Overrated Jaguars Part 1: Aaron Colvin

3/7/2016

Today, I’ll start analyzing some of the most overrated players on the Jacksonville Jaguars roster, starting with fan-favorite defensive back Aaron Colvin.

By Travis Johns

PRESENTED BY

Who is this Guy?

Aaron Colvin was a 4th round draft pick by the Jaguars in a loaded 2014 Jags draft class out of Oklahoma. Colvin was a top-50 player among many media big boards prior to the 2014 Senior Bowl (Gus’s first time coaching the event) but suffered a torn ACL during the week of practice and could not participate. However, it is this slide that allowed the team to pick him in the fourth round, even though there was a huge chance that he wouldn’t play a snap in the 2014 season.

Gus had faith that Colvin would play in 2014, so he refused to redshirt him for the whole season. Colvin ended up playing 6 games (with 1 start) in that season, making an impact on the defensive backfield. His rookie season will mostly be remembered for his scoop-and-score in a comeback win over the New York Giants that turned the tide of the game.

The coaching staff decided that a bigger role was in store for Colvin in 2015, making him the primary nickel-back and the starting boundary corner across from Davon House for base packages. Basically, they wanted him to play on the sideline when the team only fielded 2 CB’s. When they put more out on the field, Colvin would move into the slot and another corner (Demetrius McCray, Dwayne Gratz or Nick Marshall usually) would play outside. Colvin statistically had a nice season, recording 73 tackles and 4 sacks. He was able to make some plays this season, like his 4th-down pass deflection to seal the Buffalo game in London this season. Colvin clearly excelled from the slot, as his 4 sacks were more than any LEO on the team had this season.

So Wait…. How is he Overrated?

Please keep in mind that, as I write this, I’m not saying that Aaron Colvin is a bad player or that he shouldn’t be on this roster. My goal here is to dispel the notion that Colvin is a top-notch corner or even the best corner on this team. The simple truth is that this is not close to true. Colvin is not a great cornerback or a star by any means. He is what he is: a slot corner who can make plays.

My primary criticism comes from the way Colvin was used this season. As I previously mentioned, Colvin played on the boundary in base packages, which account for somewhere around 40% of the defensive snaps. He slid inside for nickel and dime packages, which account for approximately 60% of the snaps a defense takes.

Here’s the problem: Colvin is a poor boundary corner in this scheme. The Cover-3 zone that we often play limits his strengths: instincts and play-making. Basically, he has to sit back and try to stay with a receiver in a deep zone, limiting his ability to jump on plays in the early stages to force negative plays. Colvin does his best work when he’s near the line of scrimmage, watching the quarterback and covering short and intermediate zones. The Cover-3 limits his talents from shining as a boundary corner.

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However, Colvin’s talents are perfectly utilized from the slot role. He makes up for his lack of lockdown skills on the outside with great instincts and effort from the slot. As I mentioned earlier, Colvin accumulated 4 sacks as a defensive back this season (to put this in perspective, he led the team for a stretch of games this year AS A DEFENSIVE BACK). He’s able to diagnose plays as a blitzer and as a short zone defender and make plays on QBs and RBs behind the line of scrimmage because of his outstanding play recognition in short zone coverage. He’s also got nice size for a nickel corner (6’0’’, 194 lbs.) but has the quickness of smaller corners to cover slot receivers.

Overview

Let me reaffirm my point from earlier: I do not dislike Colvin or think he is a bad player. My primary criticism is that the coaching staff didn’t maximize his talent in 2015, which needs to be corrected. I’ve been a huge proponent of adding a premier cornerback this offseason, whether that be through free agency (with a player like Janoris Jenkins) or early in the draft (Vernon Hargreaves in the first or an underrated name like Xavien Howard in the third). The team could make any of these moves (or even start Demetrius McCray) and be in better shape than they were with Colvin starting on the edge. However, Colvin would still be playing a fairly high snap count (and significantly more snaps than Dan Skuta or any other OTTO does), but his talents will be maximized in a more limited role.

Agree with me or absolutely hate my opinion? Let me know in the comments section below or on Twitter @twjohns97. Keep following the rest of the “Overrated Jaguars” series here on genjag.com and on Reddit. Go Jags!

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