SCOUTING REPORT: CB Mike Hughes

Nov 24, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; UCF Knights kick returner Mike Hughes (19) runs back the kick 94 yards for the go ahead scorer against the South Florida Bulls during the second half at Spectrum Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

I’ll be honest, when I first saw the Hughes pick, I was not happy. Hughes was tied for my fourth cornerback on my board (along with Isaiah Oliver) and my 42nd overall prospect with a mid-second round grade. Not exactly a quality pick for the 30th overall pick at first glance. However, the more I evaluated the pick, looked back at my notes on Hughes, and thought about how Zimmer could use him, the more I liked the pick. It’s not a pick that I’m over the moon about, but it’s one that makes sense given Alexander’s development, Waynes’ upcoming contract extension, and our style of defense.

 

Man Coverage

Hughes is an aggressive and physical corner who isn’t afraid to get in the face of receivers off the line of scrimmage. He has the ability to play press on a variety of receivers (including lining up against early round receivers like D.J. Moore, Courtland Sutton, and Anthony Miller just this last year to name a few), although he did show inconsistency with success in press against bigger physical receivers. However, Hughes is not just physical in coverage – he also shows exceptional technique with his footwork and hips. He has incredibly quick, patient, and fluid footwork that allows him to mirror receivers really well, and his fluid hips (or ‘oily hips’ as Mike Mayock would say) allow for quick transitions that doesn’t allow for much separation from quicker wide receivers. While his 40 time was not stellar (38th percentile for corners), he shows good play speed on tape (he looked like a 4.45 on tape, which is 72nd percentile for corners) that allows for a solid recovery when he does give up some separation. That is one area that will be interesting to see how it translates to the NFL – does he look faster on tape because he’s facing inferior competition for most of the year in the AAC or does he just not test well.

The one thing that I think he struggles with in man coverage is his ability to read routes well. He at times took false steps in trying anticipate routes, which led to separation for the receivers and that will be something that Zimmer will either have to fix or account for with a deeper safety to prevent getting beat deep.

 

Zone Coverage

Zone coverage is an area that shows promise for Hughes but also has areas that he needs more experience with. In zone, he shows great awareness in space to both read what’s going on at the line of scrimmage while also being aware enough to make sure a receiver doesn’t slip behind his zone and take advantage of a gap in the defense’s zone coverage. He takes strong angles to get to the receivers and along with his agility and change of direction in coverage, he can cover a large area on the field and get to the ball quickly in order to break up the pass. That combination of intelligence and athleticism helps make up for some of his struggles in zone coverage with his reactive play.

His two main issues in zone coverage can be helped with more repetitions – his unknown abilities in deep zones as well as his issues in being more reactive than proactive in zone coverage. He has too little tape in deep zones to be confident that that part of his game will translate to the NFL. He has the flexibility and agility that looks like he could succeed in deeper zones, but without more reps and seeing more of that aspect of his game in live action, it’s hard to know how he’ll do in those situations. The other issue of his in zone is his tendency to be reactive instead of proactive. Much like his struggles in route anticipation in man coverage, Hughes struggles at times with not making a move on a throw until it’s already in motion, which doesn’t allow for him to be able to jump throws or bait throws for turnovers, but instead can allow for completions that should be more easily prevented by an average zone corner. Personally, I feel like this is due to not trusting his instincts more than not having those instincts and lacking the speed to make the play and therefore could be solved with more reps to work on play recognition, processing speed, and trusting those instincts.

 

Run Support

Hughes shows an aggressive streak in run support – which is encouraging. He looks to get to the ball and make a play and isn’t afraid to be physical near the line of scrimmage. That attitude and aggressiveness is necessary for any corner in Zimmer’s schemes as they are asked to step up (and is part of the reason why Waynes was taken in 2015 with his combination of raw athleticism and ability in run support). However, this is clearly Hughes’ weakest point as his attitude and ability in run support are completely opposite. He shows the attitude, but his tackling technique is inconsistent and he lacks the necessary strength and length to consistently make proper tackles in the NFL. Too often on tape, Hughes put himself in the right position in run support…and then proceeded to aim at the feet of the ball carrier. He used his hands well to consistently take down players by their legs/feet, but in a league with stronger running backs, he needs to put in substantial work on his proper tackling technique. When he did wrap-up properly, players broke through his tackles too frequently as a result of his lack of play strength and shorter arms. This seemed to lead to at least one play a game that went from a 3-4 yard gain to a 30-40 yard gain for the offense. This will need to be worked on or schemed around in order to prevent opponents for going off for a big play.

 

Off The Field Issues

Hughes has had two off the field issues that Rick Speilman has since said he’s comfortable with and doesn’t think will be a concern. The first issue came in 2015 while Hughes was at the University of North Carolina. Hughes was suspended for two games after a misdemeanor assault charge following an incident at a fraternity house on campus. Not many details have been shared regarding the incident, but we do know it ended up in the victim being knocked unconscious and with a broken nose. He then transferred to a community college following that 2015 season at UNC after sexual assault allegations were also brought against him, although the charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence.

 

NFL Comparison

Darius Slay, CB, Detroit Lions

 

What Is His Role?

When the Vikings drafted Hughes, my initial thought was that it was due to Mackensie Alexander’s lack of development over the first two years, but the more I analyze the pick, I could see a case being made that he’s Waynes’ replacement for the sake of cap room. Hughes’ size and athleticism seem to be a perfect fit for a slot corner, while his physicality and slower 40 speed seem to be a better fit as an outside corner. I feel that this versatility is what the Vikings were especially attracted to. It’s entirely possible that Alexander steps up in year three much like Waynes and Rhodes did during their third years with the Vikings, and that would give the Vikings some flexibility to decide whether or not they keep Waynes based on his cap hit (and if they do keep Waynes, they then have four corners that provide some versatility with Alexander and Hughes both having the physicality to play outside, while having the size/athleticism desired for the slot). Hughes also gives the Vikings a dynamic special teams player from the start. I think Hughes is a day one starter on special teams and a rotational player at corner, likely behind both Alexander and Newman at the slot position and perhaps a little bit of play time on the outside as well.

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