by It’s that time of the year again! NFL Draft season.
Over the next few months, I’ll be breaking down and highlighting a handful of notable college football stars entering the draft — most of whom may be flying under the radar.
Today’s scouting report will be focused on Louisiana Tech cornerback Willie Roberts.
PRODUCTION
Just a two-star recruit coming out of high school, Roberts established himself as a legit shutdown cornerback in the Group of Five over the past two seasons in Ruston, La. The only reason why he is not a household name on the national front is because he played for a Louisiana Tech program that went 3-9 in back-to-back seasons amid his presence.
While his elite QB rating when targetted of 42.3 in 2022 spiked in 2023, Roberts still had massive statistical heights this past season. The Texas-born DB logged 17 incompletions (T-2nd most in FBS) and only allowed 16 catches on 45 targets (35.5% completion rate) through 12 games. Roberts also added 2023 Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist honors to his résumé, joining NFL defensive backs Amik Robertson (2019) and Xavier Woods (2016) as the only Bulldogs to ever do so.
STRENGTHS
Aggressive. That’s Roberts’ playing style in a nutshell. He’s a physical corner that is not afraid to lower the boom in run support and flashes in open-field tackling (63 tackles over past two seasons). Roberts also thrives in man coverage as he is physical at the line of scrimmage and has the speed to stay hip-to-hip with receivers downfield (4.52 40-yd dash).
MY COMP: William Gay (PIT/ARI, 2007-2017)
Despite being overshadowed by elite teammates on defense his entire career, long-time Pittsburgh Steeler cornerback Willie Gay was a fine player in his prime. Both Gay (5’10”, 190) and Roberts (5’11”, 190) are near-identical in frame and share the same ball-hawkish physicality on the playing field. Gay was overlooked by a lot of front offices upon his draft day (late 5th rounder), but molded into an underrated DB over time; and much of that had to do with his terrific open-field tackling. Similar to him, Roberts won’t necessarily “wow” you on tape and has his fair share of flaws, but he has the intangibles to develop into a solid CB2-type and be a great run support defender at the third level in the pros.
PROJECTED ROUND: 7th-UDFA
Many NFL Draft boards have Roberts ranked outside the top 25 at his position, and unless a franchise wants to “reach” for him earlier than anticipated, expect the Louisiana Tech product to go late or undrafted in April. Despite his projection, front offices would be wise to tuck that away and take a gamble on Roberts, as he has the potential to be an impactful piece in an NFL secondary one day.