According to NFL draft analyst Gil Brandt, Kyle Fuller has a visit scheduled with the Steelers later this week.
#VaTech CB Kyle Fuller has had 15 visits or workouts. Has 4 more this week: #Jets, #Broncos, #Rams, #Steelers.
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) April 21, 2014
Fuller is a legitimate first round pick at cornerback, who’s name is not Gilbert or Dennard. The Virginia Tech senior totaled 24 tackles, 2 interceptions, and had 10 passes broken up in 2013. These stats are from only 7 games though, as he battled with injuries, and missed the rest of the season after having surgery in November to repair a core muscle tear.
The 5’11”, 190 lb CB ran a 4.49 at the combine. He has excellent ball awareness, and plays aggressively. Sometimes, he’s a little too aggressive though, as he can be fooled at times by receivers with a good double move. Here’s a great example of Fuller making an aggressive play on the ball.
Fuller played a lot of zone at Virginia Tech, but also played a good amount of man coverage as well. I’ve referenced Greg Peshek’s CB metrics articles before, and while the metrics are not ideal due to Fuller’s injury, there are a couple intriguing stats to look at. During his playing time last year, Fuller had his hand on the ball more frequently than both Darqueze Dennard and Justin Gilbert. His burn rate was also lower than both of theirs.
Fuller will almost certainly make an immediate contribution his rookie year. He’s a solid special teams contributor who likes get physical, and he’ll no doubt see his playing time increase as the season progresses.
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