Film Don't Lie: Joe Wilkins Jr.
Notre Dame needs corners. Everyone knows it and, frankly, there had to be a bit of urgency on their part to land someone that projects there in this class.
It finally happened for the Irish when Joe Wilkins Jr. committed on Monday night and most Notre Dame fans probably don’t know much about him. He was not an early offer that was deemed a priority target when they were originally targeting prospects for 2018. He doesn’t have a blue chip ranking next to his name or an offer list that screams elite.
What he does have are the traits to develop into an outstanding defensive back for the Irish. I’m excited about this pickup for Notre Dame. This is an athlete with a very high ceiling. He may take some time to become the player they want him to be, but if he can get there, then the Irish just grabbed a big corner that with the measurables that every defensive coordinator looks for.
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 175
Projected Position: Cornerback
ISD Grade: 89
National Average Grade: 86.1
What he does best:
Wilkins is a playmaker. Wherever he lines up the field, he makes an impact. That matters even if he isn’t refined with his technique. There is something to say about an athlete being an athlete on the field and he stands out as an athlete as a receiver, returner, and defensive back.
Physically he has the body type that you’re looking for as a cornerback. He is long and attacks the football. You can see from when he plays receiver that he tracks the ball really well and has great ball skills. That translates over to defense as well. He is someone that should win a lot on contested catches.
I like his long speed, but his short area quickness is surprising. He flashes some explosive twitch and can really stick his foot in the ground and drive to the football.
He shows great instincts when it comes to jumping routes. And, of course, it’s big that he can finish and has the skills to do something with the football once he gets his hands on it. I see a fluid athlete in Wilkins that can flip his hips like on this speed turn too.
There's that ability to drive on the football again.
I love seeing his aggressiveness attacking against screens on the perimeter as well. This is a terrific job slipping this block and making a play. It’s not something you see from a lot of big corners like Wilkins.
I saw him fight through blocks too. He does a lot of things really well by simply being a natural football player.
What he needs to work on:
From a technique perspective, he is very raw. He makes plays off natural ability right now. It’s going to be exciting when you see him develop his footwork because he is simply reacting right now. Once he is taught to how to transition without as much wasted motion, he can really take off.
When lined up at corner, his high school had him playing a bail technique or sitting and reading in off coverage. He can turn and run in man coverage, but does not now how to properly use his length right now. This is him to just reaching in at the last moment, but you can see he is high and does not know how to use his size to defend.
That will come with experience once he gets to focus on playing cornerback exclusively. He broke up that pass while almost fading away from the receiver. That's the benefit of having long arms.
He shows he can be a capable tackler, but is inconsistent with his technique. He needs to wrap and finish consistently like he does here.
There are many areas he needs to work on. He really is only scratching the surface as defensive back.
What’s his ceiling?
I think the Wilkins has a chance to be a very good cornerback at the college level. His combination of size and speed at the position is exactly what programs are looking for. Yes, he needs to develop several parts of his game as a corner, but give me a kid with size and his athletic traits any day of the week.
Julian Love was also someone that was more football player than cornerback in high school. He starred as a receiver/running back/returner/safety. But the kid just made plays wherever he lined up and Wilkins is the same.
Miami has a corner starting for them now named Michael Jackson. He was a 3 star prospect out of Alabama with great size and athletic traits, but did not have a single SEC offer. Now he is the best corner for the Canes and one of the top corners in the ACC. That’s the kind of player I could see Wilkins develop into if he puts in the work to be great.