The 2024 NFL Draft cornerback class is stocked with talented playmakers, but Florida State’s Renardo Green is at the top of the list when it comes to instinctively making an impact. What does Green bring to the table, and is he being overlooked?
Renardo Green Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 5’11 1/2″
- Weight: 187 pounds
- Position: Cornerback
- School: Florida State
- Current Year: Redshirt Senior
For four years, after joining the Florida State Seminoles as a three-star recruit, Green was an anonymous presence on the NFL Draft circuit. Even after racking up four interceptions and 23 pass deflections as a high school senior, there was still plenty more for him to prove.
It took a long time for Green to break into the starting lineup as a full-time contributor. But in 2022, he made an impression with 58 tackles, three tackles for loss, and five pass deflections. And in 2023, he grew to become an All-ACC producer.
“He’s an ultimate competitor, with near-elite explosiveness and recovery speed.” 👀🔒@FSUFootball CB Renardo Green (@nado2times) is one of the most underrated CBs in the draft, according to @IC_Draft. #NoleFamily
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) March 1, 2024
As a redshirt senior in 2023, Green logged 43 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, a half-sack, one interception, and a team-leading 13 pass breakups. He earned second-team All-ACC recognition as a result and earned an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl.
At the Shrine Bowl, Green’s ascent only continued. The Florida State product distinguished himself as one of the best defenders in Frisco and put himself on the map nationwide as an underrated 2024 NFL Draft prospect.
Green’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Explosive, energized athlete who moves with bristling quickness and urgency.
- Powerful long-strider who has the speed to limit vertical separation as a trailing CB.
- Has the recovery speed and explosiveness to close gaps after initial losses.
- Has the stride freedom to elongate and cover space, then snap and retract at stems.
- Has the hip fluidity to hinge around and instantly carry WRs upfield with speed.
- With snappy redirection freedom, can jolt from vertical to lateral mode on breaks.
- Shows off exceptional processing and reaction speed matching releases off the line.
- Can expertly mix patience, discipline, and sharp targeted physicality in press-man.
- Uses feet first in press-man and instinctively gathers WRs within his frame.
- Has shown he can use kick-slides in off-man and zone to maintain hip leverage.
- Can time his jams with hip transitions to torque and pinch receivers against the sideline.
- Ultra-competitive cover man with suffocating tenacity from the line to the catch point.
- Competitiveness extends to the catch point, where he functions as a gnat versus WRs.
- Shows glimpses of safety versatility and can play square to gaps in downhill support.
- High-energy support player who matches blockers blow-for-blow and chases with haste.
Weaknesses
- Is around average size for a CB and has above-average length at best.
- Wiry frame is a bit high-cut, which lends slight limitations with sink and adaptability.
- Can sometimes be uncontrolled with footwork and balance when matching releases.
- Doesn’t have elite swivel flexibility and can’t always correct trailing angles off breaks.
- At times, can be over-zealous with tugs and pulls past the initial contact window.
- Will, at times, overcompensate for sink issues with extraneous physicality on comebacks.
- Sometimes overcommits to sold inside breaks, veering out of proper positioning.
- Can be more consistent with pass-off and carry rules when crossing routes overlap.
- 2-on-1 route relationships can induce bouts of hesitation and gridlock in hips.
- Sometimes plays too tall in side-saddle, which can hinder his sink overtop stems.
- Footwork can be choppy on backpedals, and pads naturally drift too high.
- At times, can track the ball with more precision and convert on interception chances.
- Occasionally gets beaten to the punch in support, which can lose him leverage on blocks.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Renardo Green grades out as a top-100 prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft, who could command mid-to-late Day 2 capital after testing or be a superb value addition on Day 3. Particularly in man-heavy schemes, he has a starting upside and can be a valuable rotational presence right out of the gate.
Green’s background will be appealing to NFL teams. He joined the Seminoles as a three-star recruit in 2019, built his way up, and battled through injuries. He could’ve transferred in 2023 with Fentrell Cypress joining the fold, but instead, he stayed in Tallahassee and became an all-conference performer.
Even better, some of Green’s best games came against the class’s top competition. He fought admirably against LSU’s Malik Nabers early in the year, proving his athleticism was more than a match for the Tigers’ top prospect. And he also gave evaluators a gauge for his talent at the NFL level.
That’s where the primary appeal derives from Green. He’s an ultimate competitor, with near-elite explosiveness and recovery speed, as well as the foot speed and redirection freedom to thrive in press-man and off-man. He’s physical but disciplined at the line and can smother WRs at the catch.
Green’s projection is a bit less clear outside of the press-man bucket. In off-man and zone, his pedal can be more efficient and streamlined, and his lack of elite sink, swivel fluidity, and recovery flexibility does lock him up at times. Additionally, bouts of uncertainty in zone when faced with overlapping concepts can exacerbate issues.
All this being said, Green has enough hinge fluidity to survive on transitions, and his scrappy, competitive attitude translates in close quarters, at the catch point, and in support.
Without elite fluidity, Green’s ceiling is slightly diluted, but with his recovery speed and tenacity, Green has the potential to be an impact starter if he can keep chipping away at technical and zone processing improvements.
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