Raiders NFL Draft Prospect: Tariq Castro-Fields, Penn State
Penn State’s Tariq Castro-Fields took advantage of his super senior season to regain confidence and help restore his draft stock.
Castro-Fields has the prototypical size, length, and speed for an ideal NFL cornerback, and with plenty of in-game experience, he can be a knowledgeable addition to the Las Vegas Raiders secondary.
“The traits are all there with Castro-Fields. He is 6’0'' tall and has 4.4 speed. Those are two things almost every team covets in an outside cornerback. In coverage, Castro-Fields does a great job of mirroring wideouts. He is sticky in coverage and gives up very little room. Castro-Fields is fantastic in press-man coverage, as he can use his length to disrupt receivers and take them off their spot. His length allows him to take chances and play an aggressive style in coverage. In zone coverage, Castro-Fields can cover a lot of ground. He has very long strides. Castro-Fields is also able to come downfield fast and is a willing tackler. He doesn’t shy away from ball carriers and uses his technique to wrap up players and bring them to the ground,” NFL Draft Bible noted.
Listed at 6 foot-1 and 197 pounds, Castro-Fields is a big, fast cornerback who is very intelligent and displayed to be an excellent communicator who helped anchor the Nittany Lions secondary.
Castro-Fields clocked the sixth-best 40-yard dash among cornerbacks at the NFL Combine with a 4.38.
After suffering two undisclosed injuries in his career, he took a huge step back and is slowly regaining the confidence that he played with in his junior year.
The Nittany Lion played in 52 career games, making 30 starts at cornerback, and recorded 138 tackles (93 solos), 10 tackles for losses, three interceptions, 25 pass breakups..
He played three games his senior year, before returning for his super senior season, in which Castro-Fields made 12 starts at cornerback and recorded 32 tackles (25 solos) and six pass breakups.
Castro-Fields understands his assignments well and can play any defensive scheme. However, he leaves too much space between receivers in zone coverage and was often beaten with double moves.
He lacked the ball-hawking instincts that would have created turnovers and had a high number of missed tackles (16), especially in the running game.
Castro-Fields is a draft-able cornerback who possesses the tools and versatility to operate as a backup in the NFL, but will need to improve his technique if he plans on becoming an impactful player at the next level.
The Raiders can add a player who has slipped down the draft rankings, who possesses the traits and skills to become a valuable backup in the NFL.
Want to talk about this? Want to air your opinion about all things Las Vegas Raiders? Maybe you like to talk about other sports that aren't Silver and Black related? We got your back. Join our 100% FREE message board, a brand new option, when you CLICK RIGHT HERE.
Make sure you like our Facebook Page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
Want the latest breaking Las Vegas Raiders news delivered straight to your email for FREE? Sign up for the DAILY Raiders Nation newsletter when you CLICK THE FOLLOW button on the main page. Don't miss any of the latest up to the second updates for your Las Vegas Raiders when you follow on Twitter @HondoCarpenter
