Shreveport, Louisiana is known as the the third-most populated city in the state, but for Central Arkansas cornerback and native Robert Rochell, it's much more than that. Even though he labels it as a place that’s “real dangerous for you”, he does his best to carry the weight of the place that he calls home on his back.
Unfortunately, tragedy struck Rochell and July 7, 2009 is a day that he will remember for the rest of his life. His mother, LaBrinta Rochell, is someone that he abides by and has seen her work four jobs “tirelessly” throughout her life to support him and his three other siblings, but even she couldn’t shield the pain of him losing his father on that devastating day.
Falling victim to a drive-by shooting, the tragedy was the start of the continuation of him losing important male figures in his life, as he also had an uncle and two cousins that were tragically killed in a similar manner. At the time, carrying a heavy heart and overcoming a mountain of adversity seemed like an impossible task at the time, but Rochell refused to allow those nightmares of those devastating losses shield him from his ultimate goal. The results of those catastrophes now drive his passion.
Using sports as an escape from the treacherous streets of Shreveport, Rochell played in nearly every sport possible growing up. Initially experimenting with all types of sports during the early stages of his childhood, as he raced through the neighborhood with his friends and others, he noticed at 10 years old that he had a special gift. Running track was the sport that he fell in love with after noticing how swiftly he ran from location to location while imitating some of his favorite athletes.
It wasn’t long before he was setting records in multiple events, as he competed in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4x100-meter dashes. In seventh grade, his love for football began. Always a natural athlete, he was placed and experienced lots of success as a quarterback, wide receiver, and running back on the gridiron and learned how to play the game as he continued on with it.
Prior to all of the accolades, such as being named as an FCS All-American as well as a first-team All-Southland Conference recipient at Central Arkansas, Rochell sliced his way through opponents on both sides of the ball while at Fair Park High School, but it was the summer football camp circuit of 2015 that changed his life forever.
Reportedly running a 4.37 40-yard dash time at an LSU camp, his intrigue amongst scouts quickly changed. The interest letters and simple questionnaires soon turned into handwritten offers from notable head coaches around the country. Needing a standout final season to cement and fulfill his dreams of playing on the big time Division I level, he seemed to be well on his way.
Unfortunately, as he was during his childhood, Rochell was dealt a difficult hand as a knee injury ended his final season prematurely. It was a promising final season that was cut short. It included 922 rushing yards and 25 catches for 465 receiving yards, but many schools quickly pivoted from Rochell due to his knee concerns and his readiness upon arrival to campus. Some colleges recruited him as a receiver while others wanted him as a running back, but now the injury cast a dark cloud over his future.
Peeking through the dark cloud just so happened to be a small ray of sunshine. Central Arkansas was the one school that stayed by his side throughout his injury. Despite the position questions, durability concerns, and uncertainty of how he would recover, the program showed faith by displaying loyalty to Rochell. The initiative proved to pay off, but the journey to his present state was a unique one.
Steeping foot on campus as a wide receiver, he was quickly converted to cornerback. Redshirting during his first year (2016), he was afforded the opportunity of continuing rehab while also learning the nuances of cornerback—a new position that he didn’t have any prior experience playing.
Getting his feet wet briefly, he started in three of the 11 games that he appeared in as a redshirt freshman (2017). The following season, he continued to show growth and quickly became a household name for the Bears as he recorded a team-high four interceptions while starting in eight of the 11 games that he saw action in.
Similar to breezing through the hot Louisiana heat while burning up the turf at the LSU summer camp, Rochell set the nation on fire as a redshirt junior. During the 2019 season, he started all 13 games while leading the team in interceptions for the second consecutive year with five.
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Recording seven tackles, two pass breakups, and a highlight interception while falling backwards during the season opener performance against Western Kentucky, this was the game that firmly catapulted him onto the NFL landscape. Following it up with another promising performance against Hawaii, a buzz began to surface about the FCS corner.
Once tabbed as one of the best kept secrets, that mantra was quickly extinguished after Rochell was listed on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks” list as the No. 12 overall player.
Feldman: Get to know this dude. He’s a former track stud from Louisiana who has really blossomed at Central Arkansas. NFL scouts are really intrigued by him. He’s a shade under 6-1 (6-0 7/8) and weighs 197 pounds. His coach Nathan Brown says he’s broad jumped 11-8 (!!) and has vertical jumped 41 inches. His 40 time is 4.38, and his short shuttle is 3.98. His 60-yard shuttle time is 10.98. Those are all big-time numbers. In 2019, he broke up 18 passes and intercepted five others.
With college football starting back on Saturday, Rochell will participate in the very first game of the year. On Saturday, Central Arkansas is set to face off against Austin Peay in a night game (8 p.m. ET) on ESPN. Being one of the few FCS programs that's playing a full slate of games this season, Rochell will have a prime opportunity to prove that he was worth every bit of the preseason hype.
In a nationally televised game, the FCS standout is aiming to put together another magical season. If so, he could become in contention to be the first small-school non-QB prospect to hear his name come off of the draft in 2021.
The Scouts Eye View
Size: 6-foot-1, 197 pounds
Positives (+):
There are lots of features that stand out about the Central Arkansas standout, but his length is his greatest asset. Playing predominantly at or near the line of scrimmage, he was allowed ample opportunities of challenging matchups at the snap. With a long wingspan and aggressive demeanor to match, he's best suited for a press-man scheme, but he was also given opportunities to put his back to the sideline and backpedal in zone coverage. Gaining experience in both helps him familiarize his game with experiencing and being exposed to multiple schemes.
Anytime a prospect has 10 interceptions during their career, that aspect of their game can't be unnoticed. For Rochell, he has accomplished that feat heading into his final season. As a converted receiver, his former playing days at the position are evident. Already having the innate trait of being able to locate and attach his eyes to the ball, he attacks it out of the air in order to haul it in cleanly. In all areas of the field, he has displayed comfort with finding and playing the ball out of the air.
Negatives (–):
Even though Rochell starts from a balanced position when challenging receivers at the line, his posture and technique immediately deteriorate. He's very aggressive with latching onto the shoulder pads of wideouts and displays little trust in his technique. An ultimate competitor and highly grabby nature results in him being a penalty magnet even though some aren't always ruled as being pass interference. An already tall frame results in being even more elongated because of his impatience with trusting his technique and athleticism to match and mirror the movements of matchups.
Because of his tendency to play tall, his pad level immediately swells. This has helped the opposition to create extra separation at the top of the route, which is an area that Rochell has struggled with the most. Wideouts who can get in and out of breaks with ease in all directions have caused constant trouble for Rochell as he has high allowance levels at the top of routes. As a run defender, he isn't afraid to engage in tackles, but spacial awareness with following perimeter threats too far inside, leaving gaping lanes outside, was also a reoccurring issue. Noticing when outside wideouts are attempting to accomplish "two for one" blocks by carrying him inside on their paths to block interior threats is another area of growth evaluators want to see from the senior corner.
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