Dantzler has what Dan Quinn likes in a defensive back
Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn loves length and size in his secondaries. Quinn has coached Richard Sherman who stands 6'3, Brandon Browner who was 6'4, and Kam Chancellor who stands 6'3, Byron Maxwell is one of the smaller of Quinn’s Seahawk pass defensemen at 6'1.
Since Quinn has been with the Falcons, they have brought in Jalen Collins who was 6'2 as well as Isaiah Oliver who is 6'0. The Falcons of today lack a little of that typical height that Quinn covets on the backend. Only Blidi Wreh-Wilson stands above 6'1.
That’s an unusual place for a Quinn coached defense. When looking at the cornerback position in the 2020 NFL Draft eyes should immediately begin searching the room for the biggest defensive backs on the board when trying to decipher where the Falcons could be looking in an attempt to rectify their lack of size.
One of the first names that comes to the top of the discussion is Mississippi State University star Cameron Dantzler. The Bulldogs’ star cornerback stands 6'2. His height has him tied with Lamar Jackson of Nebraska, A.J. Green of Oklahoma State University, DeMarkus Acy and Eastern Michigan’s Kevin McGill as the tallest cornerbacks in this season’s draft.
One of Dantzler’s weaknesses is in his lack of bulk on his lanky frame. He has been listed at only 185 pounds. It didn’t deter Dantzler from playing aggressive as he nabbed 42 tackles in 2018 and 40 tackles in 2019. In his three years as a Bulldog Dantzler picked off five passes.
Dantzler’s stock has been a bit of a mystery. He’s ranked as the 63rd best player on CBSSports’ player ranking. He’s been mocked as low as being a fourth round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in NFL.com’s Chad Rueter’s mock draft.
Pro Football Focus’ mock draft has the MSU corner going 27th overall to the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of this month’s draft.
Dantzler’s actual draft position most likely will be somewhere in between. If he’s available in the second round the Falcons may be pushed to snag one of the draft’s longest corners to add some competition for Isaiah Oliver and Kendall Sheffield.
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