David Amerson, Junior, Cornerback, North Carolina State
Overview:
Having an All-American candidate on a bad to mediocre team is a sight to behold. When that player plays cornerback, out on an island, in space, by himself, it is even more interesting to watch. There are only two ways this can transpire. One: opponents never look his way. They throw to the opposite side of the field every play. If he is covering someone one on one, that route is considered unavailable. Think Nnamdi Asomugha during his time in Oakland. The other option is that teams throw to his side and immediately regret it. This is what happened with David Amerson on North Carolina State. As a sophomore, he led the nation in interceptions, finishing with 13. As a junior, something tells me his interceptions will go down, not because he loses something but because he enters option number one territory.
Final Projection:
At 6’3”, Amerson possesses tremendous defensive back size and the ability to battle larger wide receivers in space and on jump balls. He does not have high end speed but makes up for it with excellent ball skills, as evidenced by his interception rate and number of passes defensed. The 2012 draft had a number of cornerbacks rated as first round talents with one, Morris Claiborne, valued as a top five pick. Amerson may not quite be on that level yet but certainly rates ahead of the rest of last year’s DBs with the possibility still of increasing his stock with another impressive season.
12/8/2012 Update by Dan Levine:
David Amerson finished up last season by leading the nation in interceptions. He only had five this year, but ACC coaches realized that throwing in his direction is not going to get you very far. Amerson is a ball hawk who tests a quarterback’s ability to throw into tight windows. He is fast and is as close to a blanket cover man you can find. He is certainly one of the best corners in the draft, and he will find his way onto an NFL club early next April.
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