D’Jordan Strong NFL Draft Scouting Report

CB, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

D’Jordan Strong is the starting cornerback for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. He is a former three-star recruit that played cornerback and wide receiver in high school. Strong began his career at Northeast Mississippi Community College prior to transferring to Coastal Carolina. Strong became an integral part of the Chanticleers’ defensive system. 

Strong immediately adds leadership, competitiveness, and swag to the defense. His experience with both man and zone coverages adds value to his place in the secondary. Strong’s toughness was on display in 2020—he played through a fully torn labrum and had his best season at Coastal Carolina. He offers a sticky coverage style to stay in the wide receiver’s hip pocket. I have sat down with Strong in the past and learned how he studies/prepares for opposing offenses. He is a detail-oriented defender with good football IQ. I think his vision and instincts allow him to click and close from off-coverage to squeeze on routes in front of him. I appreciate his willingness to mix it up in press coverage and disrupt the wide receiver’s timing to enter their route stems. He does not give up on plays. When he is out of phase, Strong continues to work to get back into phase with the receiver and attacks their hands to attempt to break up passes.

Strong will be knocked for his lack of height and arm length. Defensive coordinators will not be enthusiastic about matching him against bigger-bodied outside wide receivers in man coverage. Battling at the catch point is not an effort issue for Strong. That being said, he does not have the desired physical frame to disrupt those big receivers on contested catches. Due to those listed size limitations, I would like to see him attack stalk blocks with a more aggressive trigger, preventing the blocker from climbing into his air space. 

Strong is defensive back teams should desire to have on their roster. His ability to cover as a slot/nickel defender in a league where it is the “new’ base defense is valuable. He has no issues with being on special teams and desires to be a force on that unit. I project him to be a depth cornerback and a special teamer. There is a path for him to become the starting nickel cornerback.

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Toughness/competitiveness
• Coachability 
• Coverage versatility

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Size
• Arm length
• Run support

Size (TBD):

Height: 5110

Weight: 195 lbs

Wingspan: TBD

Arm Length: TBD

Hand Size: TBD

Athletic Testing (TBD):

40-yard Dash: TBD

Vertical Jump: TBD

Broad Jump: TBD

Short-Shuttle: TBD

Three-Cone: TBD

Bench Reps: TBD 

Ideal Role: Nickel/slot cornerback

Scheme Fit: Man and zone

TDN Consensus Grade: 71.00/100 (Fifth-Round Value)

• Parson Grade: 71.00/100

Written By: Damian Parson

Exposures: Army (2022), Buffalo (2022), Troy (2022) App St. (2022)

D’Jordan Strong NFL Draft Scouting Report. Add him to your big board here.