CB Chris Greenwood (Albion) - Round 5, Pick No. 148
The Detroit Lions continued their trading spree with another deal in the fifth round. This time, the Lions moved up 10 spots by giving away a seventh-round pick to the Oakland Raiders in order to select Albion's Chris Greenwood. Greenwood had attended the local workout the Lions held in the lead-up to the 2012 NFL Draft, and the team decided to pick the Detroit native in the fifth round.
Experts' Opinions
Possesses a tall, physically put together frame. Looks the part and exhibits good straight-line speed. Has a good first step and can run well as a linear athlete. However, isn't real natural in his drop. Isn't real quick footed, is a bit tighter in and out of his breaks and is slow to quickly re-direct and close. Looks leggy trying to change directions and gives up a ton of separation vs. the jump in competition at the East/West Shrine game. Doesn't do a great job identifying routes and is too often slow to reach the receiver out of his breaks.
Impression: A good looking kid who can run and warrants a spot in a camp. Better athlete than football player at this stage as he struggles to sit low and quickly get out of his breaks.
Bucky Brooks' take: The Lions continue to add pieces to their defense with the selection of Greenwood. He is a height-weight-speed project with the ability to make the squad as a fourth or fifth corner.
Positives: Nice sized defensive back with outstanding measurables. Effectively reads and diagnoses the action, works well with teammates and fights hard to make positive plays. Battles throughout the action, relatively instinctive and easily runs with opponents in every area of the field. Displays a good degree of explosion in his game, has a burst to the ball and effectively times or anticipates pass defenses. Fluid changing direction, plays with a large degree of quickness and aggressive. Reads receivers eyes and gets his head back around to make plays on the ball.
Negatives: Must improve the consistency of his backpedal as he prefers to side shuffle down field. Not smooth or fluid turning his hips.
ESPN:
What he brings: Greenwood possesses a rare blend of size and top-end speed, but has to answer questions about the level of competition he faced at Division III Albion.
Stats
Not available
Videos
Amazingly, there is film available from just about all of Albion's games from last season. Greenwood is only highlighted at the start of each video, but you can go here to check them out.
Outlook for 2012
Greenwood is an outstanding athlete, but he is definitely a project when it comes to playing cornerback. This shouldn't come as a surprise considering he played for a Division III school. What this means for 2012 is that his contributions at cornerback will ultimately come down to how quickly he can learn the position and develop as a player. Due to his athleticism, I wouldn't be surprised if he saw some playing time in 2012, and with a starting job open, you never know what could happen during training camp. In all likelihood, 2012 will be spent by Greenwood developing at his position, but like some of the other defensive draft picks, he should contribute on special teams from day one.
More scouting reports: Riley Reiff, Ryan Broyles, Dwight "Bill" Bentley, Ronnell Lewis, Tahir Whitehead, Jonte Green, Travis Lewis
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