Chicago Bears: Profile and Interview of Draft Target CB Isaac Yiadom

He’s Vic Fangio’s “type”

The first thing that jumps out about Isaac Yiadom is his size. You see, Vic Fangio definitely has a “type.”  And no, I’m not talking about his personal life.  He has a specific “type” of cornerback that he prefers.  He seems to prefer longer, taller corners who excel at press coverage.  Yiadom seems to fit that profile.

First, he stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 205 pounds.  Compare that to the Chicago Bears’ other corners, and he measures up favorably.  Prince Amukamara is 6-foot, 204 pounds, Kyle Fuller is 6-foot, 190 pounds, and Marcus Cooper is 6-foot-2 and 197 pounds.

Yiadom also has long arms that enable him to be so effective in press coverage.  His arm length measured 32 1/4 inches at the combine, which was among the longest of the cornerbacks.

As mentioned above, he is outstanding in press coverage.  First, he plays right up on the line of scrimmage.  Many times you see a corner play off the wide receiver.  This could be to make up for a lack of speed or poor technique.

However, Yiadom gets right up in the wide receiver’s face.  He can do this because he is technically sound and fast.

He will jam the wider receiver at the line and does a good job dictating where the wide receiver will go.  Isaac also stays very balanced in his backpedal.

Yiadom rarely bites on the wide receiver’s first move.  Instead, he stays patient and reads the wide receiver’s hips.  When they move, he moves.

This is critical when you play up as much as Yiadom does.  When you do this, there is little margin for error.  One false move and the wide receiver is gone.  However, Yiadom very rarely opens up or commits too early.

Simply put, he’s a very technically sound, athletic corner who fits well with what Fangio likes to do.  However, he is not just a press corner.  He also is very good in zone coverages.  As we know, Fangio likes to mix up his secondary coverages, mixing in both zone and man principles.

Playmaker

In addition, Yiadom is a playmaker.  Obviously, this is something the Chicago Bears need in their secondary.  In 2017, the Bears’ cornerbacks had a total of four interceptions.  Kyle Fuller and Bryce Callahan each had two.  That’s it.  During Lovie Smith‘s tenure, the Chicago Bears defense prided themselves on creating turnovers — particularly in the secondary.  Four interceptions are simply not enough.

Last season, Yiadom had two interceptions in only 13 games.  Granted, that might not seem like a lot.  However, he played a lot of man coverage with his back to the quarterback.   This reduces the number of opportunities for interceptions.  However, he also broke up an additional seven passes.  In other words, he is always around the ball.  Whether he’s intercepting the pass or breaking it up, he gives his team an opportunity to make plays.

Versatile

Yiadom is also very versatile.  During his freshman season at Boston College, he played primarily on special teams.  This will serve him well as he transitions to the NFL.  For starters, it gives him an added dimension as a player and increases his value.  With only 53 roster spots, players who can play multiple positions are worth their weight in gold.

In addition, it will allow him some time to adapt to the NFL game.  He will be able to step in right away and start on special teams.  This will allow him to contribute immediately, while he learns the defensive schemes.

Maximum Effort

Some will look at Yiadom’s 4.52 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine and think his speed is average for a cornerback.  However, that would be a mistake.  There are some players who are lightning fast in shorts, but once you put the pads on, they slow down considerably.

There are also players for whom the opposite is true.  They may not have a blazing fast time at the Combine, but when the pads go on, they are as fast or even faster than their peers.  Isaac Yiadom falls into this category.

Not only that but what he may lack in pure speed, he makes up for with maximum effort.  A word of caution about the videos below: they are not the same clip from different angles.  At first glance, you may think they are.  However, they are two separate clips of Yiadom traveling 50+ yards to track down a running back from behind to save a touchdown.

In the first clip, the running back is well into the secondary before Yiadom makes his move.  He disengages from the wide receiver and covers 65 yards to pull him down.  The second clip is even more impressive.  When the ball is snapped, the wide receiver makes an initial move towards the sideline.  Yiadom doesn’t bite and stays with the receiver when he cuts back on a slant.

On one hand, this puts the receiver in perfect position to block Yiadom on this run play.  Nevertheless, Yiadom shakes the block and travels 65 yards to save another touchdown.  This is the kind of player every general manager wants on their team.