With The 30th Pick GB Selects Damarious Randall S/CB Arizona State

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In 2014, selected first-team All-Pac-12, finishing with 106 tackles. Had an interception return for a touchdown in each of the two seasons he played at Arizona State. In 2013, signed with Arizona State and started nine games. In 2012, while attending Mesa Community College, selected Junior College first-team All-American. Starred in both football and baseball coming out of high school, but decided to play baseball at Butler Community College in order to follow in his brother's foot steps (brother, Patrick Norris, was drafted by Kansas City Royals out of Butler). Played shortstop but suffered shoulder injury and was forced back to football.

ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Plus athlete with good speed. Scouts love his toughness and effort. Inspired effort as a tackler, racking up 177 tackles during two-year stint at Arizona State. Looks to punish. Explodes into targets and jolts his victims. Takes very good angles in space in run support. Instinctive blitzer who times snap and has a nose for the quarterback. Senses throws underneath and breaks on them early. Highly competitive on 50/50 throws and won't give an inch to receiver. Took two interceptions for scores. Good hands -- played some wide receiver in junior college and was also an explosive returner while there.
WEAKNESSES
Small for safety position. Has box characteristics but lacking box size. Instincts as a free safety are average. Could be forced to play cornerback. Needs technique work in coverage. Must learn line-of-scrimmage skills and work on coordinating feet and hips. Allows wideouts to eat up cushion. Desire to attack leads to false steps against play-action. Fails to play with proper depth at times. Gets a little loose with technique as a tackler at times, causing him to miss.

SOURCES TELL US
"I have him as the top safety in this draft so that should tell you

 
Fast, both quick and in recovery speed. Hybrid defensive back...

I like the pick, more so than I did a minute ago. He doesn't make the defense tougher up front, but I think he makes the defense tighter on the back end.
 
Never saw this pick coming. Thought they had other pressing needs on the defense but what the heck do I know. We'll see how it pans out.
 
Later on, maybe....but no way at pick 30... wasted 1st round pick, especially with all of the good players sitting there. Just baffling....
 
I'm just a little shocked because of the position.

I guess I'll back off on calling it a waste until he hits the field. With as much as we play nickel if he can man that position right away we'll get something out of him right away.

Maybe he can play CB on the outside eventually. He's got good speed. He supposedly has good cover skills. He's a willing tackler.

His size is fine. He's 5'11" - same as Shields and Williams and those guys were just fine. That part doesn't bother me at all.

My biggest problem is that he didn't play CB at ASU and I'm not real keen on guys learning on the job as 1st Rd picks.
 
He did play corner some on his JuCo team, where he was also the punt returner (somewhat dynamic) and their gunner. He was also the main gunner for ASU.
 
We now have 2 very raw but "athletic" CB's who are one injury away from having to be starters.. Scares the heck out of me...

Guy is anxious, and wants to get after people.. That's good. But it's also a recipe for getting burned on PA from an NFL caliber QB...

I hope i'm wrong about it... But being a "player" doesn't make you a good NFL CB.. You need technique.... And he is a little short on that, and from what i've seen relied on his speed to make up for misses. When the speed of the game jumps, you can't live like that.. He's got a lot to learn but I hope i'm wrong and he turns out a pro bowler...

He's questionable tackler, with technique that needs a lot of work, has a limited resume, wasn't even gonna concentrate on football until a injury forced him from baseball, and limited time at CB. That is not the resume of a first round pick. Mid round, sure.. But a first rounder should be able to walk in and push for a starting role IMHO
 
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Okay. After several hours of reading about and watching this young man, I like the pick.

To me, he was miscast as a safety in the first place. Corner might have been better from the word go.

His main thing was baseball, right? And then he hurt his shoulder and returned to football.

He just plucks that thing right out of the air Jordy-wise.

The diving-at-the-lower-legs-tackle has to go, but that (hopefully) can be taught once the shock of the 'playbook' wears off, and he is schooled more about his angles. And once he bulks up a bit.

I'm just going to assume that his acumen on ST might have influenced this decision.

Best of luck to him. :)

I think a couple of folks thought he would go at 20?
 
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