So You’ve Drafted Tariq Castro-Fields...

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52 games in the blue and white, but now headed off to the NFL. What type of player will TCF be at the next level?

THE SKINNY

In one of the more exciting recruitments of the 2017 recruiting cycle, Penn State was able to snag Tariq Castro-Fields on National Signing Day from the hometown Maryland Terrapins. That ended up being a big get for the Nittany Lions as Castro-Fields — a.k.a. TCF — was a stalwart on the Penn State defense for five seasons. He played in 52 games during his five seasons with the Nittany Lions, with 30 of those games being as a starting cornerback. While TCF never earned first-team or even second-team All-Big Ten honors, he was extremely reliable on the backend of the Penn State defense from pretty much his first snaps as a true freshman.

WHAT YOU’RE GETTING

The most appealing aspect of TCF’s game are his physical attributes. He’s a big, long cornerback at 6-foot-1, 197 pounds and he ran extremely well at the NFL combine, clocking in a 4.38 forty. So despite the fact that TCF is one of the older prospects in the draft, he checks a lot of the boxes from a physical upside perspective.

The issue with TCF and why he is likely to be a Day 3 pick instead of a Day 2 pick is that he is a jack of all trades, master of none. He has the size and ability to play press — but especially against smaller, quicker wideouts — can lose at the point of attack. He has good long speed as pointed out by the forty time, but the short-area explosiveness and quickness doesn’t pop up on the film nearly as often. He’s generally a smart player, but there were a few notable times that he’d get beaten by double moves. And lastly, he doesn’t generate a ton of turnovers — just three interceptions over 52 games. I don’t know how many snaps he played in his career, but conservatively, that’s over 1,500 snaps. You’d like to see a few more picks.

An NFL starter? That doesn’t seem likely, especially right out of the gate. But someone who is a solid backup and perhaps eventually works his way into a starting caliber cornerback? I think that’s certainly possible.

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By: Patrick Koerbler
Title: So You’ve Drafted Tariq Castro-Fields...
Sourced From: www.blackshoediaries.com/2022/4/21/23035001/so-youve-drafted-tariq-castro-fields-penn-state-football-bsd
Published Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2022 18:00:00 +0000

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