Steelers scouting profile: Asante Samuel Jr. is a pass at 24

Samuel’s Cons

Unfortunately, most of Samuel’s issues come from his lack of size. Against bigger receivers, Samuel can get bullied and taken out of the play. While he has the skill to play on the outside, I think his size will limit him to the inside predominantly. While most defenses rely heavily on their slot cornerbacks, the outside options are the more valuable ones. The skill is there for it, but mismatches against bigger receivers could make teams pay for keeping him there.

While he is willing to chip in and tackle, his size once again limits him there. He struggles to get off blocks in space and is overly reliant at just flinging himself at opposing ball carriers in hopes of connecting with them and bringing them down. He can wrap up smaller guys, but he isn’t someone that is going to stop a power back in space by wrapping him up.

Finally, while he tested as a great athlete, Samuel never seemed to be flying around the field. While his straight-line speed was evident on his interception returns, his coverage speed wasn’t as evident. While he certainly isn’t slow, I don’t think you see his timed 4.41 speed on every play for the defense.