TDN
thedraftnetwork.com
South Carolina State’s Decobie Durant is a small-school corner prospect who offers very good potential at the next level. Durant was a former high school quarterback who came to South Carolina State as a raw defensive back but has since developed into one of the most productive corners in all of college football. As a prospect, Durant flashes excellent athleticism, instincts, ball skills, and toughness. He is smooth in his pedal and has excellent short-area quickness and burst to close on the ball in front of him. He has fluid hips and quick feet in man coverage and is excellent in transitions, being able to stick on routes at all three levels of the field. Durant has excellent instincts and awareness and has a knack for finding the football. He has very good timing at the catch point and has outstanding ball skills. He is undersized and lacks the length to cover NFL receivers on the outside, and his lack of mass and length shows up throughout the stem, catch point, and in run support. Overall, Durant is a playmaking corner with very good athleticism and instincts but his lack of NFL size makes him a developmental prospect at this stage.
Ideal Role: Developmental corner with inside/outside versatility
Scheme Fit: Scheme versatile
FILM EVALUATION
Written by Brentley Weissman
Games watched: Clemson (2021), Alabama A&M (2021), Delaware State (2021)
Best Game Studied: Clemson (2021)
Man Coverage Skills: Durrant is very good in man coverage. He possesses excellent athleticism to stay square on receivers and stick to his man. He has quick feet, fluid hips, and excellent change of direction ability. He does lack size and length, which hurts his ability to win against bigger and stronger receivers, but he does a good job to stay with them because he is so athletic.
Zone Coverage Skills: Durant has excellent instincts and awareness in zone coverage. He has a knack for reading route concepts and flowing naturally to the football. He has very good short-area quickness and closing speed to break on the ball and make plays. He will be overaggressive at times and be fooled by double moves.
Ball Skills: Durant has excellent ball skills. He has recorded 12 interceptions over his career and has a knack for always being around the football. He has good closing quickness and timing to make plays on the football and ball skills to secure it.
Tackling: Durant is a feisty corner who would never shy away from contact. That being said, he is undersized and lacks length, which hurts his ability to bring down ball-carriers at a consistent rate. His ability to fight off blocks is also an area of concern.
Versatility: Durant has primarily played outside corner in his collegiate career even though he lacks ideal size and length. He is able to succeed outside due to his top-end athleticism. However, his lack of length will certainly be a factor when asked to match up against receivers with good height and length. Durant has the quickness and toughness to transition inside, but that is a projection as he has yet to play inside at a high rate.
Competitive Toughness: Durant is a tough corner who never shies away from a challenge. Even when matched up against receivers who clearly have the size advantage, Durant is never panicked and will always compete. He is a tough player in the run game who isn’t afraid to stick his nose in the pile.
Functional Athleticism: Durant is an excellent athlete with very good quickness, fluidity, and change of direction. He displays very good straight-line speed and is explosive in his movements.
Football IQ: Durant is an instinctual football player who shows good football IQ. He understands his assignments in zone coverage and has good spatial awareness. There are times Durant takes unnecessary risks and tries to undercut passes, which leads to completions. He also will fall for the bait on double moves and trick plays.
Run Defending: I appreciate Durant’s toughness and willingness to tackle and throw his pads in the ring. That being said, he lacks the strength and length to consistently get ball-carriers to the ground. He also struggles to fight off blocks when he squared up.
Length: Durant has below average length and size for the position. His lack of length hurts him when he is in contested situations and when he is asked to press on the line of scrimmage. He makes up for his lack of length with excellent athleticism but it will always be an issue, especially when he is lined up outside.
