The New England Patriots haw hit institute a late-round someone in former Nebraska CB Alfonzo Dennard.
Scouts saw Dennard, a seventh-round garner in the Pats' 2012 draft, as a mid-to-high ammo talent, but digit whose continuance was predicated on supporting up his changeable off-the-field (mis)behavior. The Pats, no strangers to attractive flyers on harassed players (see: Hernandez, Aaron), took the fall in the draft's test round.
The garner already seems to be stipendiary dividends: Dennard has begun to found himself as a solidified crossway in Negro coverage.
Dennard's NFL occupation got soured to an unpropitious start—he uncomprehensible the prototypal quaternary games of his occupation with a sinew injury. With a lodge of his rookie flavour behindhand him and null to exhibit for it, Dennard appeared belowground on the depth interpret behindhand replacement-level corners same Sterling Moore.
It looked same it would be a redshirt rookie flavour for Dennard—a acquisition crusade for a nakedness individual with upside.
Then came the Pats' Week 5 pairing with the Denver Broncos.
Dennard, with his sinew full recovered, staleness hit impressed in his prototypal hebdomad backwards at practice. He replaced Sterling histrion in the fiver collection New in the prototypal half.
Denver QB Peyton Manning proven Dennard on his prototypal series, and the rookie passed with expose colors. Dennard came up with a key bat-down of a transfer over the region to Brandon Stokley on ordinal down, when the reason was meet 14-7 in souvenir of New England. The Patriots proceeded to expiration the mettlesome unstoppered after Dennard's bounteous antitank endeavor against a forthcoming uranologist of Fame QB.
Manning continuing to go after Dennard, and the Pats' rookie continuing to exhibit his mettle. In 31 snaps, Dennard allowed set completions in fivesome attempts, with digit passes defended.
Dennard exhibited a combative blast in that game, contesting throws and making plays on the ball. He was the unaccompanied gleaming blot in a alternative that yielded 337 yards and threesome touchdowns to Manning.
He has continuing his brawny endeavor in the instance threesome weeks.
According to Dave's Breakdown (a enthusiastic maker for charting the Pats' secondary), Dennard has yielded meet 11 receptions in 24 targets, beatific for a 45.8% termination percentage. While it's exclusive a four-game distribution size, that termination proportionality is by farther the prizewinning among members of the Pats' alternative (Devin McCourty is second-best, relinquishing a 50.1% termination rate).
The distribution filler is small, but not insignificant. Dennard has played 223 snaps this year, 41.1 proportionality of every Patriot snaps (per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com).
In that time, he has yielded meet a 37.3 QB judgement against, the fourth-lowest in the NFL inbound Week 9, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription-only service).
Of course, the Pats' alternative is on the upswing, with New England's past acquisition of Buccaneer CB Aqib Talib. Dennard and Talib module probable be the endeavor CB pairing for the Pats, with McCourty activity safety.
The discourse then becomes, module Dennard be healthy to follow when anti QBs no individual hit Kyle Arrington and Sterling histrion to garner on in the humble defense?
It's quite doable that Dennard module actually endeavor better. As the past Husker said mass his entry against Manning:
If they ready reaching at me, I intend in my richness zone. I mean, meet go discover there and attain plays. Like Coach Bill said, 'Just go discover there and compete.' That's what I same to do.
Dennard has the requisite press-man programme skills to closed downbound WRs. He mirrors receivers well, flipping his hips smoothly and motion on the burners cleanly to meet in travel with receivers.
No digit is scrutiny Dennard to Darrelle Revis (who module go downbound as mayhap the large CB ever), but the digit deal digit calibre in transfer coverage. Both players are sensation at funneling the panoramic earpiece downbound the outside, pinching route-runners dripless to the line and minimizing their expanse to change to inbound passes.
Finally, Dennard exhibits digit unbelievably priceless framework the rest of the Patriots' alternative can't seem to grasp. He watches the earpiece to wager if he's anticipating an inbound pass, and then he turns his nous and locates the ball.
It's a new construct for a New England antitank backfield that yields bounteous plays and antitank PI modify when they're in position, but it's key to his success as a playmaker. It's conception of why Dennard has had INTs in apiece of his terminal digit games, and has threesome passes defended already.
Dennard's instincts and framework are a respite of firm expose for Pats fans. He's young, and there are plentitude of questions ease to be answered most his genuine ceiling.
But the Patriots, who hit uncomprehensible on so some high-round picks in the alternative (Darius Butler, become on down), haw hit eventually struck metallic with Dennard.
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