NFL Draft Profile: DJ James, Cornerback, Auburn Tigers
DJ James
Auburn Tigers
#4
Pos: CB
Ht: 5116
Wt: 185
40: 4.63
DOB: 3/5/2001
Hometown: Mobile, AL
High School: Spanish Fort
Eligibility: 2023
One-Liner:
A sufficient athlete with the awareness and experience to play zone-combo coverage.
Evaluation:
Length to play at the NFL level as an outside corner. Fluid pedal, stays square as long as possible and plays his technique with confidence. Smooth hips that can carry and snap underneath. Speed to stick with cross-field overs and posts from bail alignment. Smooth feet that can collapse on return routes even with open hips. Perfect technique in 3 carry, splitting the difference between the first and second vertical. Downhill trigger with leverage to beat linemen and make tackles in open space. Smart player with limited missed assignments. Can I.D. route combinations and pass off targets appropriately? Slinky frame, fairly undersized for his height. Primarily a zone corner, with lots of back-to-the-sideline reps. Most snaps in quarters bail, rarely man in press coverage. Can get caught up in his speed turn, allowing receivers into his blindspot. Want to see more plays with him covering the boundary and flat in split-field coverages as a zone corner. James has limited reps as a true man corner. His ability to guard true number-one wideouts is up for debate, leaving a limitation in his draft projection. To counter, he shines in zone coverage thanks to a mix of tangible athleticism and intangible Identification. A strong pre-draft process that shows an ability to cover receivers one-on-one during the all-star circuit, paired with testing will favor his draft stock come April.
Grade:
5th Round
Background
DJ James played three seasons at Oregon, recording 70 career tackles, 2 interceptions, and 6 pass break ups. Before Oregon DJ was Class 6A first-team all-state for Coach Ben Blackmon at Spanish Fort High, recording 43 tackles, 6 interceptions, and 16 PBU as a senior. Son of Tiffany Knight and Desmon James, and is currently studying in the College of Liberal Arts. Auburn looks for James to step in immediately, and be a key piece to their defense.
