Jamel Dean, CB
School: Auburn | Conference: SEC
College Experience: RS Junior | Age: 22?
Height / Weight: 6-1 / 206 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 3rd Round
NFL Comparison: Daryl Worley
College Experience
Player Overview
Jamel Dean was a 4-star prospect from Cocoa, Florida who started his career at Ohio State. Dean who had suffered several knee injuries in high school arrived to Columbus ready to contribute but was medically disqualified by the Ohio State staff. It is the position of some of Dean’s supporters that this was done because Ohio State had more player commitments than they had scholarships and thus Dean was pushed out due to this revelation. Its a claim former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer denies. The way the situation was handled really rubbed Dean the wrong way and he decided to voluntarily transfer from the program before he ever stepped foot on the field. Then in a cruel twist Dean injured his knee again and had to sit out the entire 2016 season. He finally started his college career for the tigers in 2017. When healthy it’s clear that he is a talent at the position. He put together two impressive seasons at Auburn by way of impact and production. Where he really shined though was his performance at the Combine. He was able to post 40, vertical, and broad jump numbers that made scouts and coaches turn their head especially when you consider his ideal size at the position. With this year’s WR class being dominated by height / weight / speed prospects it makes sense that some teams will get a height / weight / speed corner to match those abilities. Dean has starting ability and may prove to be a good value down the line.
Strengths
- Excellent size, speed, and length for the position.
- He can play press man coverage well and gets physical in the rep early and and often. Uses size, speed, and length to pinch receivers on the boundary. Has good enough burst and short area quickness to stick with receivers moving laterally as well.
- Balance, footwork, and change of direction skills are good he doesn’t get shaken often shows good recovery skills.
- Takes his assignment out of the equation and makes the QB focus elsewhere. When he is thrown to he anticipates well and uses his length to make plays on the ball.
Weaknesses
- Gets swallowed by blocks and doesn’t have the strength or technique to disengage. Doesn’t offer much as a tackler. Would like to see a lot more effort as a tackler in in pursuit from him.
- Ball skills leave something to be desired.
- History of knee injuries.
- Limited abilities cause of the above will limit his ceiling.
Let’s see his work:
This ends in a flag but I really like this rep from Jamel Dean. Uses his hands at the LOS, smooth transition from playing the WR to turning and finding the ball, and makes a play to poke it away. Didn't get away with that little grab but it could've easily been a no call pic.twitter.com/zxeUjVWx5U
— Justin (@afc2nfc) February 12, 2019
Great job Jamel Dean! pic.twitter.com/TNaJRn3VVy
— sports fanatic (@dribbler4life) March 26, 2019
Not only was Jamel Dean the fastest player at the 2019 #NFLCombine, he’ll also hit you in the mouth #wardamn pic.twitter.com/zdEPC4d2Yw
— Skye Underwood (@SkyeUnderwood) March 5, 2019
How He Would Fit On The Redskins
As it so happens MockDraftable shows that Fabian Moreau and Jamel Dean are closely related due to their size and testing numbers. Moreau who was a press man corner coming out of college was drafted by the Redskins in the 3rd round of the 2017 draft. I think it stands to reason that the team may have Dean rated in a similar range. The question is if his grade will beat out others on the board when it comes time to pick (twice) in the third round. Of course his value, along with every other man corner on them team including Moreau may be limited because of the types of zone coverage the Redskins run. Dean has another thing against him with his finesse in run support and as a tackler overall. Still I think he could have some nice upside especially if he can remain healthy (which he has since 2016). He needs some time improving the nuances of his technique and will the jug machine but if he can become more consistent at creating turnovers he could be quite a valuable coverage corner though not well rounded. It’s quite possible that the Redskins division rivals and the NFL overall will be getting bigger and more athletic at WR after this draft. The Redskins already have good size at the position but adding a guy like Dean couldn’t hurt from a physical matchup perspective. If he’s around in the 90s we just may see how much the Redskins like him.