2021 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Eric Stokes

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Eric Stokes, 6-1/194 Cornerback Georgia

Eric Stokes Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Excellent height

Superb length

Fast

Has a burst out of the break

Impressive straight-line speed

Recoverability

Size to match up against big receivers

Quality instincts, feel

Loose athlete with twitch

Good feel in off man coverage

Skilled to slap passes away

Willing tackler

Does a good job of running the route and preventing separation

Maintains correct positioning downfield

Off-man and zone coverages fit

Has the size to play outside

Contributed on special teams

Athletic upside

Weaknesses:

Needs to get stronger

Could get pushed around and "out-physicaled"

Not a good fit fpr press-man without more strength

Summary: Year-in-and-year-out under head coach Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs have featured a secondary loaded with NFL talent, and the 2021 NFL Draft should only turn more Bulldogs into pros. Stokes and fellow cornerback Tyson Campbell should up as selections in the first two rounds, while other defensive backs like Richard LeCounte and D.J. Daniel could be drafted on Day 3. Before long, Stokes should turn into an NFL starter, and he upside to improve as a pro.

In 2019, Stokes helped take over for the loss of DeAndre Baker and had a strong season for the Bulldogs. He totaled 38 tackles, nine passes defended and one forced fumble, but didn't notch any interceptions. Stokes then showed improved ball skills in 2020, notching four picks despite the shortened season while recording 20 tackles and four passes broken up. The junioe worked out well at his pro day, including running a fast 40 that illustrated his excellent combination of speed, height, length and athleticism.

There is a lot to like about Stokes as a cornerback for the NFL, and he offers a diverse skill set that should make him a versatile defender at the next level. While Stokes is tall and has good length, he is surprisingly fast for a big cornerback. Stokes has impressive straight-line speed with a burst out of breaks and a second gear to close gaps. Being fast along with his length gives him excellent recoverability for the NFL. Another unique aspect about Stokes athletically is a lack of the stiffness that is common among big corners. Stokes is a fluid prospect who can flip his hips and run and doesn't have tightness that can let receivers gain separation. His skill set translates into Stokes being able to play outside or move inside to the slot.

Like any player going to the NFL, there are some areas of improvement for Stokes. The biggest issue is power, as Stokes needs to add some functional strength to avoid getting pushed around and out-positioned by pro wideouts. While he showed improvement as a press-man corner in 2020, he needs to develop more striking ability for that technique in the the NFL. Stokes also did a better job of turning breakups into interceptions as a junior, but continuing to improve his ball skills would make him a more dynamic pro.

Some team sources have graded Stokes in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Multiple team sources project Stokes to be a candidate to go early in Round 2, and it isn't impossible for a team picking late in the first round to select Stokes. Early in his pro career, Stokes could become a solid starter for his NFL team.

Player Comparison: Darius Slay. Stokes reminds me of Slay coming out of Mississippi State. Slay is a little shorter and thicker, but both are fast corners who are good athletes with emerging ball skills. Slay was an early second-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, and Stokes could go early on Day 2 during the 2021 NFL Draft.

2021 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2021 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford Tutu Atwell, WR, Louisville Jhamon Ausbon, WR, Texas A&M Aaron Banks, G, Notre Dame Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama Carlos Basham, DE, Wake Forest Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri Baron Browning, LB, Ohio State Dyami Brown, WR, North Carolina Spencer Brown, OT, Northern Iowa Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia Jackson Carman, OT, Clemson Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU Andre Cisco, S, Syracuse Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa Sam Cosmi, OT, Texas Jabril Cox, LB, LSU Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky Wyatt Davis, G, Ohio State Landon Dickerson, C, Alabama Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame D'Wayne Eskridge, WR, Western Michigan Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State Paris Ford, S, Pittsburgh Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State Kenny Gainwell, RB, Memphis Richie Grant, S, Central Florida Najee Harris, RB, Alabama Kylin Hill, RB, Mississippi State Trey Hill, C, Georgia Jevon Holland, S, Oregon Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina James Hudson, OT, Cincinnati Talanoa Hufanga, S, USC Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State Mac Jones, QB, Alabama Patrick Jones, DE, Pittsburgh Brevin Jordan, TE, Miami Kelvin Joseph, CB, Kentucky Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama Walker Little, OT, Stanford Hunter Long, TE, Boston College Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, LSU Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan Tre' McKitty, TE, Georgia Davis Mills, QB, Stanford Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU Elijah Molden, CB, Washington Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M Dan Moore Jr., OT, Texas A&M Elijah Moore, WR, Ole Miss Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina Jamie Newman, QB, Wake Forest Greg Newsome, CB, Northwestern Daviyon Nixon, DT, Iowa Dayo Odeyingbo, DE, Vanderbilt Osa Odighizuwa, DT, UCLA Azeez Ojulari, LB, Georgia Levi Onwuzurike, DT, Washington Joseph Ossai, LB, Texas Jayson Oweh, DE, Penn State Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah, LB, Notre Dame Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan Ronnie Perkins, OLB, Oklahoma Jaelan Phillips, DE, Miami Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota Aaron Robinson, CB, Central Florida Quincy Roche, OLB, Miami Larry Rountree, RB, Missouri Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon Tyler Shelvin, DT, LSU Rashawn Slater, C, Northwestern DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama D'Ante Smith, OT, East Carolina Trey Smith, G, Tennessee Marquez Stevenson, WR, Houston Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Oklahoma Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina Sage Surratt, WR, Wake Forest Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama Tamorrion Terry, WR, Florida State Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida Kyle Trask, QB, Florida Joe Tryon, DE, Washington Jay Tufele, DT, USC Payton Turner, DE, Houston T.J. Vasher, WR, Texas Tech Alijah Vera-Tucker, OT, USC Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State Rashad Weaver, DE, Pittsburgh Javonte Williams, RB, North Carolina Rodarius Williams, CB, Oklahoma State Marvin Wilson, DT, Florida State Zach Wilson, QB, BYU

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