2016 East West Shrine Game Recap (Defense)

Cornerback:

The Bears have some positive signs to build on at corner going into 2016. Former 1st round pick Kyle Fuller improved in the second half of last season and showed signs that he could still develop into a quality player. Free agent steal Tracy Porter established himself as a legit starting corner when healthy and hopefully will be back with the Bears in 2016. Undrafted rookie Bryce Callahan came out of nowhere to lock down the slot corner job and significantly improved the Bears pass defense after joining the lineup.

There are some pieces in place in the secondary, but the Bears need at least a few more. They are small overall at the position and could use both a tall corner and a DB with a nose for the football.

Cre’Von LeBlanc, Florida Atlantic – Was the best corner during the Shrine game with a few pass breakups, some nice plays against the run, and consistently sticky coverage. LeBlanc’s measurables won’t stand out, but he has natural cover skills, is aggressive against the run, and was always around the ball. He also returned kicks and punts during the Shrine game and could contribute as a returner at the NFL level as well. LeBlanc’s average size (5’10 | 192), lack of top-end speed (4.56) and the small school stigma will probably drop him to day 3 of the draft, but he could be a steal at that point.

Briean Boddy-Calhoun, Minnesota – Has been the Gophers best cover corner the last two seasons and showed well at the Shrine game with tight coverage, good breaks on the ball, and a couple of pass break-ups. Boddy-Calhoun is an excellent coverage guy with the ability to lock down guys inside or out in college, though his lack of size (5’10 | 189) may keep him in slot in the NFL and could cause problems tackling bigger backs and receivers. The Bears found a good slot corner in Bryce Callahan, but teams can never have enough good cover guys in the secondary.