Draft Analysts Take on Xavier Crawford
Matt Miller’s believes that Xavier Crawford (
Read More Here) has great awareness and can press receivers from the top side. He also has very fluid hips, allowing him to remain in-phase. Crawford has excellent footwork at the line of scrimmage and is easily able to defend receivers immediately. Additionally, Crawford has great short bursts of speed that can significantly help on crossing routes (something that affects the Texans). However, his biggest weakness is his ailing back which caused him to miss the last seven game of 2017. With the Texans secondary always banged up, it is vital that backups like Crawford stay healthy and can back up the starters. However, his back problem will be a concern. Crawford also puts little to no effort as a run defender and his thin frame and short arms allows him to quickly get “bullied at the line of scrimmage by physical receivers with strength in their releases.” Often, Crawford struggles to track the ball in deep routes and misses playmaking opportunities. However, at both Oregon State and Central Michigan, Crawford was able to have several effective campaigns. He has “fundamental traits to be a solid backup,” but his lack of size and back injury should be concerns.
Lance Zierlein from NFL.com (
Read More Here) labels Crawford as a long and thing press corner that is very agile, quick and has great balance. Crawford’s ability “to hound routes underneath” is valuable in the NFL. Also, Xavier Crawford is very athletic and has the “ability to stay connected to routes,” which is very beneficial in man-to-man coverage. His patience and smoothness as a cornerback are useful. However, the biggest concern is his size. Due to his small stature, Crawford will have to work on how he handles run support from the second level. Also, due to his short height, he is often unable to guard bigger receivers with consistency. Crawford has average speed, allowing him to get beaten on deep routes. Last but not least, his lingering back injuries are concerning.
According to Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network (
Read More Here), Crawford has great man coverage skills with his quickness and smooth transitions. Crawford has a great ability to stick to routes and not abandon them. Xavier Crawford is very flexible and can accelerate quickly in short bursts, but has average speed. However, Crawford does not offer much run support as he is often “uncertain and slow to react.” Often, he locks up receivers but lacks the “aggressiveness to discard of the block [set by the recievers]. Crawford’s tackling skills need a plethora of improvement as he needs to gain more strength and hit with more power.
Additionally, Crawford’s back injury is a concern and needs to be taken under consideration by the Texans. His most significant strength is his foot speed, and his biggest weakness is his run support. Crabbs says that “ Crawford has desirable foot speed and … skills in off-man coverage”, but Crawford will have to hone on his run defense skills to contribute and be an impact player.
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[As I posted in the Injury Thread, he is reported to have sustained a "back injury" in the past (as in the above profiles), when in fact it was a shoulder injury which required surgery.]