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Mykael Wright NFL Draft Profile
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Mykael Wright Scouting ReportWright isn’t the most imposing physical specimen. Nevertheless, he has a strong athletic profile — one which underpins his style on the field. Wright exudes energy in all phases, even when he’s not in active pursuit. The Oregon CB has impressive lateral twitch, with which he can adjust his tackling angles quickly. Wright also brings great suddenness and recovery athleticism, and he can easily stack direction changes. Wright has fairly fluid hips, as well as intense explosiveness out of direction changes. He has smooth, patient footwork when anticipating releases, and he easily sinks his hips when diverting course. Furthermore, Wright brings superb long speed. With his explosiveness and long speed, he can match receivers at the line and stick to them down the field. Wright has good proportional length for his size. His length isn’t elite, but he has enough to be disruptive. His acceptable length also helps in tackling situations where he has the requisite closing burst and reach to wrap up opponents. Mykael has shown he can tie his traits together and convert at the catch point. He has impressive ball skills, as he’s able to time extensions and contortions with vertical leaps. His flashes of timing and coordination at the catch point are outstanding, and they allude to playmaking potential at the NFL level. Wright’s all-out disposition earns him fans, but he is still fairly careful and aware. He knows how to adapt when misdirections change the play’s outlook, and he flashes eye discipline and quick reaction ability. Additionally, Wright stands his ground in run support. While he doesn’t have the strongest frame, he still seeks to contribute. |
Areas for ImprovementWright’s lack of frame density can impact his ability to dismantle blocks. By the same virtue, Wright doesn’t always have the strength to pry passes from the cage during the catch process. These physical limitations sometimes induce him to get too grabby in contested situations. He’s a bit unrefined using his physicality, and this can result in flags. He can also be more consistent getting his eyes around and tracking the ball. Wright can also further refine his efficiency of motion, as he can be a bit uncoordinated on the ground. His feet are sometimes less active in off-man coverage, and he can get off-balance when mirroring receiver releases at the line. Wright sometimes rounds off his direction changes, and some of his motion is wasted at times. Wright tends to turn his hips upfield by default, leaving him susceptible to in-breaking routes. He sometimes shows indecision in two-on-one situations. This can lead to opportunities for the offense as well.
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Mykael Wright Career at OregonWright flourished as a kick returner in his true freshman season. He returned 10 kicks for 380 yards and 2 scores, becoming just the third Ducks player in school history to score twice on kickoffs in a single season. Wright maintained his special-teams role in 2020, but his value on defense may soon take precedence. This past year, the Oregon CB emerged as a top-end playmaker, putting up 9 pass deflections and 27 tackles in a seven-game campaign. For his play, Wright earned universal first-team All-Pac-12 recognition. He also landed on the Jim Thorpe Award watch list ahead of 2021. An entire class of defensive talent left Oregon in the 2021 NFL Draft, but there’s no fear in Eugene for the coming season. The opportunity is there for Wright to take the next step and terrorize Pac-12 passing offenses. If the Oregon CB can take advantage of that opportunity, then NFL teams will undoubtedly notice.
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Mykael Wright NFL Draft Player ProfileWright has a lot of the foundational traits you search for in cornerbacks. He’s decently sized, explosive, fast, fluid, and aggressive. He doesn’t quite have the elite reach or frame density that other cornerbacks have, but he makes up for it with his physicality, breadth, and closing burst. Wright’s strengths are easy to see, however, so are his weaknesses. He can be over-zealous and get himself into trouble. He can also further improve his efficiency of motion and shore up his coordination at the catch point. Additionally, he’ll need to add more weight to his frame, as that may be a red flag for NFL teams. Wright has already shown impressive flashes of natural talent and mental fortitude. If Wright can keep building on his athletic floor, he can easily be a Day 2 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
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