Yahoo Sports profiled Stephon Gilmore as one of 50 potential difference makers in the 2012 NFL draft.
Buffalo Bills first round draft pick Stephon Gilmore.
Pros:
- Gilmore reads running plays quickly and attacks them aggressively.
- Gilmore can be a weapon as a corner blitzer.
- Gilmore has exceptional speed and can run with top wide receivers.
- When he bursts into the open field after a turnover, no one will catch him.
Cons:
- Gilmore’s man coverage technique is very raw.
- Gilmore tries to drop the hammer when tackling in run support, which means he sometimes lunges at the ball carrier’s legs and fails to wrap properly
Conclusion:
Gilmore is a safe pick for any team: coaches know they will get a hard working, experienced defender who is tall and runs fast.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s assesment on Gilmore.
“Gilmore is a pure cornerback, very fundamentally and technically sound. He has the size, recovery speed, and leaping ability to do a good, solid job in coverage. He’s an intense competitor who will come up and aggressively support the run. Gilmore played like a first rounder with the pads on then tested like a first rounder to reinforce his grade.”
Sal Mariona from the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle has a thought on how Gilmore should fit in on the Bills roster.
“With Terrence McGee in steep decline, Drayton Florence in subtle decline, and Leodis McKelvin still trying to find his niche, Gilmore should be able to come in immediately and join with last year’s second-round pick, cornerback Aaron Williams, to greatly improve the Bills in coverage.”
Joseph Person from the Charlotte News & Observer interviewed Gilmore with a focus on his “less than flashy” demeanor.
Gilmore’s quiet nature belies a competitive spirit on game days. Ward pointed to the Gamecocks’ win against Alabama two years ago, when Gilmore ripped Julio Jones’ helmet off following a short completion.
Even the cantankerous Jerry Sullivan from The Buffalo News relented with a good feeling about Gilmore.
Gilmore seems like a safe, solid choice at 10. As Nix and coach Chan Gailey keep reminding us, the NFL is more and more of a pass-happy league these days. It’s hard to quibble with them taking a cornerback who was considered the second best in the draft. Gilmore is 6-0, 190 pounds. He has run a 4.40 in the 40. He started 40 games in the SEC for South Carolina. He’ll give them much-needed depth in the secondary.
Here’s a video breakdown of some of Gilmore’s strength’s & weaknesses.
