Scouting Xavier Coleman
Last week, the Jets announced that they had signed Portland State defensive back Xavier Coleman to an undrafted free agent deal after the 2017 NFL Draft.
The 22-year old Coleman is 5'11" and 189 pounds and was a first team all-Big Sky conference selection for the first time last year. He had 152 tackles and nine interceptions in 45 games during his college career.
Background
Coleman is an amazing story, which you can read about in detail in the link I shared last night if you didn't already do so. Essentially, he only played six games in his high school career after having to overcome open-heart surgery.
Having received the offer to play for Portland State, Coleman broke into the starting line-up towards the end of his freshman year and remained there for the next three seasons.
He posted career highs in tackles (52), interceptions (five) and pass break-ups (18) in the 2015 season but also performed well last year.
Measurables
Coleman was not invited to the scouting combine but posted some elite-level numbers at his pro day, including an outstanding 40" vertical leap and 126" broad jump.
Coleman also ran a 4.46 40-yard dash and his agility numbers (4.13 short shuttle and 6.81 three cone drill) were excellent. He also posted 17 bench press reps.
Coleman's athletic numbers compare favorably to those of sixth round pick Derrick Jones. However, the difference between Coleman and Jones is that Coleman doesn't have the same kind of length.
Usage
In virtually all of the footage available, Coleman was playing right cornerback, often pressing at the line of scrimmage.
He hardly ever played in the slot in 2015 or 2016, but saw limited action there in 2014 and was targeted with some success in those situations.
Coverage skills
Coleman is considered to be a solid cover corner, who - according to his coaches - has precise technique and fluid hips.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Coleman's resumé is that he's faced off against some pretty decent receivers - John Ross, Cooper Kupp and Dom Williams to name a few - and come out relatively unscathed.
Ross had a season low 10 yards on one catch last year and Coleman intercepted his only target while covering Kupp. In the previous season, Portland State had upset the Cougars with Coleman breaking up two passes intended for Williams.
While he has held up well against division one competition, he hasn't been flawless against lower-level teams. There were two examples of him getting beaten over the top on a deep ball in man to man coverage. It did seem like most of the big plays the team gave up were against other defenders, though.
Ball skills
Coleman considers himself a playmaker and he backs that up with his statistics. He had nine interceptions, including five in 2015 and 41 pass break-ups in his career. He led the Big Sky conference twice in passes defensed.
From the film, it's evident Coleman locates the ball well and has good hands, as shown on these two plays:
Here he breaks up a pass going against another high draft pick, albeit this time a safety, as Budda Baker made a cameo on offense. Coleman is able to recover to knock the ball away from him:
Physicality/Penalties
Coleman is employed in press coverage quite a lot, although he often lines up close to the receiver but then bails out at the snap.
On those deep balls mentioned earlier, he was seemingly in a good position but allowed the receiver to keep him at bay so he could do with being stronger at the point of the catch.
In seven games against division one opposition, he's had five penalties, albeit just one in three games last year.
You'll have noticed from the earlier clip of him breaking up the pass intended for Baker that he perhaps could have been called for defensive holding as he barely resisted the temptation to grab. That's a habit he'll need to lose at the pro level.
Run defense
Coleman's effort and production against the run are both decent, although he doesn't get many chances to contribute due to lining up on the outside. He's made some good run stops and recorded six tackles for loss over the past three years, including three last season.
However, there are sometimes lapses. He will sometimes struggle to get off blocks or take bad angles in space. On the example here, he ends up in the box and steps too far to the inside, allowing the quarterback to break away for a long touchdown:
Similarly, on this play, he is over-aggressive and overruns the play badly, leading to another long run:
Tackling
Coleman is usually a consistent tackler and exhibits reasonable technique, although at times he needs to wait for reinforcements to get his man down on the ground. He closes well to make this play:
He'll miss some tackles at times, though. This one again sees him too far inside and unable to prevent the ball carrier from getting to the edge:
However, this play - while he missed the tackle - was a positive one because he came up fast enough to blow up the play even though he didn't finish it off himself. On this occasion, he affects the play by forcing the runner to redirect to the outside:
Special teams
Coleman will need to contribute on special teams to have a chance of making the Jets roster. He makes a good open field tackle on Ross in kick coverage here:
Other than kick coverage, Coleman also saw work on the punt unit in the vice role and came off the edge to try and block some place kick attempts. On the whole, he didn't make many meaningful contributions though.
Instincts
In coverage, Coleman's instincts seem to be good. He didn't blow any obvious coverages, even against Washington who were actively trying to confuse the secondary with bunch sets and swap routes.
However, there are occasions where he is concentrating too closely on his coverage and as a result is unable to get into position make a tackle on a running play or shorter pass.
He makes a good read here to sniff out the screen, preventing the blocker from sealing him to the outside which disrupts Ross' route:
Blitzing
Coleman hardly ever blitzes, especially since he stopped seeing any time in the slot. However, in the 2014 game against Washington State, he blitzed several times and recorded his one and only career sack and three quarterback hits in the upset win. This may therefore prove to be something he has a knack for.
Attitude
Coleman's attitude is inspirational. Again, please read the link in the third paragraph if you did not yet get a chance to do so.
He was a team captain who has been praised for his leadership and, since the surgery, has adopted an attitude where he takes nothing for granted and actually enjoys the hard work aspects of football.
Injuries
Since his surgery, Coleman has been fortunate not to have any serious injury issues. As noted, he played 45 games in four years at Portland State, missing just two due to injury in 2014.
Scheme Fit
Once again, the Jets seem to have targeted an athletic cornerback, who is comfortable in man-to-man coverage and has experience of being used in press coverage.
The difference between Coleman and Jones or Jeremy Clark is that he doesn't have the same kind of natural length, but Juston Burris is similar in that regard so Coleman would seem to fit right into the competition.
Conclusions
Coleman is obviously a good athlete and a high character player who had some good success at a lower level.
For him to make the jump to the pros successfully, he will need to work on a few things, but seems to have the right attitude and raw tools to be equipped for the challenge.
It's tough not to root for a guy like Coleman and the Jets do need some cornerbacks to step up, although they have several people competing so it will not be easy to avoid getting lost in the shuffle. You wouldn't bet against him though, after everything else he's been through.
UP NEXT: We take a look at South Carolina State offensive lineman Javarius Leamon.