more reps than (the opposing receiver). My mindset going into it is that I'm going to try and shutdown this side of the field.
NFL Outlook
I finished off the interview with the same way I finish all of them. I asked McMichael how he would sell himself to a team this offseason. I asked him what my team would be getting, on and off the field, if they draft him:
You are going to need a big, fast DB to guard these big, fast receivers. I feel like that is something that I bring as a corner. Just being big, fast, and physical is something that I hope to display going into the draft and show those qualities off to these teams.
McMichael is one of those underrated cornerback prospects that churns out a good NFL career. He has the traits to be good and his maturity is easy to spot in one conversation (reminds me a lot of talking to Khari Willis years ago).
I really like McMichael's fit with the Colts if he is available on day three of the draft. His traits are absolutely worth taking a shot to round out this cornerback group.
Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.
