UCF’s Mike Hughes could be Dallas’ new cornerback

One of the great things about what we’re doing at The Upset is that we’re taking you on a journey through the NFL draft process. You’re getting a backseat ride down the road to the end of April. As we discover players, so will you. College football is so vast that it’s difficult enough to fully know 50 players, much less 300+. Whether you are a hardcore draft nerd or a casual observer hoping the Cowboys don’t screw up, I hope you’ll find enjoyment in the whole idea of teaming up with us and riding along.

I say all this because it’s time to talk about a player that very few people in the national media have been talking about. The hardcore experts have known about him for a while now, but the big-name national media that gets a lot of the attention isn’t quite “woke” on this player yet. Yes, I just said “woke”.

While watching tape with The Upset’s very own Jeff Cavanaugh and DallasCowboys.com analyst Bryan Broaddus the other night, it was my turn in the rotation to call out a player to watch. “Mike Hughes, cornerback, Central Florida,” I announced with little to no confidence. Jeff hadn’t seen him yet and neither had Bryan, so we were all getting our first look at a player we would fall in love with immediately. I think you will fall in love too. Prepare your heartstrings, everybody: we’ve got another player to track at 19.

Mike Hughes is 5106, and weighs 191lbs. His current estimated 40 time is 4.48, but (as always) the combine will be the official time. Hughes began his college career at the University of North Carolina, playing 12 games in 2015, but was suspended for two games in October of that year for getting into a fight at a frat party. He was charged with misdemeanor assault, but the charges were dropped as he completed community service.

He ended up leaving the school, and In 2016 he was a junior college All-American cornerback at Garden City Community College, while also handling return duties and playing a role in the offense as a running back and slot receiver.

He transferred to Central Florida for the 2017 season, and played an instrumental part in the undefeated season for the self-proclaimed national champions. Hughes had four interceptions and eleven pass breakups in 2017.

The games I studied were Auburn, both Memphis games, Florida International, SMU, South Florida, Maryland, and Temple. Hughes lines up on the outside, most of the time as the left cornerback, but he can play right cornerback as well. He’s most comfortable in press-man coverage, getting his hands on the wide receiver and preventing a clean release. There were times on tape where you would see him smother the receiver off the line, getting his hands on him immediately.

But before we get too carried away, let’s discuss some of the issues I have with Mike Hughes. In this clip, you’ll see his size become a bit of an issue as he struggles to shed a block by the Auburn wide receiver.

It’s not something I’m worried about in coverage, because of how physical he is with his hands in press coverage. However, I am a little concerned about his tackling in the open field or in run support. He’s an ankle-biter. He almost always goes low. Sometimes it works out, like in this clip below.

We can live with that right? You can also see his burst, exploding downhill to make the play. The problem is that there are times when going low leads to misses, and it happened a few times on tape. For example, right here…

Here you’ll again see him going downhill, but notice his head is down and he doesn’t try to wrap the runner up, leading to the missed tackle.

I understand that there are a ton of cornerbacks who aren’t technically sound tacklers, but his inability to wrap up jumped out multiple times on tape.

Now let’s talk about the good stuff: his cover skills.

Watch him in press coverage—again against Auburn—in the gif below: he easily flips the hips, turns and then outruns the receiver, giving him no chance to make the play. This is tremendous.

Also, notice in the clip above how he gets leverage on the receiver by getting inside position and pushing his vertical route to the sideline.

Now let’s go to one of the games against Memphis. Here he is 1 on 1 against the talented WR Anthony Miller (who I have a 2nd-round grade on).

Did I mention that he returns punts and kicks too? Instead of showing you clips, just watch this highlight video to get a feel for how good he is at returning punts and kicks.

His press man coverage skills are top notch and—in the tape I watched—he looked completely comfortable playing some zone as well. He’s a freak athlete, fully trusts his speed, and he tracks the ball like a savvy veteran outfielder in his prime.

I have a 1st-round grade on Mike Hughes. Of the players I’ve studied so far, he’s my second-favorite cornerback in this class, behind Minkah Fitzpatrick. I would be more than happy if the Cowboys took him at 19. I know there are other positions that the media and fans might want to address, but you can never have too many good cornerbacks. The Cowboys did a great job revamping their secondary in last year’s draft, but what does drafting another cornerback hurt? Especially if he’s got the potential to be your #1 cornerback. Also, don’t forget that Orlando Scandrick will likely be a salary cap casualty.

Please fill the comment box up with thoughts and suggestions for other write ups. Also, given that his name is Mike, power rank the top five Mike’s. I’ll accept Michael.

1. Michael Young (because I played golf with him once and it really raised my game. Plus the fact that he’s the coolest guy ever.)

2. Michael K. Williams, for his awesome role as Omar in The Wire.

3. Mike Myers, for his awesome starring role as Austin Powers.

4. Michael Jordan, for his awesome starring role in the movie Space Jam.

5. Mike Modano, for his awesome cameo in the original Mighty Ducks movie.

Alright, can’t wait to see the results. Let’s keep our chin up; the warm weather returns this weekend! If you have the time, availability, or the means, I’d love to meet you at my birthday party at Lakewood Brewery this Saturday night from 6-9pm. Cheers!

Kevin “KT” Turner is the producer of the Ben and Skin Show. You can hear him from 3-7pm Monday-Friday on 105.3 The Fan. KT is mourning the last days of his twenties and wants you to know that he loves you.