2022 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: CB Tariq Woolen, UTSA

Tariq Woolen is a big, physical cornerback prospect. What else does he bring to a defense?

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Feb 13, 2022 10:00 AM EST

In this story:

Tariq Woolen, CB

Height: 6’3
Weight: 205 lbs.
Class: RS-Senior
School: UTSA

A former three-star recruit out of Forth Worth, Texas, where he attended Arlington Heights High School, Woolen was the 138th ranked Texas recruit in the 2017 cycle. He was also a standout basketball and track star in high school.

Woolen was initially recruited as a wide receiver; he recorded 31 receptions for 536-yards and ten touchdowns in his senior year of high school. He didn’t switch to cornerback until his redshirt junior year. In two seasons as a receiver for UTSA, Woolen recorded 26 catches for 263 yards with one receiving touchdown before switching to cornerback.

Notables

Woolen’s transition to the defense went well, but he is still a raw prospect. He had 61 tackles, five tackles for a loss, and 1.5 sacks, to go along with two interceptions and nine passes defended. He reportedly ran a 4.34 40-yard dash; that is very enticing combined with his 6’3+ frame and his 33½” arm length.

Woolen hurt his hand during his senior season; he played with a club and showed real grit. He opted out of UTSA’s bowl game and attended the Reese’s Senior Bowl. He was one of the more discussed smaller school defensive backs at the event.

Strengths

Ideal frame for a long press cornerback
Long legs, high hips, and very good change of direction skills
Surprising movement skills for his height
Fluid lower half that allows for easier transitions in man coverage
Good overall long speed
Has man coverage traits
Does a very good job using his length in press coverage
Patient at the line of scrimmage while jamming

Great press ability

Doesn't overcommit and is disciplined near the line of scrimmage

Plays with balance and control

Flashed good plays in zone while reading routes in front of him
Good acceleration and recovery speed when beat (has a second gear)
Physical temperament at the catch point
Receiving background shows in coverage; tracks the football well and knows when/how to attack receivers at the catch point
Can make plays on the football while in the air
Attempts to deliver big hits in run support
Had a very good week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl

Had a great play against South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert on a 1v1 dig
Was one of the best cornerbacks at the line of scrimmage

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Can Improve

Is still a raw player
Getting to proper landmarks wasn’t overly consistent
Spatial awareness with routes coming from the backside wasn’t consistent in zone coverage (albeit I believe he’s still a good zone coverage defender but could be developed into a better one)
Wild coming downhill to tackle

Had a 27.8% missed tackle rate in his senior season
Had a 21.6% missed tackle rate in his junior season

Flies into contact, but doesn’t consistently wrap and his aiming points are off

This allows quality running backs to evade his presence

More complicated pattern-match principles may take some time to learn due to his raw nature

Summary

Overall, Tariq Woolen is a long press cornerback who is relatively raw and doesn’t have many college reps at the cornerback position. His play at the Senior Bowl was encouraging, and his movement skills combined with his length aren’t common; that alone will give him looks.

He’s still raw and needs to work on his tackling mechanics/discipline, but he’s a really good athlete who is easy to like early on Day3 -- if he lasts that long.

GRADE: 6.2