Marlon Humphrey - Alabama

Position: CB

Height: 6’0”

Weight: 197 lbs.

Year: RS Sophomore

Hometown: Hoover, AL

Experience: 2-Year Starter

Measurables:

40yd dash: 4.41s

Broad jump: 125 in.

Vertical: DNP

3-cone: 6.75s

20yd. Shuttle: DNP

Bench Press: 10 reps

Career Notes:

Humphrey was a five star recruit coming out of high school. Even as an adolescent, he was an incredible athlete, dominating the Alabama high school track scene. When he got to Alabama in 2014, he redshirted a year to learn the Alabama system and refine his skill set.

After sitting out his first year in Mobile, Humphrey was a starter from the first game he suited up for as a redshirt freshman. He didn’t miss a game in his first year, and defensed 8 passes over the course of the Tide’s 15 game season.

As a sophomore, Humphrey missed a game and a half due to a leg injury, but still snagged 2 picks over the course of the Tide’s impressive 2016 run. He took one of those picks to the house against USC for a touchdown. Still just 20 years old, the young cornerback showed impressive maturity starting against SEC receivers for two years

Injury Report:

Humphrey missed half of the Auburn game with an apparent hamstring injury, and sat out the following week against Florida in the SEC Championship. He spent a few practices in early December with a brace on his injured leg and returned to form against Washington and Clemson in the College Football Playoff. His combine numbers did not seem to reflect a hobbled Humphrey, so he should be right as rain, health-wise.

Career Stats(click here):

Analysis:

Man Coverage 2.5/5.0: Humphrey has a long way to go in cleaning up his technique if he is going to reach his potential as a lockdown man corner. At the line of scrimmage, he almost never won in press coverage, often not being able to get a hand on the receiver across from him. While he often had the speed to recover from mistakes, offenses did not pick on him as much as they could have in deep routes. Downfield, he got his head around fairly well to play the ball. He was very handsy in his freshman campaign, and occasionally reverted back to that tendency to tug on jerseys in his second year.

Zone Coverage 4.0/5.0: Humphrey reacted to passes in zone coverage as well as one could hope. His athleticism paired with his ability to read quarterbacks led to 5 career interceptions with the Tide. His interception against Texas A&M in 2016 is indicative of a player who knows how to pick an offense apart.

Against the Run 3.5/5.0: While he may not be the biggest or the strongest guy, Humphrey was an increasingly feisty run defender over the course of his two years. A bit timid as a freshman, he was a non-factor in the run. His second year showed a huge step forward in aggressiveness and his ability to read block schemes to force runners into tough situations. He was a nightmare on screen plays, often leveling receivers for negative yardage as soon as they touched the ball.

Speed/Quickness 4.5/5.0: Humphrey is about as good as it gets from an athletic standpoint. No criticism of his technique is complete without the caveat that he can recover from almost any mistakes he makes at the line of scrimmage. It’s freaky to watch him as a gunner in kickoff and punt coverage—the dude can fly. His change of direction is also impressive. Quick feet and flexible hips give him as good of range as anybody in the secondary.

Impact Play Ability 3.5/5.0: Humphrey’s hands are sure enough to make him a threat for a pick at all times. His technique in man is worrisome and can leave a defense vulnerable for an offensive impact play. In the zone, he can be counted on to shut down a fourth of the field. While he isn’t known for his tackling, it’s worth noting that Humphrey forced three fumbles in his time at Alabama.

Summary: Humphrey is as athletic as any cornerback in any draft class, but his youth is evident in his technique at the line of scrimmage. Being so young, it is reasonable to believe he could be coached up to improve his poorer habits. His ability to cover zones is as good as it gets, and his reaction time makes him a turnover threat against quarterbacks who have trouble pushing passes to the perimeter. He had trouble against Clemson’s Mike Williams in the 2017 championship game, which makes you wonder about his ability to cover bigger guys. His recovery speed will make it tougher for him to mask mistakes in the NFL and veterans will likely make him pay early on. He is a project in some respects, an immediate contributor in others.

Overall Grade 3.6/5.0

If Drafted by the Packers:

Humphrey could end up a perimeter starter by 2018, but with all the issues he brings to the table in man coverage, Dom Capers could only trust him in the zone as a rookie. The Packers have immediate needs at corner, but Humphrey is not the Round 1 answer to their issues. The Packers have trust issues with Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins when it comes to #1 receivers, and Humphrey does not fix that trust in 2017. If he falls to the late second round, his value is undeniable at 20 years old considering his ferocity in pursuit, his zone coverage, and of course his potential. His immediate impact would come on special teams return coverage and in zone blitzes where he could cover a lot of ground. His future impact would, optimistically, result in the refinement of his press technique and a career as an island corner, but that future is unclear as of now.

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