2014 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Lindenwood CB Pierre Desir

Jan 25, 2014; Mobile, AL, USA; North squad defensive corner Pierre Desir of Lindenwood (30) celebrates after an interception against the South squad duing the second half of a game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. South defeated the North 20-10. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Overview: Coming from tiny Lindenwood University in Missouri, Pierre Desir is one of the less well-known prospects in this draft class, despite most analysts projecting him to go in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.  Since the Bears have shown some interest in him during the pre-draft process, I thought I should let you guys know a little bit more about him.  Desir absolutely dominated his level of competition, recording a whopping 25 interceptions during his college career.  His stats dipped a bit during his senior season and he only had 4 interceptions, but that was mostly due to opposing quarterbacks avoiding him and he still earned the Cliff Harris Award (top small school DB in the nation).

Strengths:

• Good footwork.  Changes direction well with very little wasted motion.
• Able tackler.  Shows good form and has the ability to bring down ball carriers consistently.
• Elite ball skills.  Catches the ball naturally with his hands and aggressively attacks the ball at its highest point.  Looks like a receiver out there.
• Excellent size.  At 6-1, 198 lbs. with 33 inch arms, he’s exactly what NFL teams are looking for these days.
• Solid zone instincts.  recognizes route combinations well and is very rarely caught out of position.
• Good special teamer.  Definitely has the ability and was not too big for it, despite clearly being the best player on his team.
• Shut down corner.  There were multiple games I saw that the opposing quarterback didn’t throw in his direction once.

Weaknesses:

• Level of competition concerns.  Didn’t play against NFL caliber opponents.
• Not as aggressive in run support as one might like or expect from a corner of his size.  Seems a little too content to let others make the tackle.
• Must learn to press correctly.  Doesn’t redirect the receiver as well as he could.
• Needs to deal with blocks better.  Doesn’t shed well and tends to take the long way around blockers rather than take them on.

NFL Player Comparison: Aqib Talib, Denver Broncos.  High praise, I know.  This comparison is mostly about physical characteristics.  Though he has a long way to go, I think Desir has the talent to be as good as Talib.  He definitely has the size, athleticism and instincts to compete at the NFL level.

The Way I See It: I would love this pick for the Bears at 51.  Desir might take some time to adjust to the speed of the NFL game, but he did well at the senior bowl when pitted against the best college football has to offer, so his contributions might come sooner rather than later.  He could sit behind Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings for a year, and I think he’ll develop into one of the steals of this draft.