NC State Profile:
Name: David Amerson
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 194 lbs.
Class: Junior
Hometown: Greensboro, NC
Date of Birth: December 8, 1991 (age 21)
High School: James B. Dudley High School
Wolf Pack Career:
2012 (Junior Year): 2012 Coaches All-ACC 2nd Team....finished the season with 61 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 17 passes defended, 5 interceptions and 1 touchdown against Boston College for 55 yards in 13 games.
2011 (Sophomore Year): Walter Camp and ESPN First Team All-American, 2nd Team honors from Sports Illustrated, Associated Press, CBSSports, Phil Steele, and Rivals....winner of the Jack Tatum Award, finalist for the Thorpe Award....set ACC single season record for interceptions in a season, tied 2nd in FBS history for a single season.....finished the season with 59 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 16 passes defended, 13 interceptions for a total of 206 yards, 2 returned for touchdowns.
2010 (Freshman Year): one of 5 true freshmen to start a game for NC State, starting 9 games....ended the season with 57 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and 1 forced fumble.
2011 Sophomore Highlights:
Strengths (+):
+ great size and excellent length for the position
+ tremendous ball skills; uses leaping ability and body control to get after the ball
+ has great hands for the position, swatting passes and making difficult INTs
+ excels in zone coverage
+ reads the QBs eyes very well and making a break toward the ball
+ very good instincts, and uses it to bait QBs and jump routes
+ willing tackler in run support
+ uses size to effectively jam WR off the line
+ very good with the ball in his hands and heads upfield quickly
Weaknesses (-):
- questionable straight line/make-up speed
- doesn't have shutdown CB skill set in man coverage
- doesn't display hip flexibility to turn and run with WRs
- poor tackling technique, especially in space, bad for a DB
NFL Player Comparison: CB Sean Smith - Miami Dolphins
Analysis:
Based purely off of David Amerson's career interception total and his size at the position, he seems like a prospect who's in line to become one of the rare shutdown CBs in the NFL. A closer look says that he's not the shoe-in prospect he was after his sophomore season. Amerson's success at the next level will depend largely on what defense he'll be playing for. He'll excel for a team that plays more zone than man, where his instincts, ball skills and ability to read the QB will be maximized. Amerson's problems were highlighted his junior year, when he had to turn and run with the opposition's WR down the field. If Amerson can keep his back to the end zone and make plays in front of him, he has all the makings of a bonafide 1st round pick. The upcoming draft is going to be vital for Amerson's draft stock. He needs to show teams that he has the long speed to close the gap against WRs, along with showing enough hip flexibility to flip his hips and run off his backpedal in man coverage. Though he's a willing tackler, Amerson's technique needs a lot of work. He has a tendency of lowering his head and getting his eyes off the target, causing him to whiff on a number of tackles. If he could improve his tackling, his ideal position may be playing free safety at the next level where he can diagnose plays in front of him. He has a level of bustability if certain things don't fall into place. Current Draft Position: Late 2nd-3rd Round
Raiders Outlook:
If Al Davis were still alive, Amerson would be a bad fit for the Raiders since they played almost man coverage exclusively. The Raiders played a lot more off man this year. If the trend continues, Amerson's play could be a lot better than his draft projection. I'm really interested to see how well Amerson works out during the Combine and in private workouts. He needs to show that he can run with the faster WRs he's going to face every Sunday. Amerson could get the opportunity to contribute immediately. With the Raiders currently only holding a 3rd round pick in Day 2, Reggie McKenzie's assessment of Amerson's skill set and fit on the team will largely dictate if he's drafted unless the Raiders can acquire more picks.
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