New York Jets statistical scouting report: Brandin Echols

New York Jets rookie cornerback Brandin Echols will be looking to put 2020 behind him and recapture his elite 2019 season at Kentucky.

Role/usage

Despite his slight 179-pound frame (standing 5-foot-10), Brandin Echols primarily played outside cornerback for the Kentucky Wildcats. Here is a breakdown of his snap distribution in 2020:

• Outside cornerback: 77.0%
• Slot cornerback: 15.8%
• Inside linebacker: 4.3%
• Strong safety: 1.3%
• Free safety: 0.8%
• Outside linebacker: 0.8%

The New York Jets rookie cornerback comes from an extremely zone-heavy Kentucky defense. In 2020, he had an 88.7%/11.3% split between zone and man coverage reps.

Blitzing was not a part of Echols’ game as he was sent after the quarterback on only six snaps in his career.

Athletic profile

Echols is lanky and lacks length but he tested extremely well at his Kentucky pro day. Here are some of his numbers and how they compare against cornerbacks since 2000:

• Height: 5′ 10⅛” (32nd percentile)
• Weight: 179 pounds (6th)
• Wingspan: 73″ (14th)
• Arm length: 30¼” (12th)
• Hand size: 9⅛” (48th)
• 10-yard split: 1.46 seconds (98th)
• 20-yard split: 2.55 seconds (72nd)
• 40-yard dash: 4.36 seconds (92nd)
• Vertical jump: 42½” (97th)
• Broad jump: 136″ (98th)
• 3-cone drill: 6.84 seconds (71st)
• 20-yard shuttle: 4.12 seconds (61st)
• Bench press: 13 reps (34th)

Since the beginning of the Combine era (the 2000 draft), Echols is the only cornerback on record to register a sub-4.35 forty, a vertical leap of 42+ inches, and a broad jump of 135+ inches.

2019 season

Echols played two seasons at Kentucky after transferring from junior college, and those two campaigns were drastically different from a production standpoint. He was mostly fantastic in 2019, but in 2020, he struggled in many of the areas where he thrived the previous year.