NFL Draft Profile: Mekhi Garner, Cornerback, LSU Tigers
#22
Pos: CB
Ht: 6020
Wt: 212
Hand: 1018
Arm: 3228
Wing: 7800
40: 4.55
DOB: 1/11/2000
Hometown: Mesquite, TX
High School: Poteet
Eligibility: 2023
Mekhi Garner
LSU Tigers
One-Liner:
He is a big, physical cornerback and has a very aggressive play style. Definitely better in man coverage than he is in zone coverage.
Evaluation:
A big, physical cornerback who plays a very aggressive style. He is very good in man coverage and has a strong jam at the line of scrimmage, but also has enough speed to keep up with receivers if his jam attempt fails. He isn’t the quickest player but has a good amount of speed once he reaches full acceleration. Doesn’t have the best change of direction and can get beat off the first step. He really struggles to cover quick slant routes because of that. He plays with outstanding use of hands. Whether he is jamming a receiver or playing the ball, his hands are extremely strong and help him make a lot of plays. Plays too loose in zone coverage and sometimes gets lost in a play. It seems that he tries to rely on his athletic ability too often in zone, instead of just reading the receiver and doing his job on that given play. He is good against the run and a hard hitter with excellent tackling skills, as long as the play is coming towards him. One big negative about him is he gives on plays and that sometimes hurts his team. It’s one thing if the play goes to the opposite side of the field and you don’t chase it down, but there were times a receiver would beat him in his route and he would just quit on the play. Playing in the SEC now he will be up against very fast players every week, so he needs to break that habit or it could be extremely detrimental to his new team.
Grade:
3rd Round
Background:
Mekhi Garner, from Mesquite Texas, attended Poteet High School in Mesquite. Garner is also a transfer from Louisiana Lafayette, and is excited to make an impact for the LSU Tigers. An impressive accolade for Lafayette was being named third team All Sun Belt Conference as a defensive back. His playing time there increased over the seasons at Lafayette and now as he enters LSU, in the SEC, is ready to be on the big stage.
