We failed. Every single one of us failed. All 32 NFL teams failed. Draft experts failed. Scouts failed. Nobody took a deep look at this dog, who shall now be named Pup Basherton.
1. Punish your opponent for coming across the middle.
— Lloyd Legalist (@LloydLegalist) May 5, 2021
2. Look down and taunt him.
3. Run that ball back for six. pic.twitter.com/KXWgnmSKAt
The 2021 draft class was pretty light at safety, and Basherton has every single quality you want from the position. We can see he doesn’t over-pursue in coverage, playing the man instead of the ball and having fail his physicality will be a difference. From there he waits to let the receiver establish a football move, squares up his shoulders and drives the receiver back before dropping him.
I don’t love the taunting. It’s one of those things that gets fans excited, but I like to see a little more focus from players. I think we can turn this into a teaching moment, and it’ll only take one missed play to have Pup Basherton learn his lesson. Bad dog.
Awareness is excellent. After forcing the fumble he’s quick to recover the ball and look downfield for a running lane. We didn’t see the play finish, but I assume this went for a touchdown. I’m honestly surprised nobody scouted this Basherton further. Even if you think he’s a bit of a project, I think his football IQ and motor is high warrant a day two pick.