CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE ZONE COVERAGE DRAFT GUIDE:
TOP 100 PLAYER PROFILES
RANKING THE VIKINGS NEEDS
EXPLORING VIKINGS DRAFT TRENDS
A HISTORY OF RICK SPIELMAN’S DRAFT TRADES
VIKINGS TARGETS
LUKE INMAN’S MOCK DRAFTS
SENIOR BOWL CENTRAL
FEATURES FROM OUR STAFF
DAMON ARNETTE
HEIGHT/WEIGHT/AGE
6-foot-0
195 pounds
23 years old
BIG PICTURE
A four-star recruit out of high school, Damon Arnette needed all five years of his Buckeyes career to establish himself as a likely Day 2 draft pick. Returned to school after his redshirt junior campaign and bolstered his stock with only a 45% completion percentage permitted in coverage to go with a pick six and forced fumble. Able to play slot and outside, Arnette has enough experience that he could be a quick study in the NFL.
COMBINE NOTABLES
4.56 40-yard dash
VIKINGS COMPATIBILITY RANKING
4 out of 5. The Vikings pick twice in the third round, perhaps right where this Buckeyes cornerback falls.
HIGHLIGHTS
WHAT DRAFT EXPERTS SAY
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: “Inside/outside cornerback with NFL size and strength but a lack of fluidity and burst that might make him best-suited as a zone corner. Arnette will be at a disadvantage against vertical jackrabbits and will struggle to stay connected to NFL routes in man. However, he plays with good awareness in space and has the physicality in run support that zone defenses look for. His potential and success could be directly tied to what a team asks of him, which makes his evaluation and grade more of a sliding scale depending upon scheme fit.”
Kyle Crabbs, Draft Network: “Damon Arnette Jr. projects as a universal scheme prospect at the NFL level — he possesses great functional strength, quickness, body control and ball skills. Arnette has the technique to play press or off man coverage but the burst and anticipation to play in zone coverage as well. Look for Arnette to find his place in a starting lineup quickly at the NFL level, although he may never be the focal point of an NFL secondary due to lack of elite length to shadow top receivers. A plus starter.”
WHAT PFF SAYS
70+ coverage grade each season
44.6% completion percentage allowed last season
7 missed tackles last year (T-256th)
CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE ZONE COVERAGE DRAFT GUIDE:
TOP 100 PLAYER PROFILES
RANKING THE VIKINGS NEEDS
EXPLORING VIKINGS DRAFT TRENDS
A HISTORY OF RICK SPIELMAN’S DRAFT TRADES
VIKINGS TARGETS
LUKE INMAN’S MOCK DRAFTS
SENIOR BOWL CENTRAL
FEATURES FROM OUR STAFF
