2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: CB Eric Stokes, Georgia

CB ERIC STOKES

Height: 6'1"
Weight: 185 lbs.
Class: Junior (red shirt)
School: Georgia

A former three-star recruit out of Covington, Georgia, where he attended Eastside High School. Stokes was the 65th ranked Georgian recruit in the 2017 cycle, but it’s safe to say he outperformed that ranking.

Stokes was First Team All-SEC in 2020 and Second Team All-SEC in 2019. Much like his college teammate Tyson Campbell, Stokes is a high school sprinting champion.

Stokes only allowed three career touchdowns in coverage while picking off four passes and knocking 22 balls out of the air. All 4 of his interceptions were in 2020. He’s also recorded 75 tackles, two tackles for a loss, and one sack, along with two for a touchdown.

Stokes took his first career interception for a touchdown against Arkansas. He also had a very impressive pick where he accelerated past the entire offense up the sideline for six against Florida. Stokes also had a kick block for a touchdown.

Stokes was the talk of the town at the Georgia pro day. He ran two very impressive unofficial 40-yard-dashes that were clocked in at 4.25 and 4.28 while jumping 38.5” in the vertical. It was no secret that Stokes has great athletic ability, but almost tying the second-highest 40-yard-dash time is very eye-opening.

Traits

He is an incredible athlete who possesses solid height and length, with a skinny lower body and a lean frame. Stokes has lightning-quick speed, has a very good burst to close, and his feet/hips are more than capable of handling man coverage. He’s controlled and balanced in his stance at the line of scrimmage, but that does wane as the play goes on.

Stokes slipped a bit too much on film for me, especially down the field. His feet at the line of scrimmage need work, as he’s late to bring his feet with him when receivers avoid him at the line of scrimmage.

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He engages the receiver with his hands and then brings his feet--he needs to get his feet out of the mud in these situations. he does a better job handling outside releases and riding receivers off the red-line.

Has fluid hips to stick in man coverage and match speed receivers vertically and on crossers. Limits space well by clamping on the hip and staying in phase on horizontal breaking routes. He uses very good burst to close width and limit space on breaks. He will get grabby at the top of breaks; he stays in a good position but lacks a feel for when wide receivers will break, which leads to unnecessary contact.

Stokes does get grabby at the top of more vertical-based breaks, but I believe it’s more of a lack of balance due to questionable footwork than a lack of short-area quickness. I wouldn’t say he has the best short-area quickness in this draft, but I do believe it’s good enough to make an impact. He needs to just be more balanced on a consistent level.

He is a solid zone defender who plays with adequate eye discipline; when he sees the field, he does a very good job clicking & closing with athletic ability on underneath routes. I wish he was a bit more instinctive in zone coverage. He shows very good recovery speed and ability to use range--he possesses incredible acceleration ability. Ball skills are solid, but they’re not overly natural.

Play strength is adequate, and his lack of weight shows up when he attempts to make tackles against thicker running backs. He doesn’t miss many tackle attempts, and he’s more than willing to stick players, but the pop isn’t there. Lack of pop in run support may be an issue against NFL grown men.

He will be a good gunner on special teams due to his speed and ability to accelerate down the field, as well as his open-field tackle and location ability. He was also used as a blitzer who came off the edge from a tight alignment very well. He forced a fumble against Tennessee in 2019 that led to a Tae Crowder long touchdown return (sound familiar?).

Stokes has most of the athletic ability needed to play cornerback at a high level, but he lacks the technique and discipline to maximize his traits. His footwork at the line of scrimmage is not consistent, and he’s grabby in man coverage. He also doesn’t fully see the field yet and can stand to develop his instincts. Much like his teammate Tyson Campbell, Stokes is a high upside selection that can use some development before unlocking his potential.

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