Coby Bryant is a former 3-star recruit out of Glenville High school in Cleveland, Ohio. According to 247 Sports, Bryant was the No. 1644 player in the nation, the No. 170 cornerback, and No. 66 player in Ohio. He played two sports in high school: baseball and football. As a junior, he played cornerback and safety. He was coached by Ted Ginn Sr. His brother, Christian, played defensive back at Ohio State (2010-14) and is a member of the Arizona Cardinals. Bryant is a competitive cover man with man and zone versatility. He has great ball skills and tracking abilities. He has a quick trigger to sit and break on shorter routes. Bryant is a solid athlete but twitchy receivers can force him to panic early in the stem. Poor tackling form has plagued him. He’d rather dive at the ball-carrier’s feet as an ankle-biter—improvement is needed in this area.

Ideal Role: Starting No. 2, field corner

Scheme Fit: Mixture of man/zone, Cover 1 and 3

FILM EVALUATION

Written by Damian Parson

Games watched: SMU (2021), South Florida (2021), UCF (2021), UGA (2021)

Man Coverage Skills: See Above.

Zone Coverage Skills: He uses a side-saddle technique in zone coverage, typically while in Cover 3. Bryant plays distances well and maintains his coverage integrity. Prioritizes receiver routes by responsibilities and keys. He possesses a quick trigger to click-and-close on shorter routes.

Ball Skills: See Above.

Tackling: More of a launcher and shoulder driver than a technical wrapper. Bryant has the frame to properly secure the opponent, it just seems like a mentality issue. Prefers to lunge toward the ball-carrier’s legs—more of an ankle-biter. He does not consistently square up his target before striking. He will open to a side and give up leverage. This aspect of his game needs refining.

Versatility: Bryant primarily aligns as the field corner to the wide side. He has moved around the secondary as a result of disguises and coverage calls. He has seen a few snaps at free safety, in the box, and at slot/nickel corner. He adds special teams value to the roster.

Competitive Toughness: See Above.

Functional Athleticism: Rumored to run between a 4.4 and 4.5, Bryant can turn and run with his share of receivers. The lack of true deep speed shows in his tendency to zone/speed turn too quickly in the receiver’s stem. It can be seen as Bryant panics if he believes the receiver’s speed is greater than his own. This leaves him susceptible to short and intermediate routes. He does possess the leaping ability to challenge receivers at the catch point mid-air.

Football IQ: He has great spatial awareness. Bryant is aware of down and distances and prepared for the route concepts the offense needs to keep their drive alive. He has a good sense of route depth perception and recognition, which allows him to get a beat on throws in his region. Also, he uses this knowledge to bait quarterbacks into turnover-worthy throws.

Run Defending: He is a willing participant in the run game. He will trigger downhill to box the ball-carrier in. His issues as a tackler negatively impact his overall effectiveness as a force player. He will dive at the ball-carrier’s legs and ankles rather than squaring him up to make a form tackle.

Length: Bryant has good arm length and height for his frame. He is able to effectively challenge receivers in the air. As a result, he will break up passes on all levels of the field. He uses his arm length to his advantage when shooting his punch in the contact window. Also, provides the ability to disrupt the receiver during their route stem.

SCOUT GRADES

TDN Consensus: 75.25/100 (Third Round Value)

Crabbs Grade: 73.50/100

Marino Grade: 75.50/100

Harris Grade: 73.00/100

Sanchez Grade: 76.50/100

Weissman Grade: 76.00/100

Parson Grade: 77.00/100