LSU Football 2013 NFL Draft Profiles: Tharold Simon

Position: Cornerback
Combine Height/Weight: 6-2, 202 pounds
LSU Listed Height/Weight: 6-3, 193 pounds
Hand Size: 8 3/4 inches
Arm Length: 32 3/4 inches
40-Yard Dash Time: 4.51 (4.39 at LSU's Pro Day)
Bench-Press Reps (of 225 pounds): 9
Vertical Jump: 34 inches
Broad Jump: 128 inches
3-Cone Drill: 7.0
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.41

Strengths

Lanky corner with great size...man-to-man specialist...uses his long arms well, both to make up distance to the ball and in getting a strong jam at the line of scrimmage...fluid hips, turns well and has good short-area burst to make up distances...plays the ball well in the air -- gets in the air and attacks the ball at its highest point with strong hands...when engaged, an effective tackler.

Weaknesses

Still learning the position, and will struggle with consistency...struggles with some of the mental aspects of the game, like remembering where his help is in zone coverage...will bite on head fakes...seems bored when playing off, and will get lazy in his technique and his tackling...long-strider that can get crossed up a bit on double moves and sharp route breaks.

Verdict

He'll likely come off the board in the middle rounds, somewhere between the third and fifth, but with coaching and the right work ethic, Simon has the skillset to be one of the better values in this draft. He came to LSU as a raw athlete that few expected to play corner, and while he developed nicely, he's not a finished product. His size, speed and quickness make him an ideal man-coverage specialist, especially in a bump-and-run scheme. But he needs a lot of work on feeling his way through zone coverage, and will be vulnerable against veteran receivers that can set him up with clever route-running. If there's an underclassmen that maybe left LSU a bit too early, Simon would be the guy.