When looking at the cornerback position, scouting becomes fairly difficult because of the different types of cornerbacks, schemes and responsibilities. For the Panthers, it is important that cornerbacks can play zone and off-man coverage, has good instincts, athleticism and plays smart. James Bradberry fits the mold of a Panthers corner to a “T”, or maybe it should be to a “C” since there is no “T” in cornerback. He has length, speed, agility, instincts, knows how to sit in zone coverage, can read the quarterback and has fluid hips that allow him to mirror incredibly well. Interestingly enough, the two cornerbacks opposite Bradberry do not fit the Panthers preffered profile. 2016 third-round-pick Daryl Worley is slower, plays better as a press corner and has very stiff hips; while new arrival from Buffalo Kevon Seymour is smaller and can’t seem to make plays.
| Worley | Stat | Seymour |
|---|---|---|
| 6′ 1″ | Height | 5′ 11″ |
| 204 lbs | Weight | 186 lbs |
| 33 3/8″ | Arm Length | 30 3/4″ |
| 10 1/4″ | Hand Size | 9″ |
| 4.64 s | 40 Time | 4.39 s |
| 6.98 s | 3 Cone | 6.81 s |
| 4.15 s | Shuttle | 4.18 s |
| 123″ | Broad Jump | 124″ |
| 35.5″ | Vertical | 35″ |
Seymour received an opportunity at playing time when Worley missed the Week 4 matchup due to an injury and was asked to play 68 snaps against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots after playing only a single snap in the three games prior. Seymour’s performance against the Patriots combined with Worley’s poor performance in the early going against the Detroit Lions led to Seymour seeing 39 snaps to Worley’s 23 against the Eagles. Moving forward, these two will likely split playing time based on the opponent unless one can step up.
Daryl Worley’s biggest flaws are his tight hips and slow feet, which mean that he can have a hard time with routes that include abrupt cuts or double moves. He is especially susceptible to curl routes due to his hips, overall speed, ability to diagnose plays, and a defensive scheme that tries to limit big plays. Because of his limited flexibility, he needs to rely heavily on his instincts and ability to read the receiver and quarterback; however, he is still struggling to read either reliably and until he can the Panthers will need to give him safety help or utilize him more as a press corner. Worley has given up three touchdowns this year, but some of his best play has come when defending the end zone because of his length, physical nature and body control. This allows him to press the receiver at the line of scrimmage without worrying about giving up the deep pass which in turn allows him to make plays by disrupting timing routes and utilizing his length to break up passes.
Unlike Worley, Seymour lacks the size and strength to be effective against bigger receivers, especially in the red zone. These issues also mean that Seymour has a hard time as a press corner and an even tougher time with straight man-to-man coverage. He excels when asked to play zone or off-man coverage because these best utilize his instincts, quick feet, and explosive change of direction. He possesses the hips and feet to mirror receivers on sharp routes extremely well and also has the speed required to cover deep if needed.
As you can see in the first example, Seymour gets overpowered by a bigger more physical receiver which creates space.
Above, Seymour correctly plays against the out route. Even though he stumbles slightly which gives the receiver a small window, his ability to change direction abruptly and mirror the receiver’s speed out of his cut is what sticks out to me.
The above examples showcase the major difference between Seymour and Worley. Both players are tasked with reading Matthew Stafford and both react a little too late which allows the receiver to cut back and make an easy grab. Worley does a better job of getting to his man and, even though he comes in at an unusual angle, makes the tackle. Meanwhile, Seymour adjusts his position, squares up and ensures the tackle. Worley’s aggressive tackling has lead to some great hits but has also allowed receivers to break free for gains in the past.
In the play above, you can clearly see Worley hold the receivers jersey even though he doesn’t need to. He plays this perfectly, keeping himself between the quarterback and the receiver, cuts with the receiver well, mirrors his movements and makes a play on the ball. Had he not been holding the receivers jersey, he would have made the same play and not been flagged.If you watch closely in the next example, you can see what I mean when I say that Worley is inefficient when changing direction. When he sees the receiver cut back, he stops, stops again, and then goes towards the receiver.
If you missed it, here is a slow motion view of the direction change:
In the two plays below, Seymour and Worley react differently, given similar plays:
In reality, the Panthers don’t really have a cornerback battle on their hands, but a pairing of players that if utilized properly could provide great coverage on every down if inserted into the correct situations and utilized properly. The issue becomes predictability when using a rotation at cornerback; when Worley comes in, will opposing coaches use curls and outs to focus on Worley’s lack of speed at changing direction? Will they use motion to match up Seymour with larger receivers to mitigate his speed and take advantage of his lack of power? Could Worley be a red-zone ‘closer’ type who comes in when the field gets shorter? How much does being in a rhythm and playing consistently matter at corner? These are all questions Ron Rivera and his coaching staff will have to answer.
