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Chris Grier – April 28, 2017 (3rd Round) Download PDF version

Friday, April 28, 2017

General Manager Chris Grier
(Following pick of CB Cordrea Tankersley)

(Opening Statement) – “So we just added Cordrea Tankersley, (a defensive back from) Clemson. He’s a kid we’ve gotten to know. We had him in here on a 30-visit. Again, he’s had a lot of tape on film. He’s a guy that’s still learning the corner position. He’s got a lot of traits we like. He’s long. He’s got length. He’s got speed. He has ball skills. Again, he’s got a lot of stuff that we like. We think that there’s a tremendous upside still. Again, we really like the kid. He’ll be a contributor on special teams as well, so for the depth, (to) come in and compete for the roster spot. This is a player we’re very high on so we’re excited to add him. Any questions on him?”

(When you say special teams, are you thinking as a returner type guy or something else?) – “No, he’s been a gunner and stuff like that. So again, it’s just … We have a lot of guys on the back who can do that. So he’s another guy who again has value, as he works his way up the depth chart. He can play on special teams as well.”

(Now you have used all three picks on defense for the first time in actually franchise history. You are going to tell us that the board dictated that, but is it at all connected to the fact that you guys yielded so many yards last year?) – “No, I mean it really was (how) the board fell. He was the best player there that was on our board. We are looking to address and ironically, it happened to fall that way; but there were guys on offense that we had rated above him that we wanted and went before him. So it was just the way the board fell.”

(With that being said, how much better do you feel the defense looks now after two days?) – “Anytime you can add good, young players that have a lot of the qualities we like: guys that love football, that are tough kids, that are competitive and love the game. Again, you guys have heard us say that a lot. So again, we got a player at all three levels, so it helps our depth and we feel good about it.”

(Do you think any of these three draftees can be full-time starters from scrimmage and does that matter to you guys?) – “We are all about competition here. That is the one thing (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) has stressed, as you guys know being around him and the coaching staff. These guys, it doesn’t matter where they are picked, they are going to have to come in and earn it. We are excited about their future and potential but right now, it is up to them to make that next step and prove that they are worthy of the pick we selected them.”

(It seems to us, and stop me if I’m wrong, that you have three top-line boundary corners now. Does any of those three – CB Xavien Howard, CB Byron Maxwell and CB Cordrea Tankersley – can play the slot or do you see all three of those guys on the boundary?) – “I think the coaches are just going to work and let it play out this summer. I think it’ll be a fun thing for us, as well as you guys, to track on how they do. I don’t want to limit what guys can do or can’t do, so we’re just going to let them go out and compete.”

(Do you invitation the possibility of them playing inside though?) – “Yes, I think the coaches are very open to a lot of that, including, they would say Xavien (Howard) and all of those guys. I think it is wide open to anything that (Defensive Coordinator) Matt (Burke) and the coaches want to do.”

(What about his skill set specifically attracted you to CB Cordrea Tankersley?) – “His size. He’s a long limb … He’s over 6-foot,  200-pound guy. He ran a 4.38 (40-yard dash), so you can see a lot of the traits. As a press corner, those are a lot of the things you look for. We think it’s a tremendous developmental upside still for him to get better as a corner.”

(He ran a 4.38 at the Combine?) – “Yes, he’s an explosive athlete.”

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