University of Houston #2
Position: Cornerback
Height/Weight: 5'11/191 lbs.
Age: 22
Drafted By: Oakland Raiders
Background:
DJ Hayden, a senior prospect out of the University of Houston, is perhaps the most liked and respected player in this draft class. After suffering a tear in a major artery due to a freak collision during practice, Hayden's senior season was cut short. But, the fact that his season was cut short was small news compared to the magnitude of his injury. He is lucky to even be alive to tell the tale after heart surgery, even luckier to be able to continue playing football, and still even luckier that he was a first round draft choice to the Oakland Raiders. Hayden was born on June 27th, 1990 in Houston Texas and attended Ft. Bend Elkins High School. From there, he went to Navarro Junior College in Texas and continued his football career. He helped Navarro to win the NJCAA National Championship in 2010 during his sophomore season. He was then recruited to major Division I colleges such as Texas A&M, TCU, and Oklahoma State, but decided to stay in Houston. As junior he started most games and developed into the shutdown corner he was his senior year. Unfortunately, his freak injury resulted in a 9 game season in which he recorded 4 interceptions and 8 pass break ups. Despite the injury, he was still named into the 2012 First Team All Conference USA.
Strengths:
DJ Hayden is an aggressive cornerback who has great instinct. He is able to read the quarterback's eyes and sense where he is going to throw. There were multiple examples of when he jumped the throw and almost came away with the interception if he hadn't dropped the ball. The best example of this was against Penn State when the wide receiver cut outwards toward the sideline, he read it perfectly and undercut the receiver's route to go for the interception. If he had caught the ball, he would have taken it for a touchdown. Hayden also sniffs out screens just as the ball is snapped and blows up the play behind the line of scrimmage or with limited yards gained. Another aspect of Hayden's game is his footwork. He is able to cut and change directions on a dime. This is also part of the reason why he is able to jump receiver routes so well and deflect the ball. Footwork like Hayden's helps defend passes when receivers make short cuts.
Weaknesses:
While Hayden has been able to make splash plays against the run and stop the runningback before they gets past the line of scrimmage, he can be over enthusiastic when defending the run game. On multiple occasions, the offense would run a play action pass and Hayden would break forward expecting to lay a hard hit on the back. Meanwhile, the wide receiver blew right past him and was left wide open. By the time he realizes that this was a play action pass, the wide receiver is way ahead of him and open for the long pass. This is worrisome because no defensive coordinator likes to give up those huge bombs for touchdowns against opponent offenses. Fortunately, reading and reacting to plays like this come with experience, which he will gain over the years of play and practice in the NFL. Another weakness of his is fighting off blocks. When receivers come up to block Hayden, he gets stuck and can't get past the receiver. Many times, the receivers would push him backwards and completely take him out of the play. This was at the college level. In professional ball, receivers are even bigger, faster, and better at blocking. This is a matter of strength and being able to push back against the receivers. With some weight lifting and conditioning, Hayden can gain some mass and fight back.
Overview:
Overall, Hayden's story is among the best comeback and success stories in this NFL Draft. His ability to come so close to death and to overcome such a tragedy shows a lot about his work ethic and character. On top of this, he is completely able to be an NFL cornerback. He has all the athletic ability and footwork skills to succeed against the best receivers. With a little bit of hard work in these next few months preceding the season, Hayden should develop into a fine man and player.
Games Viewed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DULLKzandYI
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