Potential UCLA DB Draft Sleepers for Redskins

It's no secret that the Redskins need help in the secondary and that the only way that help is coming is through the draft and UDFA. Thanks to a helpful reminder from Chris Russell via twitter, we should remember that former Redskins LB coach Lou Spanos left for UCLA last year to coach the defense. That means that two guys who fans should learn a little bit more about and potentially keep an eye on, especially in the later rounds of the draft and as UDFAs are Aaron Hester and Sheldon Price, both of whom played well in the East/West Shrine Game.

Aaron Hester

Height: 6'1", Weight: 207

NFL Combine: 40 Y/D (4.62); 29" vertical jump; 9'4" broad jump
Pro Day: 40 Y/D (4.55)

Sheldon Price

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 180 lbs
Pro Day: 40 Y/D (4.50); 36" vertical jump; 10'0" in broad jump; 10 reps of 225

I scoured the internet and found very little scouting information, although I stumbled on what I thought were decent scouting reports at first, but found out they were written by a 16 y/o kid, so I went to two of our resident experts for a quick film review. Here's what they had to say.

REGARDING PRICE:

UK: Price is an interesting one. I like what I saw from him, has quick feet and incredible length. He sticks close to his receivers throughout the route, allowing him to have one eye on the quarterback. He does a great job locating the ball in the air and making a play on it. His run support is lacking for a 6'2" corner, and may need to add more weight to his frame to be effective in that aspect of his game, which is the main reason he probably won't crack the first two rounds. But he could definitely be a solid 3rd-4th round pick up, with plenty of upside.

Tiller: I have Price behind guys like Terry Hawthorne now, and I see Hawthorne as a 5th rounder. The lack of physicality will really hurt the kid against big receivers in the league. He is a long strider, more Gazelle like, but lacks short-area quickness, which could cause some issues, as receiver are likely able to eat up the cushion faster, and use their body's to create more separation. He gets chicken-winged out of breaks, which is a concern due to his lack of strength. What I do like is his straight-line speed play man-off coverage. He turns nicely, and can play hip-to-hip coverage (much like Trufant) on the 9 route.

REGARDING PRICE:

UK: Price is an interesting one. I like what I saw from him, has quick feet and incredible length. He sticks close to his receivers throughout the route, allowing him to have one eye on the quarterback. He does a great job locating the ball in the air and making a play on it. His run support is lacking for a 6'2" corner, and may need to add more weight to his frame to be effective in that aspect of his game, which is the main reason he probably won't crack the first two rounds. But he could definitely be a solid 3rd-4th round pick up, with plenty of upside.

Tiller: I have Price behind guys like Terry Hawthorne now, and I see Hawthorne as a 5th rounder. The lack of physicality will really hurt the kid against big receivers in the league. He is a long strider, more Gazelle like, but lacks short-area quickness, which could cause some issues, as receiver are likely able to eat up the cushion faster, and use their body's to create more separation. He gets chicken-winged out of breaks, which is a concern due to his lack of strength. What I do like is his straight-line speed play man-off coverage. He turns nicely, and can play hip-to-hip coverage (much like Trufant) on the 9 route.

REGARDING HESTER: (Some scouting reports suggest he may be better suited as safety)

UK: Hester was impressive in the USC game I saw him in. Up against Lee and Woods, two of the better receivers in college football, Hester displayed good press coverage technique being physical with receivers and getting a good initial punch in to disrupt their rhythm. He was a much better tackler than Price was and that allowed him to be much more effective in run support. He's another long corner with length that allows him to get a hand to the football and knock it away from a receiver.

On a potential move to safety: He's not exactly fast for a corner, as indicated by the 40 time you've already shown. With a 29" vert, you'd be worried how he'd fair in jump ball situations with taller receivers, end zone fades come to mind. At free safety, those concerns wouldn't be quite so glaring, but you'd be taking away one of his better attributes of coming up to the line of scrimmage and playing press coverage if you moved him back to safety.

Tiller: With Hester, I don't quite see the fluidity I'd like to see in a CB. I watched him play press-man, off in a cover two, and bail-technique in what looked like either cover 3 or quarters, and the problem I saw existed in all three coverages; he seems to play a bit too high, and seems stiff. I saw his cushion get eaten up far too quickly, which will concern me at the next level against bigger, faster receivers. He's got a big body and good length, as was evident against some of the USC receivers where he used the long arms to defend passes, but I don't see the short area quickness, technique, and drive on the route to be a successful NFL starting CB.

On a potential move to safety: Good thing is, he does have good straight line speed, and size, so he could project to free safety (almost like a Sanders Comings type). I was trying to watch his anticipation on routes when he was in off-coverage, and although it wasn't bad, it wasn't great either, so he'll need to work on that if he's to make a successful transition to S.

FUN FACTS on Hester:

He IS related to Chicago Bears Devin Hester, so we know that athleticism is in his blood. In addition to what UK and Tiller have had to say, here are some interesting nuggets from around the web on Hester:

Via Ryan Kelley:

His build and approach are similar to current Seahawks corner Brandon Browner. He plays stout against the run, and his extra strength helps him jam receivers up close. He has the mixture of length, muscle and body awareness to turn into an asset in bump 'n run in the NFL.

What do you guys think of these two? I would definitely say keep an eye out just in case.