NY Jets meet with Mississippi State cornerback Cameron Dantzler

The NY Jets, among other teams, have reportedly met virtually with Mississippi State cornerback Cameron Dantzler ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The NY Jets are doing their due diligence with pre-draft meetings despite the limitations imposed by the ongoing COVID-19 situation. And their most recent visit appears to have been with Mississippi State cornerback Cameron Dantzler.

SB Nation and Draft Wire analyst Justin Melo reported on Friday that the Jets were one of 16 teams that have virtually met with Dantzler so far.

The Jets are clearly making the cornerback position a priority going into the 2020 NFL Draft as it seems as though the team is due for a complete reset at the position.

Trumaine Johnson and Darryl Roberts have been released leaving the newly re-signed Brian Poole as the only Week 1 starter on the roster. Pierre Desir was signed in free agency and will likely assume one of the starting outside jobs, but the other spot is more uncertain.

Of course, the hope is that 2019 sixth-round pick Blessuan Austin will be able to step up and take the job, but injury concerns, as well as his overall lack of experience, mean that that notion certainly isn’t a guarantee.

That’s why the Jets will likely look to add some depth in the draft. Dantzler is an ideal mid-round prospect who the team is evidently targeting.

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A two-year starter at Mississippi State, Dantzler earned a reputation as one of the SEC’s premier cornerbacks for his play over the last two seasons. At 6-foot-2, 188 pounds, Dantzler is sure to draw plenty of interest this draft season due to his excellent size and length.

Few cornerbacks are as long and stringy as Dantzler and his size gives him great potential to be a top-flight cornerback in the NFL. However, his slight frame allows him to be bullied by opposing cornerbacks too often despite his tall stature.

Dantzler has excellent anticipation skills as he breaks on routes quickly, especially in zone coverage. On top of that, his length gives him the potential to be a stout defender in press-man coverage even if he’s not there from a physical perspective just yet.

He’ll need to bulk up a bit more in the pros and work on his tackling/run support, but Dantzler is a solid depth option who could develop into a starter by his second or third season. If anything, his size and ball skills are enough for teams to take a chance on him on Day 2.

Dantzler is probably a late Day 2 or early Day 3 prospect who could be an ideal target for the Jets in the middle of the draft. While he’s better in zone coverage at the moment, his physical traits give him potential to improve drastically as a man-coverage defender.

The Jets need all the cornerback help they could get and Cameron Dantzler makes a ton of sense.