wab wrote:Kevin Tolliver is a great get.
I like the kid..needs to stay healthy..keep off field crap GONE..has a decent shot played for good program..
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Toliver was once a top prospect and in line to be a star at LSU. However, a knee injury, shoulder injury and suspensions have derailed his career to date. NFL.com on Toliver:
Toliver was a top-rated recruit who was largely disappointing relative to expectations at LSU. However, his play showed improvement this season and he has the size and physical ability that teams are typically willing to bet on. Toliver lacks premium ball skills but his size and physicality could be a good match for a zone-heavy unit or with a potential move to safety. Toliver’s value lies more in his traits than his production and teams will have to weigh his future potential against his past history — both on and off the field.
However, on the field, Toliver does bring some upside to bet into still. Eric Crocker does an excellent profile highlighting why he saw Kevin Toliver as his sleeper of the draft.
It would have to be assumed that the Chicago Bears met with Kevin Toliver at the combine, though. Toliver was not a pre-draft visit, and given his off of the field background, and coaches questioning his maturity, it would be in the teams best interest to meet with him for a bit before bringing him in. Even as an Undrafted Free Agent.
Toliver went to the combine and while he showed to meet the height threshold that Ryan Pace tends to like in his cornerbacks, he did not test overly athletic.
February 4, 2018
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Eric Crocker
Kevin Toliver II - JR, LSU
Ht/wt: 6-foot-3, 204 lbs.
2017: 28 tackles, 1 interception, 10 PBU, 1 sack, 2 FF
Every offseason I have these random draft crushes. In 2016 it was Michael Thomas of Ohio State. For the life of me I could not figure out why he was projected to go in the second round. Leading up to the 2017 draft it was Colorado's Ahkello Witherspoon, the long, athletic cornerback who I thought would be a perfect fit for the 49ers' defensive scheme.
This year, while I understand why he is a draft sleeper, my official crush of the 2018 class is Kevin Toliver II, a 6-foot-3, 204-pound cornerback out of LSU.
Coming out of high school, Toliver was the No.
1-ranked cornerback in the nation. Because of injuries and other unknown reasons, Toliver’s time on the field was limited. Junior season he became more of a nickel defensive back with Donte Jackson stepping into more of an every-down role. So you might be asking yourself, “why would the 49ers want this kid?”
Well, Toliver is the Josh Allen (Wyoming) of cornerbacks. Size, speed and ability that is perfect for the 49ers' scheme if he can be more consistent.
Toliver possesses some of the best press technique I’ve seen in recent years. As I said in the piece on Jacksonville State's Siran Neal, you want your cornerbacks to be patient and remain square at the line of scrimmage, making the receiver work laterally.
Nobody works this technique better than Toliver.
Down the field, Toliver is very pesky, using his large frame to mirror receivers and give them no space. A lot of the time in the 49ers' scheme the cornerbacks are on islands downfield. The ability to read receivers down, have good eye discipline and make a play on the ball are key.
In the game against Florida, a play that had no significance at all stood out to me most. The receiver was lined up off the ball on the outside creating space of about three yards. Toliver used what I call a “leverage step,” helping him keep his inside relationship to the receiver while staying square. He then got hands on the receiver and patiently read the receiver down.
This technique is very difficult but Toliver makes it look routine.
Toliver has shown the ability to to play off coverage, but it’s definitely not his strong suit. Against Alabama he was beat when forced into an off-coverage situation guarding Calvin Ridley. Because of his big body, smaller quicker receivers may give him problems if he can’t get hands on them at the line of scrimmage. But a couple times against Auburn he showed the ability to close quick on receivers from a shuffle.