Christian Campbell offers size, physicality at the cornerback position

The Arizona Cardinals drafted a single defensive player in their haul of six players. His name is Christian Campbell, a cornerback from Penn State.

Let’s get to know him a little bit.

Size and Length - The first thing you notice about Campbell is that he is a long, lean corner, with vines posing as arms.

The 6’1” 195lbs Campbell measured at the NFL Combine with 33 ¹⁄₂ inch arms, or longer most of the top guard prospects.

The question is, why wasn’t he looked at earlier when he possesses the rare size and length?

Inexperience - Campbell is a four-year letter winner at Penn State, but only started 17 games in the 41 he played in.

Athleticism - Campbell isn’t a particularly fast or his change of direction isn’t special, but he has unreal explosiveness from a jumps stand point.

On field play - Was an effective press corner, okay on his feet and physical against the receiver in the routes.

The Problem - When you watch Campbell play, it is reminiscent of another former Cardinals cornerback, Justin Bethel. Campbell didn’t show enough to consistently make you see a starting corner early or maybe ever, but his athletic ability shows him to be able to be at least effective on specials.

According to Pro Football Focus, Campbell allowed 36 catches on 58 attempts, good for a 62.1% completion percentage against.

Overall - Campbell has some ability, the question is how much can he produce and how quickly? The nice thing is, he has experience on special teams and he has unique and and even special measurables.

With experience at both corner and safety, plus his special teams work, he should have a shot to make the team, the question becomes, how much can he contribute?